According to recent data, Israeli universities and medical centres are experiencing a surge in creating startups. This rise has seen an increase of over 120% in new startups set up yearly by academic institutions, from 34 in 2016 to 75 in 2020. These startups account for 13% of the new startups established in Israel.
Tech transfer companies within universities manage the intellectual property assets of researchers and help transfer knowledge and technologies to the business sector. This transfer of innovation is often achieved through collaboration and licensing deals. Researchers who once worked solely on research and teaching are now encouraged to collaborate with businesses and boost R&D.
This growth in startups is encouraging as the number of new startups established in Israel has declined yearly since 2016. It shows that universities and medical centres are increasingly important in bridging the gap between research and commercial products.
Israeli universities have a reputation for being at the forefront of technological innovation, with the country being dubbed the “Startup Nation”. This new data reinforces this position and highlights universities’ crucial role in Israel’s tech industry.