Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Israel's prominence in the global technology industry can be largely credited to the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, home to Israel's innovative scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs and its Nobel laureates in science.

Founded in 1924, the Technion is Israel's first institution of higher learning. As such, it has been closely linked with the country's development, providing the education and expertise that built its infrastructure, created its military might and turned the desert into orange groves. Today, it is the primary source for the scientists, engineers and applied research that drive Israel's technology-based industry.

Known as "Israel's MIT," the Technion has earned a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in electronics, medicine, information technology, water management, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials engineering and aerospace. It is one of just 10 universities in the world that build and launch satellites. It is also one of only five similar institutions worldwide that include a medical school, encouraging progress in the rapidly developing science of biotechnology. A recognized leader in stem cell research, the Technion is one of only 15 academic institutions and companies worldwide approved by the National Institutes of Health for government-funded research.

Companies such as Microsoft, Google, IBM, Intel and Hewlett-Packard have established their operations near or even on campus, where they can take advantage of the Technion's research power and outstanding graduates.

To focus interdisciplinary efforts on research in priority subjects, the Technion - with funding from the American Technion Society - has established a growing network of Centers of Excellence in such fields as aerospace, composite materials, software, nanotechnology, optoelectronics and neuroscience. Technion scientists are actively developing protective technologies such as biometric scanning for airport security systems, encryption technology to secure Internet communications, innovative blast resistant materials and new methods to test contaminants in food, water and air. Technion graduates have also played a major role in the development of the Arrow anti-missile system that will protect Israel from possible missile attacks.

The Technion's 825-plus faculty members include renowned experts from universities around the world; in turn, its faculty serve as visiting scientists at the world's major universities and research centers worldwide, with some two dozen at MIT, Harvard and Stanford at any one time.

Its 12,500 undergraduate and graduate students include native-born Israelis and immigrants from 40 nations, as well as guest students from around the world. They study in the Technion's 18 faculties and 29 research centers and institutes.

Two Technion programs aim to bring Israel's management skills in line with its scientific prowess. A growing MBA program trains engineers in global management of high-tech companies. The Technion Institute of Management in Tel Aviv continues the process with an innovative executive education program.

The Technion Research and Development Foundation (TRDF) manages university research programs and performs testing and research services for industry and government. The Technion Entrepreneurial Incubator Company, Ltd. (TEIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of TRDF, facilitates the path from laboratory to marketplace for Technion scientists-turned-entrepreneurs. A stream of novel products and processes with export potential is constantly emerging from the 75 companies that have been spun off from the TEIC. These companies glue broken bones, develop robot-grown lettuce, diagnose cancer and devise tiny unmanned helicopters.

As Israel's center for high-technology education and research, the Technion is central to the nation's economic development. As the premiere institute of its kind in the region, the Technion is responsible for breakthroughs that can benefit all the nations of the Middle East. And as a world-class research university, the Technion helps advance the frontiers of science and technology to benefit people around the world.

Click here to link to the Web site of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.