As Technion continues to make headlines, many have asked how a small Israeli university became the powerhouse that has had a $60 billion impact on the Israeli economy, transforming it from one focused on agriculture to one based on high-tech – in other words, from Jaffa to Java.
The book Technion Nation, by Profs. Amnon Frenkel and Shlomo Maital, senior research fellows at Technion’s Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, tells how Technion scientists have given the world discoveries leading to treatments for cancer and Alzheimer’s and countless innovations that enrich the lives of people everywhere – winning Nobel Prizes along the way.
In the book’s foreword, Israel’s President Shimon Peres says, “It was lucky the Technion was founded prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, helping us prepare for the future.”
Also discussed in the book are the many start-up companies that emanate from Technion researchers and alumni, and facts that include:
•More than two-thirds of the Israeli companies traded on the tech-heavy NASDAQ stock exchange have Technion alumni as founders or senior managers.
•There are more firms from Israel listed on the NASDAQ than from France, Germany and the UK combined.
•17 percent of Technion graduates work in high-tech start-ups – three times the general rate.
