Innovation: Learn it from the Israelis

4362 Chinese top managers to participate at Technion’s Innovations workshop this week

Sixty-two of China’s senior managers arrived in Israel yesterday, for a five-day visit. During their stay here they will participate in the first ever workshop held in Israel titled “Visit to Israel – An In-Depth Journey to the Factory World Innovation.” The workshop will be held in the Knowledge Center for Innovation at the Davidson Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Technion, and will be headed by Prof. Miriam Erez.

Guests will hear lectures on the topic of innovation by leading academic experts, and will participate on industrial visits to leading Israeli companies including: Iscar, Amiad Water Systems, Biosense Webster, Stratasys, NaanDanJain Irrigation and Gilat Satellite Networks.

“Attending this workshop are senior managers and executives from mid-sized companies from all over China with a financial turnover of about $10 million dollars,” says Prof. Miriam Erez, 2005 Israel Prize recipient who heads the Knowledge Center for Innovation. She also mentioned that, “These companies are looking for added value in Israeli technology, and its representatives have come to this workshop to learn the secrets of Israeli innovation.”

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie welcomed the business delegation, and briefed them on Technion’s history and its great contribution to the Israeli economy. “Globalization is one of Technion’s strategic goals,” said Prof. Lavie. “In 2009 we opened an International School at the university that attracts excellent students from all over the world, among them many Chinese students. We have laboratories in Singapore, and in New York we have opened the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute. Cooperation with the Chinese people is important to us.”

During their visit, the business delegates will meet with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Gao Yanping, along with Israeli government officials and business executives from around the country, including representatives from the Haifa municipality and the Haifa Economic Corporation. They will hear lectures by the former Minster of Science, Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, Prof. Shlomo Maital, former Chief Scientist Dr. Eli Opper, and additional entrepreneurs and Israeli industry leaders of innovation.

The workshop will be held in cooperation with Shengjing, a business consulting firm from Beijing.

Above: Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie with the head of the Chinese delegation, Mr. Chen Yong. Photographed by: Shiatzo Photography Services, Technion Spokesperson’s Office