The announcement was made this morning (Monday, 27 January 2014), at the opening of CyberTech 2014, the first international cyber conference in Israel, which will be attended by hundreds of international companies. The facility will be the first of its kind in the world and will include leading cyber industries, cutting-edge academic research in the field, leading security bodies in the field, educational frameworks and human capital focusing on cyber, and national government agencies in the field. All of these create a complete 'eco-system' that will include all of the components necessary to create global leadership in the cyber field, in a common physical space which facilitates the pooling of resources, the building of joint technological infrastructures and a synergy of workers, researchers and students.
Among the cyber companies that will be located in the park and are already active partners in the initiative are: EMC, Deutsche Telekom, IBM and JVP. In the framework of the initiative, a high school for the sciences and technology and a cyber studies development center will be opened in the park. Appropriate personnel will be recruited.
IBM Senior Vice President and Group Executive for Software and Systems Steven A. Mills declared in Prime Minister Netanyahu's presence that IBM and Ben-Gurion University intend to build – in Be'er Sheva – a center for global excellence in the field of security and defense for infrastructures, assets and information.
INCB head Dr. Eviatar Matania noted that cyber defense is becoming one of the most important subjects of this age. He said that we must leverage the latent opportunities in the cyber revolution in order to channel it toward significant economic growth via global cooperation between companies, researchers and governments.
Prime Minister Netanyahu later met with IBM Senior Vice President and Group Executive for Software and Systems Steven A. Mills, IBM Israel Managing Director Rick Kaplan and IBM Vice President for Innovation. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister's Office Director General Harel Locker, INCB head Dr. Matania and National Economic Council Chairman Prof. Eugene Kandel. The Prime Minister said that the potential of cyber researchers in Israel was very great and added that the cyber industry could hasten the utilization of the latent potential of the ultra-orthodox sector and its integration into the high-tech and cyber industries. He called for the evaluation of the possibility of creating in Be'er Sheva an international cyber research center that would integrate students and expert researchers from around the world.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also held an open discussion with a group of start-up executives who showed him the latest developments in the field. During the meeting, INCB head Dr. Matania announced that the work of the team which is examining the lifting of bureaucratic impediments to the import of cyber technologies would soon be completed. The recommendations will be submitted to the Prime Minister, who ordered the creation of the team in order to encourage cyber industries.
Prime Minister Netanyahu met with – inter alia -- with representatives of Nation-E, Skycure, MADSEC and ThetaRay. Hundreds of Israeli companies and approximately 20 foreign technology company research and development centers currently operate in Israel.
CyberTech 2014 includes guests from the around the world including corporate leaders, cyber defense experts, foreign government officials, international experts, senior investors, and multi-national companies, as well as Israeli start-ups. The conference is being led by the INCB and IsraelDefense .