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The Technion’s superiority as the leading scientific institution in the Middle East is challenged
only by another Israeli institution, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. Founded
in 1934 by Chaim Weizmann, engineers at the Weizmann Institute built one of the first,
large-scale, stored program, electronic computers called the WEIZAC, the Weizmann
Automatic Computer. The feat was recognized by the International Electrical and Electronic
Engineers as a milestone in the history of electrical engineering and computing.
The top-notch education that Israeli scholars receive inspires new ideas and innovative
concepts, many of which go on to become flourishing businesses or coveted patents. Yissum
at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, RAMOT at Tel Aviv University, and the Technion’s
T3 are some the leading technology transfer companies in Israel and the world, supporting
innovations like Mobileye, collision prevention technology for vehicles invented by a Hebrew
University professor and StoreDot, revolutionary nanotechnology that promises to charge
a smartphone in 30 seconds and an automobile in 5 minutes.
NOTABLY NOBEL
Compared to it’s small size, Israel boasts a notably high concentration of Nobel Prize winners.
With twelve Nobel laureates and counting in a population of 8 million, Israel’s laureates
are not only honored for their achievements in their various fields; they are also noted for
their diversity.
And that’s not to belittle their achievements. Israeli Nobel Laureate Ada Yonath is
internationally recognized for her pioneering work in revealing the structure of the ribosome.
Dan Shechteman, a laureate in Chemistry, is noted for making a key discovery regarding the
nature of quasicrystals. Another laureate, Robert J. Aumann, received a Nobel Prize for his
important work on conflict and cooperation according to game-theory models.
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