The Israel Innovation Authority https://innovationisrael.org.il/en/ and Israeli Ministry of Education today announced the launch of a public tender for its NIS 10 million Young Entrepreneurs program for high school students. Designed to instill entrepreneurial and innovative skillsets in Israel’s young people, the program will be operated by organizations with a track record of entrepreneurial education and will serve teenagers throughout Israel, with an emphasis on the country’s periphery.

 

The program harnesses the scientific and technological infrastructure of the Ministry of Education, including science museums and the Eshkolot and Tapuchei Pais platforms, to encourage and educate teenagers in scientific, technological, and business entrepreneurship. Participants will gain practical experience in knowledge and product development, and learn how to convert technological ideas into products of economic value. Leveraging the Israel Innovation Authority’s extensive network in the Israeli high-tech ecosystem, the program will also expose students to industry players, academic agencies, startups, technological incubators, and entrepreneurship laboratories, in order to facilitate collaboration, product development support, and market reach.

 

Up to two winners will be selected for the program, with one operating organization responsible for southern Israel and the other for northern Israel. A single bidder is eligible to win the tender to operate in both areas.

 

Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, said: “The goal of the program is to expose Israeli teenagers to business, scientific, and technological innovation, prepare the next generation for the continued development of the high-tech industry, and to preserve Israel’s position in global innovation.”

 

Anya Eldan, VP of the Israel Innovation Authority and Head of the Startup Division said: “We place great importance on training the next generation of Israel’s entrepreneurs and ensuring Israel’s leadership position in science and technology. Exposing young people to an entrepreneurial way of thinking will equip them with the efficient and relevant tool sets they need to drive future innovations. Throughout its 16-year history, the Young Entrepreneurs program has opened more than 80 entrepreneur groups every year, creating hundreds of innovative initiatives, extending invaluable opportunities to students, especially in socially and geographically peripheral regions. We want to continue this momentum.”

 

Muhanna Fares, Senior Advisor to Rafi Peretz, Minister of Education, said: “Following the Ministry of Education’s significant success in recent years to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education - reflected in a doubling in the number of students enrolled in high level (5-point) mathematical studies and a rise in the number of students studying electives in physics and chemistry – we see the joint Young Entrepreneurs program with the Israeli Innovation Authority as a continuing program to strengthen mathematics and sciences studies throughout Israel, especially in the periphery. In addition, the program will teach and strengthen 21st Century skills combined with strong disciplinary knowledge to prepare these youth for life in general and for the future of employment in particular.”

 

 

 

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