Prof. Slomo Maital [born Richard Alan Malt*] is emeritus professor at Technion and senior research fellow at the Neaman Institute. During 1998-2009, he served as Academic Director of TIM-Technion Institute of Management, and worked with some 200 high-tech companies (established and start-ups), and some 1,000 managers. For 20 years, he was a visiting professor at MIT Sloan School Management during the summers. He wrote, co-authored or edited over a dozen books, including:
He writes a regular column for the fortnightly magazine Jerusalem Report.
His current research focuses on the following topics: SNI Wheel of Life (visual quantification of the quality of life in Israel); a method for fostering creative thinking; and editing a book on technology transfer from Academe to industry.
* After making Aliyah in July 1967 the name Richard Alan Malt was Hebraicized to Shlomo Maital
"Wheels of Life" in Israel
The "Wheels of Life" project was launched in 2013, in order to compare Israel's performance with the performance of other countries in five main dimensions of Israel's society: economics, innovation, science and technology, society-governance- education, environment, and energy. The data source used for comparative analysis is the World Competitiveness Yearbook of the IMD School of Management, a leading business school in Lausanne, Switzerland, which presents data on a wide range of global competitiveness variables in 60 countries.
The Zvi Griliches Research Data Center
The Zvi Griliches Research Data Center was established in 2000 to encourage the study of empirical economic of Israel in issues related to the economy of research and development, the high-tech sector, innovation, human capital and productivity.
Transferring Technology and its Commercialization
How to translate technological knowledge obtained in academe into commercial success is a disturbing question that concerns many researchers and entrepreneurs in the academe. The Samuel Neaman Institute faces the issue as part of its involvement in the Technion.
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IDF’s Conscription Model: Examining Alternatives and Innovations
Our goal is to organize a Roundtable discussion, whose participants have expertise, knowledge and opinions on all aspects of military conscription – social, political, military, strategic, economic and psychological. In the Roundtable, a wide variety of opinions and positions will be expressed, on I.D.F. conscription and the volunteer army; innovations in this area will be discussed and various alternative policies will be presented. The Roundtable will provide informative useful material for a planned one-day Workshop conference, at which decision-makers and opinion leaders will participate. The S. Neaman Institute will prepare and distribute a report, at the conclusion of the Workshop.
Entrepreneurship at the Technion
This report was prepared at the initiative and at the request of the Technion Board and was intended to serve as background material for the purpose of formulating the Technion's policy in the field of entrepreneurship.
Innovation 2011 – Active Industrial Policy for leveraging Science and Technology and Israel's Unique Culture of Innovation.
The program commenced at the end of 2009 and ended in 2011. The project was initiated by the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation, was authorized by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor and led by the Chief Scientist of the Ministry. Innovation 2011 is a strategy for implementing the mission outlined in "Israel 2028 –Vision and Strategy for Economy and Society in a Global World," initiated by the U.S.-Israel Science & Technology Foundation and presented to the Government of Israel.
Policy Incentives for Knowledge Creation
The project is implemented under the Seventh Program of the European Union (FP7), a consortium that consists of seven countries (Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, the UK, and Israel). The purpose of the project is to examine empirically the role of the demand side in the creation of technological knowledge, recognition of technological and organizational innovation, and encouraging the increase in productivity. The project is formally complete and our contribution was expressed in five outputs.
The Acceleration of Arab Society's Involvement in the Israeli Economy and Business Sector
The national importance and the urgency of accelerating the Arab citizens' integration into Israel's economy is increasing in Israel. A variety of state, business and voluntary organizations are dealing with this subject. For this purpose, we intend to hold a series of discussions with the major organizations dealing with the economic/business aspect of the subject
Israel's Policy on Developing Transport Infrastructure
This research focuses on preparing a policy document on the subject of a transport master plan for the National Council for Economy at the Prime Minister's Office. The objective of the study was to assist in the development of a policy to be determined by the Government on the subject of road and rail transport development in Israel.
The new world (dis)order: A clash of values
14 May, 2024
Since the culmination of World War II, the world has undergone profound political, social, and economic transformations on a global scale. These shifts are elucidated through the comprehensive Zoom in/Zoom out framework, delineated in four discerning steps.
Intel in Israel: A 50-year love affair
08 March, 2024
Prof. Shlomo Maital, in an opinion piece, emphasizes the importance of Intel to Israel and its significant contribution to the Israeli economy and society.
Israel's hi-tech firms helping tackle the food, agriculture crises
26 January, 2024
Prof. Shlomo Maital spoke with his colleague Eyal Shimoni, a veteran foodtech expert, innovator, mentor, entrepreneur, and former senior Strauss manager nd asked him to name some leading innovative technology-intensive start-ups in foodtech and aggrotech.
'The Genius of Israel': How we became the 'Comeback Nation' - review
26 January, 2024
After a military debacle that saw the IDF unable to protect the people of Israel on October 7 – a major failure – the IDF and the people of Israel have made a strong recovery and comeback. This column reviews a new book by the authors of Startup Nation, Senor and Singer.
Israels hi tech bounces back
22 December, 2023
The October 7 massacre saw Israeli hi-tech employees called up for IDF reserve duty and funding dried up. despite it all, Israel’s hi-tech industry is bouncing back better and stronger.
Women are smart, so why do men dominate in STEM?
11 March, 2023
Prof. Shlomo Maital wonders how come men disproportionately dominant in brainy fields, even though women are just as smart? And how the current coalition government encourages that?
How did Russian oligarchs get their wealth?
14 April, 2022
Kleptopia is the visceral enemy of democracy and well-being and the lifeblood of despots. The world is very late in awakening to the problem, but better late than never.
Always look on the bright side: What have we learned from COVID-19?
13 January, 2022
Prof. Shlomo Maital reflects on the Monty Python’s song while reflecting on the wrenching two years we’ve been through since the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Israel, concluding with the proven benefits of optimism as a key driver of resilience.
How the US slashed child poverty: Lessons for Israel
27 September, 2021
Israel has neglected its poor children for decades, while in recent months, in one fell swoop, the US has slashed child poverty by 40% or more. How did the US do this? And what can Israel learn from it?
World War II's secret Jewish commandos: X Troop
14 September, 2021
Prof. Shlomo Maital brings a particularly stunning yet-untold World War II story by Hunter College Professor Leah Garrett – a book about 87 Jewish commandos, an unlikely band of brothers, who together played a decisive role in defeating the hated Nazis.
Arab Israelis: Is anybody listening?
02 September, 2021
As Prof. Shlomo Maital writes in this article, we Israelis have many stellar qualities. But listening patiently to those with whom we may disagree is not one of them.
Iron Dome: The inside story
15 July, 2021
Prof. Shlomo Maital reviews the inside story of the iron dome project and the man behind it, by the person who headed the project at RAFAEL: Chanoch Levin.
How Israel conquered coronavirus
02 July, 2021
Prof. Shlomo Maital brings us the story of how Israel conquered COVID-19 and transitioned from initial chaos to ultimate success.
Ultra-Orthodox pull U turn on Vaccines
13 June, 2021
In this article Prof. Shlomo Maital explains why Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community initially dragged their feet on vaccination – and then abruptly changed their minds -and what we can learn from this episode?
2034: The next world war will be US versus China
21 April, 2021
Though we Israelis regard our country as an elephant, and act as if it were, Israel is in fact more like a mouse – especially, when its ally America faces off against its rising competitor, China, with which Israel has major economic ties.
Israel enjoys a baby boom, but the West is aging.
08 April, 2021
ALMOST UNIQUE among the nations of the world, Israel continues to enjoy a mini-baby boom, while the developed Western world suffers a baby bust, a trend further exacerbated by the global 2020 pandemic.
Yom Kippur War- The tragedy and triumph of Tel Saki
10 March, 2021
Prof. Shlomo Maital brings the incredible tale of a group of 28 soldiers trapped inside a bunker on Tel Saki, surrounded on all sides by Syrian forces. This is a story of, triumph and tragedy, of how they survived.
How do you win a Nobel Prize
24 February, 2021
In this article, the third of a series of articles by Prof. Shlomo Maital on Technion researchers who won the Nobel Prize. Prof. Maital interviews the Nobel Laureate for 2004 - Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, and shares the insights that emerged during a conversation about the path that led to receiving the award.
Economic populism
03 February, 2021
Would you put your car in the hands of a mechanic that did not learn car mechanics and has no understanding in cars?
Another lesson from the Corona Year
10 January, 2021
For many months now, mayors have been desperately trying to explain to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ‘disunity-government’, that they understand their city's situation better than the politicians sitting sealed in Jerusalem and would like to run the plague themselves.
Ageism out! Sageism in!
05 January, 2021
There are one million people over 65 in Israel– one person in every nine and By 2035, there will be 1.66 million elderly, as their numbers grow more than twice as fast as the general population.
How Jews Change the world
22 December, 2020
In this article, published in the Jerusalem Post, Prof. Shlomo Maital tells us about a century of Jewish genius that changed the world. Followed by an interview with Norman Lebrecht, a British journalist and novelist who wrote the book : ”Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947”.
The business of sleep
13 May, 2019
An interview with Prof. Peretz Lavie, outgoing president of the Technion about his sleep research and resulting start-ups.
Polity without policy
08 April, 2019
What happen in democracies, when we the voters, the polity, cast our ballots without any clue about what those we are voting for plan to do? What if those we vote for have no idea themselves what they plan to do? And why are Israel and Western democracies in this pickle?
To succeed in a start-up, you have to think like artists
12 October, 2018
Is Israel really the start-up nation? If you choose the right metric, the answer is no. Israel is indeed the world leader in the number of start-ups per capita, according to the Bloomberg Index - but is this the right measure? Isn't it more correct to check the number of successful start-ups per capita? If we measure this index, we will find that Israel is not at all leading. The rate of failures in the US, for example, is 90%; Sounds a lot, but it's much less than Israel.
Prey, work, study Torah
06 August, 2018
In this article, Prof. Shlomo Maital discusses the integration of ultra-Orthodox society into the labor force in Israel, the historical circumstances that led to the current situation, and the various incentives that are pushing more Haredi men to join the labor force, concurrently to their torah studies
what lies ahead in 2018?
22 January, 2018
In this paper, Prof. Shlomo Mei-Tal reviews the important statistics and trends in the Israeli economy in 2017, and the forecasts for the changes that are expected to affect the economy in 2018
LET'S SAY HELLO
17 April, 2017
Intel's $ 15 billion purchase of Mobileye could be the way to go for Israeli hi-tech bringing in jobs and expertise rather than taking away brains
Will Iran win the technology war?
06 January, 2017
In his article, Prof. Shlomo Maital analyzes the investment of the Iranian government (and even the religious establishment in Iran) in technological and scientific education, and its results, against the investment in the State of Israel in those fields.
The Best of times, The Worst of times
14 December, 2016
Hugh forest fires that left hundreds homeless and caused over a billion shekels in damages highlighted the ability of Israelis to rally in times of adversity, but also fanned sectarian tensions and raised questions about disaster preparations
Follow the money
12 December, 2016
How will Donald Trump’s economic outlook affect Israel and the world?
A Swiss-Israel merger?
16 November, 2016
Swiss-Israel merger? Not Quite, but Israel certainly has a lot to learn from Switzerland, which has nearly double its per capita GDP.
A Tale of debt and darkness
31 October, 2016
Eliezer Fishman faces the largest ever bankruptcy of an Israeli businessman. How did the banks allow things to go so far?
How to change the world
21 May, 2016
What would happen if an Israeli invention replaced conventional internal combustion engines?
The Eilat Casino Gamble
16 March, 2016
If casinos are opened in Eilat, will they really boost the city's employment and well-being
Angels Over Tel Aviv
06 January, 2016
The White City has become one of the world’s most vibrant start-up ecosystems with angel investments playing an important role.
The world in IdO
25 November, 2015
Israeli start-up companies play a major role in the return to the future of the lucrative industry of objects online.
Is the buck passing?
11 November, 2015
The implications for Israel of a declining dollar are serious; does the government have a contingency plan?
Still in First Grade
02 November, 2015
2 million Israeli children began the new school year on September 1, including 57,477 smiling freshfaced and hopeful six-year-olds who began first grade. They showed up at 4,805 schools with backpacks, pencils, sandwiches and anticipation. But all too often, our children quickly learn that our schools are frozen perpetually in first grade.
Internet of everything
28 October, 2015
Israeli start-ups are playing an important role in burgeoning new industry known as the Internet of Things
Heureux comme un Israelien
21 September, 2015
Si Israel se regardait dans le miroir, il verrait un pays rempli de gens heureux, en bonne sante, globalement optimistes et resilients. Bref, un pays qui s’en sort plutot bien.
Is Defense Spending Sacrosanct?
05 August, 2015
The Locker Committee has presented a core existential dilemma: How much defense spending is appropriate? And who decides?
The TEVA VS. MYLAN
27 July, 2015
In the battle of the giants it is Israel’s Teva that is the heavyweight, and the American company, the lightweight
Crossing Death Valley
13 July, 2015
It is very difficult to do business in Israel, especially for a start-up seeking to grow independently
Ten ideas for Naftali Bennett
29 June, 2015
The new minister needs to put his shoulder to the wheel to get the education system extricated from the mire
Satellites that tango
27 May, 2015
A growing number of Israeli start-ups are excited by the potential of the growing civilian space industry, now estimated at nearly 300 billion dollar.
Mitzva bonds
17 May, 2015
Social bonds could link performance with funding and, ultimately, rebuild the public’s trust, eroded by years of waste and corruption.
Needed: Goliaths instead of Davids
09 May, 2015
Israel needs more than start-up exits, it needs companies that can scale up to global giants. Web builder Wix is taking up the challenge.
Addicted to cheap money
20 April, 2015
A seismic reversal of financial markets is on the cards, with falling bond and stock prices
On wings of carbon
06 April, 2015
Israel Aerospace Industries is engaged in high-tech manufacturing for the F-35 fighter jet project.
The pensions time bomb
04 March, 2015
In less than a decade, payments from the old-age benefits fund will exceed income, and by 2042 or earlier, the whole fund will be gone. Despite 20 years of legislation and reforms, the penion crisis has become worse.
Xin Chào, Vietnam!
21 January, 2015
Vietnamese want to learn the Israeli 'secret sauce’ of technology-intensive entrepreneurship
Shocks, sheikhs and shale
07 January, 2015
The price of oil peaked at $145 a barrel in July 2008 and is now below $50. The cause: Saudi oil sheikhs refuse to slash production to stabilize prices, while American shale production soars.
Tel Aviv white elephant
17 December, 2014
The ‘New’ Central Bus Station languishes in semi-neglect, a strange, partly unseen, humming underworld of activity.
Israel, by the numbers
12 November, 2014
According to the statistics, Israel is quite well off, fairly cheerful, healthy, and great place to live and raise children.
The dismal science meets the shrinks
15 October, 2014
What happens when economics, known for over two centuries as the dismal science, meets psychology, whose practitioners often called "shrinks"? Economics become a whole lot less dismal and a great deal more useful and interesting.
Atop Mt. Intel
06 October, 2014
David Perlmutter, who rose to become the most senior Israeli corporate executive, shares his insights on implementing radical innovation at very big companies.
The battle of the budget
01 October, 2014
Who will pay for the Gaza war? A three-way conflict between security, social and fiscal considerations. A Netanyahu-Lapid compromise leaves taxes unchanged for the 2015 budget and defines added defense spending as “one-time only”.
Start-up Nation's dark side
22 September, 2014
Israel may top the tables in innovation, but the benefits need to be more widely diffused.
THE ASIAN BUYOUT
30 June, 2014
What are the pros and cons of selling Israeli companies to Asian investors?
When the bubble bursts
28 May, 2014
Soaring property prices are like riding a tiger – if prices continue to rise, it's bad; if they fall, it's bad, very bad.
ENTREPRENEUROVIRUS
19 May, 2014
The Zisapel approach encourages creative people to leave big and growing companies and start small ones.
Israel's China Dilemma
14 May, 2014
How can Israel build trade and investment with China, without damaging ties with the US and Europe?
It's All in the Family
21 April, 2014
Contrary to conventional wisdom, many family firms, such as Sano, the consumer products company, are exceedingly well managed.
Rethinking the Draft
09 April, 2014
How can conscription be modernized and improved to achieve Israel's goals and maintain its security?
Dissecting BDS
07 April, 2014
Is the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement truly a threat to Israel? It is a mistake to lump B, D and S together – they are utterly different. Sanctions are the main threat.
Strong shekel blues
05 March, 2014
Has the Bank of Israel thrown in the towel in its war against the appreciation of the shekel?
Who Will Heal the Hospitals?
05 March, 2014
The crisis at Hadassah, the country's leading medical center, is only symptomatic of the deep malaise affecting Israel's medical system.
In search of a cure
19 February, 2014
Erez Vigodman, the new CEO of Teva, Israel's premier global company, has to work fast to pull the conglomerate out of crisis.
Visionary optimist - Dov Lautman 1936-2013
30 December, 2013
INDUSTRIALIST DOV LAUTMAN died November 23 following a decade-long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was 77. He is survived by his son, Noam, and three grandchildren.
A woman’s job
28 November, 2013
All Karnit Flug has to do is stabilize the currency, battle inflation and deflation, cool housing prices, and fight inequality and poverty.
Getting Future Ready
13 November, 2013
Israel may be a land of hi-tech milk and honey but when it comes to public services it has yet to enter the 21st century. Carmela Avner became the Government’s first CIO Chief Information Officer, and moved Israel ahead toward e-Government – but after nearly 18 months in office, she has resigned; others will need to carry on with her work.
Technion in China
07 November, 2013
A Hong Kong entrepreneur joins forces with an Israeli university to spur innovations in mainland China
48 Herzl St.
13 October, 2013
The shopkeepers of Haifa's main drag paint a portrait of Israel's struggling small businesses.
Brains for sale
23 September, 2013
Do start-up exits leave behind ‘scorched earth’?
The chosen few
09 September, 2013
How literacy helped the Jews: This new book, The Chosen Few, shows how the Jewish people survived and thrived, until the Iberian Expulsion of 1492, because of Torah study and widespread literacy – It was not anti-Semitism that shaped the Jews’ destiny, but literacy.
Start-up nation packs its bags
06 March, 2013
Many Israeli startups are choosing to launch in America, rather than in Israel. We must act to keep them at home.
The debilitating brain drain
25 February, 2013
Israel must find a way to ensure that its brightest minds remain at home rather than seek greener pastures abroad.
Middle class under siege
22 February, 2013
Only coins and tadpoles have just a head and a tail; societies, in contrast, can't survive and thrive without something in the middle
Ideas from Nature
30 December, 2012
Scientists are drawing inspiration from the natural world, and using what they learn to help solve problems for humans
Rafael’s guardian angels
28 November, 2012
Defense technology is not solely about mass destruction; it can be about saving lives.
The screwed generation
01 September, 2012
Young Israelis have become increasingly poor, squeezed by rising housing costs and higher taxes.
Warp speed for networks
10 August, 2012
Mellanox hardware can transfer a hundred 2,600-page Encyclopedia Britannica's every second.
Be like Kahlon
26 June, 2012
Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon has had a significant impact on the lives of ordinary Israelis.
Whose gas is it?
12 December, 1812
It is vital that development of Israel’s gas fields should move ahead rapidly
Kahlon Vs. Flug
12 December, 1812
The finance minister wants competition, The Bank of Israel governor, stability. Who is right and can we enjoy both?
DO GOOD, DO WELL
12 December, 1812
Social start-ups are filling the gaps left by shrinking government budgets
