Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Global Technology Director Serena Stone MBE visited Israel final week on her first bilateral go to within the position, in a transfer geared toward strengthening UK-Israel know-how partnerships and increasing cooperation throughout innovation, analysis and rising applied sciences.
During the go to, Stone met Israeli entrepreneurs, researchers and know-how leaders working in fields together with synthetic intelligence, semiconductors, health-tech and scientific analysis. The go to highlighted Israel’s position as one of many world’s main innovation ecosystems and the UK’s curiosity in deepening ties with Israeli firms and analysis establishments.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Global Technology Director Serena Stone MBE
(Photo: British Embassy in Israel)
The program showcased the work of the British Embassy in Israel’s prosperity groups, together with the Science and Technology Network, the UK-Israel Tech Hub and the Department for Business and Trade. The groups work collectively to promote cooperation between the UK and Israel throughout science, know-how, enterprise and innovation.
Stone visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, the place she met firms already working with the UK and was briefed on Israel’s broader innovation panorama. She additionally visited Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, the place she noticed how new applied sciences are being utilized in medical settings to enhance affected person care.
The hospital go to included displays from founders of Israeli health-tech firms which have taken half in British Embassy applications, underscoring the position of worldwide partnerships in serving to Israeli firms develop and broaden.
Stone’s go to concluded with a tour of the Weizmann Institute of Science, the place she was briefed on the institute’s analysis, innovation and know-how switch work, in addition to its long-standing partnerships with UK establishments.
The go to additionally emphasised the UK’s place as one in all Europe’s main know-how ecosystems and as a possible base for Israeli firms searching for to scale internationally. British officers pointed to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which focuses funding on high-growth sectors together with digital applied sciences, life sciences and clear power.
(Photo: British Embassy in Israel)
“Technology remains one of the strongest pillars of the UK-Israel relationship, connecting us with many of Israel’s most internationally minded and forward-looking partners,” Stone mentioned. “London and Tel Aviv are two of the world’s leading innovation hubs, and together they create powerful opportunities for collaboration across research, investment and emerging technologies.”
“As more Israeli companies choose the UK as their natural European base, we are creating opportunities for innovation, growth and prosperity that benefit both our countries,” she added.
Thomas Phipps, chargé d’affaires on the British Embassy in Israel, mentioned the go to mirrored the power of Israel’s innovation sector and the potential for deeper cooperation with Britain.
“Israel’s innovation ecosystem continues to make an outsized contribution to global technological progress,” Phipps mentioned. “This visit was an invaluable opportunity to meet the entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators driving advances across AI, health-tech and other critical technologies, and to see first-hand the strength and ambition of Israeli innovation.”
“The UK is a natural partner for that ambition, offering a world-leading technology ecosystem, a strong investment environment and a gateway to international markets for companies looking to scale globally,” he added.