World Bank Study Tour of Israel (10-12/4/07)

S. Neaman Institute organized and conducted a study tour to Israel for the World Bank Europe Central Asia (ECA) region on 10-12/4/07 entitled "Innovation Financing in Israel: Lessons for Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union".

ECA region includes countries such as Russian Federation; Poland; Ukraine; Romania and many others.

The purpose of the trip was to "examine whether and how successful cases of government-led intervention in Israel can be applied and adapted to ECA countries." This refers to programs of the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) and other programs for small and medium enterprises (SME).

The study tour consisted of a one-day seminar at SNI; a day of meetings in Tel Aviv, mainly with the OCS; and a day of meetings in Jerusalem.

Delegates:

PRIVATE AND FINANCIAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT UNIT
Fernando Montes-Negret, Sector Director
Gerardo Corrochano, Sector Manager
Itzhak Goldberg, Lead Specialist
Paulo Guilherme Correa, Senior Economist
Marialisa Motta, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist
John Gabriel Goddard, Economist

POVERTY REDUCTION AND ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT UNIT
Cheryl Gray, Sector Director

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SECTOR UNIT
Isak Froumin, Senior Education Specialist

S. NEAMAN INSTITUTE
Naftali Moser, Researcher and Program Coordinator

TUESDAY APRIL 10TH: S. NEAMAN INSTITUTE (SNI) HAIFA
opening
0930-1000: Welcoming remarks	Prof Nadav Liron, Director, SNI Mr Fernando Montes-Negret, Head of Mission
Session 1, Chair: Prof Nadav Liron, Director, SNI
1000-1030: Introduction to the study tour	Mr Itzhak Goldberg, Lead Specialist, Private and Financial Sector, ECA - presentation
1030-1100: Prof Shlomo Maital, Senior Research Fellow, SNI	"Overview of the Israeli economy 1948-2007" - presentation
1100-1130: Dan Vilenski, former Chairman, Applied Materials Israel	"Is government financial support important in today's competitive high-tech market?"
1200-1230: Prof Avi Fiegenbaum, Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion	"The Take-Off of Israeli High-Tech Entrepreneurship in the 1990's" - presentation
1230-1300: Dan Kaufman, PhD Candidate, School of Management, Ben Gurion University	"Israeli Government Policy for High-Tech Industry 1969 – 2007" - presentation
1300-1330: Prof Miriam Erez, Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion	"Interrelationships between culture and the innovation process: some international perspectives" - presentation
1500-1700: Round table discussion to discuss the israeli experience in the light of the needs of the members of the delegation.	Chair: Prof Shlomo Maital, SNI and Technion Institute of Management. Participants: delegation members; speakers from above, and: · Mr Uzia Galil, Chairman, Uzia Initiatives and Management Ltd · Mr Dov Hershberg, former Executive Director, Israel-US BIRD Foundation · Mr Emil Guberman, President and VP Marketing, Geomage · Cover issues such as: · "replicability" of Israeli programs in the target countries · the process of economic development: preconditions and transition phases · issues of governance, institutions, transparency and checks and balances
WEDNESDAY APRIL 11TH: TEL AVIV

1000-1100	"The Yozma Initiative: Then and Now": Mr Yigal Erlich, Managing Partner, Yozma Group. Formerly, founder of the Yozma Program while Chief Scientist, OCS - presentation
1130-1230	The Israeli Technological Incubators Program: Ms Rina Pridor, Director, including discussion
1230-1330	Magnet Program: Mr Ilan Peled, Director, including discussion - presentation
1330-1400	Israel and the European 7th Framework Program: Mr Marcel Shatton, Director, ISERD
1500-1530	Overview of the OCS Program: Ms Mina Goldiak, Deputy Chief Scientist, International R&D Relations & Cooperation - presentation
1530-1630	Overview of Matimop Programs: Mr Yair Amitay, Managing Director, Matimop
1700-1800	Meeting with Dr Eli Opper, Chief Scientist, Ministry of Industry and Trade (www.moital.gov.il/madan)
1800-1900	Mr Carl Kaplan, Managing Director, Koret Israel Economic Development Funds (KIEDF) (Nonprofit organization, has loaned over $110 million to 4000 small businesses all over Israel; many of them immigrants from ECA countries).
THURDAY APRIL 12TH: JERUSALEM
Series of meetings,Location: Bank of Israel Building, (Nechasim UBinui Conference Room)
1000-1100	Discussion with Mr Uri Scharf, CEO, Jerusalem Business Development Center ("Mati" Jerusalem) - presentation
1100-1200	Meeting with Shlomo Caine, Director, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Israel, Intel Capital
1200-1330	Meeting and discussion with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mashav: Center for International Cooperation, MOFA.
1330-1430	Discussion with Yaackov Barkai, Budgets Division, Ministry of Finance
1530-1615	Discussion with Mr Boaz Hirsch, Head, Foreign Trade Administration, Ministry of Industry and Trade.
1730-1830	Site visit to Van Leer Technology Center Jerusalem, on campus of Hebrew University. - presentation.

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