The Role of Universities in Innovation

The role of University Scientific Researchin Innovation

Start-up Nation 2.0: Bolstering Israel’s Innovation Edge

Daniel ZajfmanPresident

Weizmann Institute of Science

Innovation Ecosystem

The Iphone: Where is the innovation?

1988: Giant Magnetoresistiveeffect (GMR) is discovered, creating the field of spintronics (thin-film metallic multilayers, material science, France)

1988: Giant Magnetoresistiveeffect (GMR) is discovered, creating the field of spintronics (thin-film metallic multilayers, material science, France)

1990: Development of the lithium-ionbattery (Electrochemistry,USA, UK)

1988: Thin film transistor LCD displays(Liquid crystal research, cholesterolfrom carrots, Germany)

1965: The “Fast FourierTransform” revolutionizesthe field of signal processing (Mathematics)

1947: Discovery ofthe transistor(Solid state physics, USA)

1905: Theory ofRelativity (Physics)

One of the major driver of innovation is curiosity

No amount of R&D on the candle could ever have done that.

Michael Faraday1791-1867

Universities transform money into knowledge

The industry transforms knowledge into

money

Science, Technology and Innovation

Science and TechnologyResearch and Development

Technologies and products

UniversityScientific Research

Reservoir of knowledge

Curiosity

Industry

Market

$M

Annual sales of products based on technologies developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science

Yeda Research and Development

The industry transforms knowledge into money

Another critical “tech-transfer” from universities to the world of innovation is excellent higher education!

Curiosity driven research programs are excellent not only for getting the right knowledge,

but for creating the right culture of innovation

Innovation is not the product of logical thought,

although the result is tied to logical structure.

Albert Einstein

Thank you