The Renewal of an Ancient Bond

“If India and Israel are civilizationally ancient, they are also demographically young. Over 40 percent of the Jewish State’s population is below the age 25, almost half of India’s population is also in that age group. Young men and women in the both countries share a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Since the dawn of human history, Indian and Jewish civilizations have traded with each other. The sacred Jewish scriptures record how once every three years King Solomon received the fleet of merchant ships laden with gold, silver, ivory, sandalwood and exotic animals. Modern linguistic analysis points to India as the destination of these voyages.

For centuries, Jewish travelers and traders were welcomed on Indian shores. In 10th Century C.E., a powerful King in South India even granted special privileges to Jewish trading community of the port city of Cochin – comparable with modern tax breaks and free-trade zone.

The flourishing of bilateral IndiaIsrael ties, which began almost 25 years ago with the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries under the prime ministership of Shri PV Narasimha Rao and reached its zenith during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to the Jewish State – first ever by a siting Indian head of government, is not only a beginning of a new era of cooperation between the two nations, but also a restoration of an ancient bond between the two ancient peoples and civilizations.

If India and Israel are civilizationally ancient, they are also demographically young. Over 40 percent of the Jewish State’s population is below the age 25, almost half of India’s population is also in that age group. Young men and women in the both countries share a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Prime Minister Modi’s Start Up India-initiative aims to channelize these dormant energies among the Indian youth. Unsurprisingly, India looks to Israel, the proverbial ‘Start Up Nation’ for inspiration and capacity building in this area. Israel’s technology and start up sector alone contributes more than 26 percent to its national GDP. A promising example for India to follow.

Startup Ecosystem

Israel, too, has offered its generous support in helping India to build up a vibrant start up and innovation infrastructure. “Israel applauds this initiative and would be happy to share its experience in developing suitable ecosystems, comprehensive mechanisms that will encourage unique and sustainable economic growth in India,” Israel’s envoy to India Ambassador Daniel Carmon, said during a public event last year.

Corporate India too, has discovered Israeli technology and start up ecosystem in a big way. Indian multinationals, such as Tata Group, Reliance Industries and Tech Mahindra, have set up development centers in Israel and made substantial long-term investments in the country’s start ups – in their pursuit to hire the best talent and acquire cuttingedge technology.

Earlier this year, a high-level Indian business delegation toured Israel seeking to boost cooperation in the areas of information technology (IT) and start ups. The objective of the visit was to “collaborate with Israel start-ups on innovation, joint product development and knowledge transfer,” the Indian organizer said.

“Prime Minister Modi’s recent Israel visit opened new avenue for technological tie-ups while strengthening cooperation in existing ones.”

Indian and Israeli Innovators

A report jointly released this year by Nasscom, the umbrella trade body representing Indian IT companies, and the management consulting firm Accenture, projects a huge growth potential for bilateral cooperation in the start up sector. The report estimates that IndiaIsrael cooperation in the start up sectors could be “unleashing a revenue potential of up to USD 25 billion” by 2025.

In July 2016, hundreds of young Indian and Israeli innovators took part in a unique initiative aimed at promoting startup cooperation the field of healthcare. More than 150 binational teams came together simultaneously in Tel Aviv, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Indian startup incubator T-Hub tied up with the UK-based Pears Foundation to organize this bilateral ‘Hackathon’.

Despite India’s well-proven strengths in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, Indian entrepreneurs and innovators working in the field of healthcare can learn a lot from their Israeli counterparts. Israel has more than 1,000 startups in the healthcare sector alone.

So far, Israeli startups have been developing healthcare solutions primarily for the high-end segment in the Western countries. Indian healthcare sector, while offering lower profits margins than the Western markets, provide a huge potential for scaling up by the virtue of country’s large and expanding consumerbase. Currently at $100 billion, healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. The sector in expected to grow up to $280 billion by 2020.Israeli universities have launched several academic and training programs to attract Indian students, researchers, and young professionals. Each year, the embassy of Israel in India selects promising Indian start up founders for the prestigious start-up event “Start Tel Aviv”, which gives them a chance to connect with leading global innovators and investors. This year, “Start Jerusalem 2017” was launched in India – a start up competition on similar lines.

Israel’s Council for Higher Education grants hundreds of scholarships to Indian students interested in pursuing higher education in the country. Jerusalem-based IsraelAsia Centre (IAC) offers scholarships and leadership programs that are especially tailored for Indian students and professionals. In recent years, center has offeredan MBA program exclusively for Indian women entrepreneurs, allowing them to acquire skills and gain exposure to become future corporate leaders.

Prime Minister Modi’s recent Israel visit opened new avenue for technological tie-ups while strengthening cooperation in existing ones. During his July visit, both countries established an Innovation Fund with the seed money of $40 million aimed at promoting technological research.

“We are of one view that together our scientists and researchers would develop, build and implement mutually beneficial solutions,” Prime Minister Modi told a group of young researchers in Israel.

This statement of hope is shared by the millions of young women and men across India.

Vijeta Uniyal

About Vijeta Uniyal

Vijeta Uniyal is an Indian journalist based in Europe. He is Contributing Editor for the Commentator and Senior Distinguished Fellow at New York-based Gatestone Institute. He graduated from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) and worked for more than 10 years in international organisations, including German Foreign Office, German Minister for Economics and Technology, Goethe Institute and Humboldt Foundation.
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