Sharoni: Israel, Boston partnership built on innovation
In an era marked by fierce global competition among technology hubs, the partnership between Israel and Boston emerges as a vital collaboration that promises to drive innovation across various industries in the 21st century. This strategic alliance is rooted in the complementary strengths of both regions, which have established themselves as powerhouses in biotechnology, life sciences, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. With a concentration of top-tier universities, abundant venture capital, and a culture that fosters risk-taking and entrepreneurship, both ecosystems create an environment ripe for technological advancement. Israel’s commitment to research and development—boasting a civilian R&D investment of 6.3% of GDP in 2023, significantly higher than the OECD average—couples with Boston’s world-class human capital and clinical infrastructure, fostering a collaborative spirit that enhances innovation.
Recent initiatives underscore the tangible benefits of this partnership. The Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation recently allocated $5.5 million in grants for joint ventures, exemplifying the collaborative nature of the relationship. One notable project involves a partnership between Tel Aviv’s Newton Tech and Boston’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, aimed at developing advanced gait and movement analysis technology to improve patient outcomes. Additionally, Sheba Medical Center’s establishment of its first U.S.-based ARC Innovation Accelerator in Massachusetts reflects a strategic investment in Boston’s healthcare landscape. This accelerator serves as a “soft landing pad” for startups from Sheba’s extensive network, allowing for the exchange of innovative ideas and technologies that can significantly enhance healthcare delivery.
As this partnership evolves, it presents a wealth of opportunities for both regions. Israeli companies are increasingly drawn to Boston not just for its sophisticated healthcare market but also for its robust ecosystem that includes development partners, investors, and a skilled workforce. For Boston, the influx of Israeli innovation brings validated technologies and agile teams experienced in addressing complex challenges. Together, these two ecosystems are poised to accelerate advancements in fields like precision medicine, cybersecurity, and digital health, ultimately contributing to human progress. As Benjamin Sharoni, Consul General of Israel to New England, notes, the collaboration is not merely a business arrangement but a shared commitment to innovation and education, aiming to harness technology to address humanity’s greatest challenges. The future of this partnership is bright, with limitless potential for deeper collaboration and groundbreaking innovations.
Amid growing global competition among technology hubs, cross-border collaboration is indispensable to staying ahead of the curve. When leading companies and research institutions decide where to invest and grow, they seek ecosystems that reflect their own strengths while offering complementary advantages.
Deepening the already vibrant partnership between Israel and Boston positions both to compete and drive innovation in the industries that will define the 21st century.
The connection between Israel and Boston is not coincidental. It’s a strategic alignment of two innovation powerhouses. Both regions have built world-class reputations in biotechnology, life sciences, cybersecurity, and AI. Both are home to dense concentrations of top-tier universities and talent, deep pools of venture capital, and cultures that celebrate risk-taking, reward entrepreneurship, and transform academic research into commercial breakthroughs.
What makes this partnership particularly powerful is how our ecosystems complement each other. Israel brings battle-tested technological innovation forged in a culture of resourcefulness, backed by the world’s highest civilian R&D investment as a percentage of GDP. In 2023, Israel’s gross domestic spending on R&D totaled 6.3% of GDP, more than double the OECD average of 2.7%. Boston offers world-class human capital, clinical infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and market access. Together, we’re creating solutions that neither ecosystem could develop as effectively alone.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now. The Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation recently approved $5.5 million in grants for five joint ventures. One standout example brings together Tel Aviv’s Newton Tech and Boston’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital to develop high-throughput gait and movement analysis technology, exemplifying how Israeli innovation and Boston’s rehabilitation medicine combine to improve patient outcomes.
Perhaps nothing illustrates Israel’s strategic commitment more clearly than Sheba Medical Center’s decision to establish its first U.S.-based ARC Innovation Accelerator here in Massachusetts. Sheba, the largest hospital in the Middle East and ranked among the world’s top 10 hospitals by Newsweek, operates ARC Boston as a “soft landing pad” for startups from its global network of over 300 hospitals. Sheba could have chosen anywhere in America. They chose Boston.
I had the privilege of standing alongside Governor Maura Healey and Sheba’s leadership when they made this announcement. Massachusetts patients will be among the first in America to access revolutionary AI-powered healthcare technologies emerging from this partnership. For biotech enterprises, ARC’s Boston innovation hub provides direct access to one of the world’s most sophisticated healthcare markets and renowned teaching hospitals.
What draws Israeli innovation to Boston is the entire ecosystem. Our companies find partners who understand both the science and business of bringing breakthrough technologies to market. Hospitals willing to serve as development partners, investors with deep domain expertise, and a talent pool that includes engineers, data scientists, and clinicians.
For Boston, the value proposition is equally compelling. Israeli companies bring technologies validated in our healthcare system, defense applications, and cybersecurity landscape, among the world’s most demanding markets. They bring agile, mission-driven teams experienced in doing more with less, along with a global perspective that enriches Boston’s innovation community.
Beyond the business case lies something deeper: shared priorities in education and innovation, and the belief that technology should serve humanity’s greatest challenges. Both Israel and Boston have built their success by investing in people and creating environments where the brightest minds want to work and build.
Looking to the future, the potential for deeper collaboration is limitless. In biotechnology, we can accelerate the development of precision medicines. In cybersecurity, we can develop defensive technologies that our world needs. In AI and digital health, we can ensure new technologies are deployed safely and effectively.
Companies today are not just opening sales offices. They’re making strategic choices about where to build and shape their futures. Increasingly, for Israeli firms, that choice is Boston.
For New England’s business community, this represents opportunity. Israeli companies are active partners looking for clinical collaborators, distribution channels, and local talent. They’re raising capital, creating jobs, and contributing to the ecosystem that makes Greater Boston a preeminent innovation hub.
The relationship between Israel and Boston is entering an exciting new phase. From Sheba’s ARC Innovation Accelerator to BIRD Foundation-funded joint ventures to Israeli companies growing operations and investments here, the collaboration reinforces Boston’s ecosystem advantages while adding dimensions of technological sophistication and entrepreneurial agility.
As global innovation becomes ever more interconnected and competitive, Boston and Israel stand together, driving technology, healthcare, and human progress. Now is the time to take full advantage of these opportunities and accelerate projects that will define the next generation of breakthrough innovations.
Benjamin Sharoni is Consul General of Israel to New England
