From the beginning of civilization, the best way to inspire the young has been to tell them tales and myths of great men and achievers. Taking a lesson from this history book, former President of Israel Shimon Peres has started a new Israeli Innovation Center at the Peres Peace House in Jaffa.
Sure, Israel was one of the leading innovators in the world as of a few years ago. The country is home to several companies that rank high at a global level. Not just that, Israel has also given us gifts like the USB Flash Drives and coronary stents without which we cannot imagine our lives today.
Moreover, multiple notable startups have joined famed US companies — most notably Microsoft — as a part of various acquisitions. Despite that though, there continues to remain a limit to innovation coming from Israel. And since this could well be due to lack of motivation, former President Shimon Peres has a solution: highlight inventions and companies already created in Israel as well as future Israeli technologies yet to be developed and hope that the young take lessons from that.
President Peres’ vision is that Israel should never stop innovating. The inauguration of the center was a very interesting affair. It was attended by the country’s three most important people – former President Peres, current Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the inaugural session of the innovation center the former President said:
The primary focus will be on the path to the future. We will prove that innovation has no limits and no barriers. Innovation enables dialogue between nations and between people. It will enable all young people – Jews, Muslims and Christians –to engage in science and technology equally. Here we will emphasize that we can promote peace from childhood, and we will spark the imagination of every boy and girl and enrich their dreams.
According to most reports, the center will not just showcase past Israeli achievements, it will also act as a community space where young minds can assemble, discuss ideas and work on their projects. Hackathons and such will also be conducted in order to promote a sense of innovation.
Suffice to say, the innovation center seems to be a great idea in the making. And Peres’ vision of making the society better and peaceful via technology seems to have rooted strongly in Israel.
