Dr. Opper's Welcoming Address for
the Chief Scientist Convention 2008's Leaflet
Dear Colleagues and Participants,
This year we have been celebrating Israel's 60th birthday. We also celebrate the 35th year anniversary of the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), which has been a major instrument in promoting and supporting scientific and technological progress in Israel. The OCS continues to play a central role in the development of Israel's knowledge and innovation based economy, and in enhancing its competitiveness in the global markets.
The intellectual capital of Israel, the quality of its people with their original, flexible and creative thinking, combined with broad interdisciplinary knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit, has led Israel successfully through its first 60 years and promises to foster future prosperity. Our economic expansion is based on Israel’s high-tech, life-sciences and biotech potential industries and also on the ongoing implementation of policies to integrate advanced technology systems in the traditional industry sectors.
While no country is immune to the impacts of the current global financial crisis, I have great confidence that Israel’s wealth of intellectual capital will help us weather the economic storms and allow us to continue to prosper and grow. In times of economic upheaval such as this, it is even more important for us to strengthen Israel's R&D capacity in order to promote our competitive global advantages and to help protect us against economic recessions.
The OCS supports economic growth through promotion of industrial R&D, using a variety of support programs and different framework. The OCS affords entrepreneurs and companies of all kinds – large and small, start-ups and mature – appropriate avenues to advance their business and technology plans. Today, it is my great pleasure to present nine awards to different companies that the OCS has supported since its inception. Five of these awards will be awards for excellence for specific projects, and four awards will be granted to companies that were pioneers in their specific fields.
It has been my privilege to be at the heart of Israel's advanced technology sector for nearly 40 years. It has been thrilling to witness and be a part of the emergence of Israel as a global knowledge and innovation oriented force. I am enthusiastic about Israel's future prospects when it comes to technological innovation, and I firmly believe that by working together we can accomplish all of our goals for future growth and prosperity.
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