(Communicated by the Office of the Chief Scientist, Israel Ministry of Economy)

The 4th annual Company Roadshow to China, organized by the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy, commences today, 4 November 2014. This year's delegation is dedicated to life sciences and will visit seven cities at the heart of the Chinese hi-tech industry (Beijing, Jinan, Changzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen).

The delegation will include companies in the life science industries including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, medical communication and software, bio-informatics and others. The companies have more than 700 meetings scheduled with Chinese companies and business entities with potential for future cooperation. The roadshow is another part of the multi-tiered efforts the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy is making to increase accessibility to the Chinese market by Israeli companies.

Israel's Chief Scientist Avi Hasson: "In recent years, the Office of the Chief Scientist has been making significant efforts to increase cooperation with China in light of the huge, as-yet untapped potential of this market. Experience shows that the roadshow's activity yields real fruit for companies, by cementing deals and long term cooperation."

Avi Luvton, Executive Director, Asia Pacific at the Israeli Industry Center for R&D (MATIMOP, the executive branch of the Office of the Chief Scientist), said, "Within two weeks, a company that presents at the roadshow creates the same impact that it would need a whole year to achieve if it were to do so independently. The China desk at MATIMOP, in cooperation with the China Science and Technology Exchange Center (CSTEC) at the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, have invested months of work in creating an intensive, high-quality schedule with private meetings with each of the companies comprising this unique delegation."

The delegation's goal is to enable the Israeli companies to meet with hundreds of Chinese companies, venture capital funds, investment bodies, research institutions, representatives of industrial parks, representatives of major hospitals and others. The meetings, which are scheduled in advance, constitute a platform to create opportunities for cooperation in R&D, to create trade and business ties for the Israeli companies and to maximize their visibility in the Chinese market.

"The roadshow is effective in several ways," said Luvton. "The exposure the companies will receive would be hard to recreate in their normal day-to-day management. The costs for Israeli companies are significantly lower than if they would approach the Chinese market on their own. The activity is focused on the right sectors and therefore attracts several investment bodies, companies and representatives of business and economic players in China. More than anything, this roadshow creates a real opportunity for each of the participating companies for strong cooperation with Chinese partners working in compatible fields."