Innovation Authority intends to launch another program to encourage high-tech in Be'er Sheva in the amount of NIS 25 million

The Innovation Authority intends to launch another program to encourage high-tech in Be'er Sheva. The Innovation Authority intends to submit to the Finance Committee for approval a new plan in the amount of NIS 25 million, in which an external party will be selected to build and propose a new plan to promote innovation in the city. The program was first published on the Readitnow website.
The new program is not the first or second to be launched in Be'er Sheva. In 2015, the government approved Plan 528, which focuses on the salary participation of employees of cyber companies, with an emphasis on start-ups, and the "high-wage program", which is intended for large employers and multinational companies. Both programs include state participation with a salary of up to 20% of the employee's salary. The state now admits the plans have failed.
In an appeal to the Finance Committee, the Innovation Authority explains why it needs a new plan. "Over the years, the Innovation Authority has invested resources in trying to build and establish significant anchors in Be'er Sheva, in the perception that the city is the metropolis of the south - which has the potential to promote the high-tech industry in Israel.
The Innovation Authority notes that despite the anchors in the city, such as Sorka Hospital, the high-tech park and the university, "there is little industry involvement in the city from local and foreign technology companies and investors." It was also written that the city has "less than 1% of the start-up companies in Israel, and it suffers from a shortage of infrastructure and knowledge centers for young companies."
The external factor selected in the tender may also be a consortium of companies, for example a partnership of a multinational company, an accounting firm and a venture capital fund. The winning body will receive a budget of NIS 25 million for four years, from which it will be able to take a management fee of NIS 1 million. The permit will be allocated to the plan itself. The winner will have to invest another NIS 5 million of his money.
The bodies will be measured by the identity of the members of the consortium, and also by the clauses of their program. The program can include scholarships for students, a program to place Bedouins from the area in high-tech and the construction of a shared work space. The program can also include a basket of benefits for entrepreneurs, the establishment of communities and even the branding and marketing of Beer Sheva as a high-tech metropolis in the Negev. Any idea that will promote innovation in the city and be based on its existing strengths.