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Dear ambassadors
Dear international friends
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for joining my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jensen, and I in the opening of the new Danish Innovation Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Let me begin by turning the time 10 years back. To the opening of the first Danish Innovation Centre in Silicon Valley, California.
The purpose was clear:
To help our businesses innovate and grow through international partnerships across the Atlantic.
And to build bridges between research institutions and companies in the US and Denmark. Today, 10 years on, Denmark has innovation centres in Munich, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Shanghai. And today we celebrate the opening of a brand new centre in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Knowledge fosters knowledge. And by sharing, cooperating and challenging each other, we will grow stronger together.
Strong research, strong institutions
The Israeli economy is – like the Danish economy – based on knowledge and driven by innovation.
Israeli higher education and research institutions excel in building bridges of knowledge to the private sector to the benefit of growth, development and innovative solutions.
The potential for cooperation between Danish and Israeli higher education and research institutions is obvious.
And the role for the new Danish Innovation Centre in Tel Aviv in facilitating this cooperation is important.
Israel has a number of research institutions of high international standards.
This includes, for example, the renowned Weizmann Institute of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the highly profiled Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
Whether we consider cooperation between the Faculty of Science at University of Copenhagen and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.
Whether we consider the Niels Bohr Institute’s cooperation agreement with the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Or, whether we consider cooperation between the vast number of knowledge-based companies in the life science sector in Denmark and Israel, the potential for strengthened cooperation holds great possibilities.
One third of the Israeli researchers specialise in life science. This is the world's highest rate. The Israeli life science sector has a strong position in clinical trials and personalised medicine, which is also true for the Danish life science sector.
The life science sector is developing in rapid speed. Denmark and Israel are leading countries in the field, and the potential for cooperation is obvious.
The same is true for cooperation within the field of clean energy. Danish and Israeli research institutions and knowledge based companies hold a strong position in developing new and innovative solutions for wind, solar energy, smart grid, energy efficiency and biofuels.
I could mention a range of other areas – smart mobility, finance technology, food technology and many more.
The conclusion is the same for all areas of research, innovation and higher education. By cooperating we can become even stronger together.
The action plan
Future Danish growth will origin from knowledge and be driven by innovation. Therefore, the Danish Government has strong ambitions for Danish research and innovation.
It is our ambition to invest at least 1 per cent of GDP in public funded research. This brings Denmark into the absolute international elite when it comes to public research investments.
In most cases high quality research is international research. Therefore, we are continuing the long Danish tradition of internationalisation of research.
Besides celebrating the opening of the new Danish innovation centre in Tel Aviv today, we also launch a new action plan to strengthen cooperation between Danish and Israeli higher education institutions, research and innovation institutions and knowledge-based companies.
The action plan has three main objectives:
- We will strengthen the framework conditions for cooperation on research, innovation and higher education among institutions in Denmark and Israel;
- We will raise awareness of the possibilities and potential of knowledge cooperation with Israeli partners in order to foster and strengthen excellent research;
- We will initiate and promote high-tech and research cooperation between Danish and Israeli companies and institutions.
A key initiative in the action plan is the establishment of the Innovation Centre in Tel Aviv.
Stronger together
The Innovation Centre in Tel Aviv plays an important role in facilitating the cooperation between our two countries’ research, innovation and higher education.
10 years down the road we know that the Danish innovation centres around the world have shown to be an efficient mean to connect Danish research institutions with international partners.
In 10 years’ time I am sure the centre in Tel Aviv will provide corresponding results.
New contacts.
Stronger cooperation.
And partnerships that contribute to growth, prosperity and jobs.
I hope that all of you will benefit from the innovation centre in Tel Aviv.
With these words, I welcome Innovation Centre Tel Aviv to the family of innovation centres.
Thank you for your attention.