Thank you for being part of the IsraelDev community. Each month we bring you reviews of past and upcoming events, featured members, international development articles, opportunities to get involved and more. Feel free to contact us about anything you read below or to get involved.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!
Upcoming Events
LAST CHANCE to Sign up for our Five-Part Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets Course! (May 12-June 9)
Always wanted to better understand what entrepreneurship for development actually entails? You're in luck! IsraelDev in partnership with Startau will be providing a unique opportunity to delve into this world and gain a better understanding of what the buzz is all about, learn practical tools for entering this field and hear from expert speakers such as Ran Landau, Regional Business Manager at HP Indigo | Davidi Vortman, Chief Executive Officer at Nova Lumos | Ofer Zuntz, Project Manager at Yarok 2000 | Emanuel Shahaf, CEO Technology at Asia Consulting | Anat Reichman, Director of Development at Genome Compiler...and this is just the tip of the iceberg! For more information or to register with IsraelDev members' special DISCOUNT, click here!
May 13: TAU Innovation Day
Tel Aviv University will be hosting one of Israel's most exciting innovation conferences. Led by StarTAU, the conference will feature: 2500 + Participants | 500+ Entrepreneurs | 200 + Investors | 40 + Israeli Start Ups | 30 + Countries | 15 + Disruptive Technologies! Keynote Speakers include: Yossi Vardi | Uri Levine, Founder Waze and Feex | Avishai Abrahami, Founder Wix, etc!
For tickets click here and get StarTau's generous 40% discount for IsraelDev members (code: StartauInnov)! For details about the VIP Cocktail Party click here.
May 20: The Export Institute's Down to Earth Africa Seminar
Join the export institute for a discussion on the private sector in Africa, where it will present a report it conducted on Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Consulting firms accompanying Israeli businesses in their activities in Africa will also share their experiences. For more information and to RSVP, please click here.
May 25: Microsoft Ventures Developing World Innovations Series
The Pears Innovation for International Development Program will be working with Microsoft Ventures to provide a three part series on entrepreneurship and innovation in emerging market on May 25, June 29 and July 13th. For more information, join the Microsoft Ventures Academy Meetup and keep your eyes peeled for more details!
June 10-20: Join a Foreign Ministry Delegation to Africa
The Export Institute and Foreign Ministry, with support from the Israel-Africa Chamber of Commerce, invites company CEOs and seasoned members of the Israeli business community in the fields of health, water, agriculture, security and education to participate in a Foreign Ministry Delegation to Angola, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya to expand their activities on the ground. For more information, click here.
July 3-4: Leveraging the Private Sector for Agricultural Innovation in Development
When should the private sector be engaged and when is governmental or donor activity still optimal? What models of public-private partnership and support for local agribusiness are likely to have the greatest impact on technology uptake by local farmers? What are the ethical implications and considerations of transferring responsibility for agricultural technology transfer to the hands of the private sector? Register now!
Past Events
April 24: MIT Enterprise Forum Expert Panel Consults Pears Challenge Teams
The Israel MIT Enterprise Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the success of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures joined the Pears Challenge teams to hear presentation from Solvesting and Living Box and provide feedback through an intensive consulting session.
The distinguished panel, led by Ayla Matalon, Executive Director of the Forum, comprised Dr. Ed Mlavsky, Founding Partner and Chairman Emeritus of Gemini Israel Funds; Ami Lustig, Co-Founder, President & CEO of LR Group; Elan Oren, 43 North's Representative to Israel; and Aviad Meitar, Chairman of Quadrant European Beverages Ltd., the Pepsi bottler for Bulgaria. Taking lessons from their own business and development experience, they shared advice with the teams.
Israel Development News
Israel's Vision to Become the World's 'Development Startup Nation'
As individuals and as a nation, we have a responsibility to ask ourselves: What more can we do to improve the quality of life for billions around the world? One answer, some say, is turning Israel into a source of solutions for the developing world. Efforts to realize this vision were manifested in a three-day gathering titled, “Israeli Designed International Development 2014” or ID2. Read the full article here.
Emefcy Ltd, Water-Gen, WaterWays Solutions Ltd., IDE Technologies: Israeli Companies are World Leaders in Water Conservation, Desalination and Sustainability
Israel is a small nation surrounded by saltwater seas and deserts. The neighborhood spawns an industry of necessity. Freshwater development is needed for survival. Sharing this knowledge with countries suffering clean-water stress opens new markets and is a humanitarian good deed. Investors, conglomerates and venture-capital funds are taking note of the accomplishments. Read more here.
A Surge of Israeli-Initiated Projects is Leveraging the Economic Potential of Women in Africa and Asia
Ever since Golda Meir’s first visit to Africa as foreign minister in 1961, women in the developing world have often been the main focus of Israel’s development efforts. In recent years, there has been a surge of projects leveraging the economic potential of women in the developing world, often initiated by Israeli women. “Many of these innovative programs also come from the private sector, where Israeli start-up thinking is being applied.” Read more here.
IsraelDev Member of the Month
Daniel Safran-Hon, Special Assistant to the Political Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan joined the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in March after serving for three and a half years with the UN mission to the Middle East Peace Process in Jerusalem. UNMISS, originally designated by the Security Council to help stabilize the newly born state of South Sudan, has been dealing with an acute political, military and humanitarian crisis in the country since late 2013. The mission is hosting some eighty thousand IDPs in its bases, in addition it is supporting the peace process and providing security for the extensive humanitarian work being done in the country, which is on the precipice of wide scale ethnic cleansing and a potential famine.
Innovation for Development News
IBM Solar Collector Magnifies Sun By 2000X: These Could Provide Power To The Entire Planet
A team at IBM recently developed a High Concentration Photo Voltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system that is capable of concentrating the power of 2,000 suns. They are even claiming to be able to concentrate energy safely up to 5,000X, that’s huge. A common problem with modern-day solar collectors is that they can only take in a minimal amount of energy. This means that useful heat is wasted, cannot be harnessed and is thrown away. This technology eliminates that problem. Scientists envision that the HCPVT system could provide sustainable energy and fresh water to communities all around the world. Read more here.
Breakthrough Way to Bring Wind Power to Millions of New Customers around the World.
Altaeros Energy has developed the next generation of Wind Power: the world first airborne wind turbine. For the first time, affordable wind energy can be delivered to the furthest point on the earth, empowering remote communities, off grid industries and enabling disaster relief. To learn more about this new technology, click here.
Fun Feature
Progress on Progress
Did you know that Costa Rica and Iran have similar GDP per person but exhibit massive social differences. Did you know that Brazil and Kuwait rank about the same in terms of social progress even though the Gulf country has four times the GDP per person. For some surprising facts, check out the new metrics to evaluate social progress, introduced at the Skoll World Forum hosted earlier this month in Oxford with the most prominent people in the area of social entrepreneurship.
Opportunities
Jobs
Glocal is looking for an internship coordinator for a part time position starting this summer. Ideally will have a background in international development or other relevant field. We are also looking for teaching assistants for next year. For more information, click here.
Grants
Glocal Community-Development studies program and the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace are offering grants of up to $20,000 for post-doctoral fellowship in the academic year of 2014-2015* for research in the areas of: Community Centered Development; Development policy and practice; The contemporary Global south: Africa, Asia and the Middle East; Sustainable Economic Development...Priority will be given to scholars of Africa .
For more details, visit the website. If you are interested in applying, please send a cover letter, research plan, CV and one letter of recommendation to Glocal@savion.huji.ac.il with the headline Postdoc.
Volunteering
Interested in a Volunteer Opportunity with the Nala Foundation in Ethiopia? The NALA Foundation works to reduce Neglected Tropical Diseases and integrates health education and mass drug administration for deworming large populations in Ethiopia. For more information about this opportunity, click here.
Study Programs
The Manna Center Program in Food Safety & Security at Tel Aviv University is pleased to announce the first Food Safety & Security Summer Institute, open to graduate students and professionals from Israel and abroad.
Five courses taught in English by leading faculty from Tel Aviv University and experts from Israeli and International institutions will take place on July 6-18 2014. Students successfully completing the Summer Institute courses will receive academic credit, a Certificate of Participation, and an academic transcript acceptable at universities worldwide. For more information and registration details please contact Program Director Maya Oren or click here.
Recommended Reading
Please see the IsraelDev website for a full list of our latest May recommended reads on International Development.
