Photo by: Leonid Altman, Shutterstock

The remarkable success of Israel’s high-tech industry has motivated many governments worldwide to seek guidance on establishing innovative and thriving ecosystems in their countries. One of the countries that turned to Israel for inspiration is Canada.

SNPI CEO Uri Gabai and senior policy fellow Danny Biran worked closely with Canadian government officials to establish the Canadian Innovation Agency based, among other things, on the Israel Innovation Authority successful model. Gabai and Biran, experts in ecosystem development and former senior officials of the Israel Innovation Authority, led a two-day workshop for senior officials of various Canadian Government departments. They described Israel’s concept of innovation, the structure of its innovation ecosystem and how it evolved over time, and the government’s role in its development over several decades. They also discussed Canada’s innovation objectives and what lessons from the Israeli experience can be applied there.

Following SNPI’s advice and guidance, the Canadian government introduced a series of initiatives in early 2023, the most notable being the establishment of an innovation agency.

High-tech is a fast-paced industry, and as a result, reliable data is critical for formulating innovation policies. The current situation, where there is no accurate and up-to-date data, poses a significant challenge in crafting relevant policies.

To deal with this issue, we worked to establish a committee of the Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel led by Prof. Eugene Kandel, chairman of SNPI.

The purpose of the committee is to identify gaps in the available data, make recommendations for improvement and monitor the implementation process until an up-to-date and relevant database is created and maintained on an on-going basis. This database will be accessible to the decision-makers and will provide them with accurate and timely information to facilitate the formulation of an effective innovation policy.

Photo by: Andrew Wheeler

Discover the future of technology policy with the OECD Emerging-Tech Policy Conference in Tel Aviv, November 2023. Join us for this ground-breaking event, where senior experts, government representatives, high-tech industry leaders, and digital ministers from OECD member countries will gather to explore the latest trends in technology policy.

As the first integrated technology policy-future conference of its kind in Israel, this event promises to be both insightful and informative. The conference will kick off with the Global Forum on Technology Governance (GFT), followed by two days of the annual peak meeting of the Official Committee for Digital Policy of the OECD – Committee on Digital Economy Policy (CDEP). This is a unique opportunity for participants to learn from leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of technology policy.

The conference will focus on the readiness of governments for emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum, and more. With expert speakers, interactive workshops, and engaging panel discussions, attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the technologies of the future.

Over the last few decades, the TELEM Forum (National R&D Infrastructures) has invested hundreds of millions of shekels in a number of R&D infrastructures, in a broad range of areas. The vision has been that such infrastructures could develop knowledge and expertise in areas of high long-term potential, and contribute to Israel’s academia, industry, and economy.

In 2022, SNPI was requested by the Israel Innovation Authority to assess the effectiveness of those infrastructures, with focus on their contribution to Israel’s industries.

As part of this project we reviewed a number of select infrastructures, including areas like operations, KPIs and reporting, impact on the industry, and also reviewed international comparable infrastructures. At the conclusion of the assessment we issued a detailed report, including specific recommendations.

We presented our report to the Israel Innovation Authority, to the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Israel Council for Higher Education, and to the TELEM Forum. Our recommendations are already being implemented in new infrastructures.

Many ministries of the Israeli government have a chief scientist. However, their roles, reporting structures, modes of operations, impact, and backgrounds differ greatly of each other.

In 2021 we were requested by the Israeli National Council for R&D (MOLMOP) to assess the roles of chief scientists of the government ministries, including comparison to other countries.

In our study, we highlighted the differences between “science for policy” and “policy for science”, described how those were handled in countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland, and provided specific recommendations.

We presented the report to the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology (who chairs the forum of all government chief scientists), as well as to the forum of Chief Scientists.

At SNPI, we engage in a range of activities, including providing guidance to various countries around the world on establishing effective innovation ecosystems. As pioneers in the field of innovation, we feel privileged to share our expertise with countries like Morocco, Bahrain, and others, and to offer insights gained through our own experiences in Israel. We provide unique value to the participants, as we know not just the “what” of the Israeli policies but also the “why”.

Our workshops, which target senior executives from government, academia, industry, and other innovation-related organizations globally, focus on developing strategies and plans for building a thriving innovation ecosystem through public-private partnerships. Collaboration on a global scale is essential for fostering innovation and creating a better future for humanity, both in Israel and across the world.

At SNPI, we recognize the critical role of safeguarding personal information in the contemporary digital era. Accordingly, we take pride in our contribution towards advancing the CBPR system in Israel. As leaders of the Israeli delegation to APEC’s cross-border privacy rules professional workshop in London, we had the opportunity to engage with global stakeholders and stay abreast of the latest developments in cross-border data privacy protection.

Collaborating with the American embassy, we endeavor to promote the CBPR policy in Israel, aiming to establish a secure digital ecosystem for all. We believe that the CBPR system represents a crucial stride toward achieving this objective. Through our collaboration with industry experts and decision-makers, we strive to make a tangible impact on cross-border data privacy protection.

In recent years, the demand for legal services in Israel has risen significantly, leading to a rise in the complexity of procedures and the requirement for extensive information, resulting in higher costs and prolonged processes. Globally, the adoption and integration of technology, particularly Legal-Tech advancements, are the primary means of addressing these trends and aligning legal requirements with the needs of the 21st century. Despite Israel’s status as a technology powerhouse, with many legal-tech companies, the country has yet to take full advantage of these technologies in its legal services sector.

The aim of this project is to investigate the integration of technologies with the objective of enhancing access to justice and improving the efficiency of both public and private legal systems.

The study will examine how technology integration can promote the legal services market in Israel and improve services to citizens. This will involve reviewing government test cases from around the world in this field, analyzing the key challenges in technological and regulatory aspects that hinder the integration of technology in legal services, and proposing policy measures to advance the sector.