A French delegation has visited today (Sunday, 13.6.2010) at Ben-Gurion University, as the guest of Bio-Negev, the international center for innovation in the biotechnology industry and life sciences in the Negev.

The purpose of the visit is to examine potential collaboration between the visitors and the new initiative in the Negev, BGU being one of the partners in the project. Prof. Rivka Carmi, president of the university, places a great amount of value in the initiative, which can be directed to promote the fields of life sciences and biotechnology in the area.

“Bio-Negev was founded so as to classify the Negev as an international center for the biotechnology and life sciences industry.” Says Dr. Shay Yarkoni, Bio-Negev’s CEO and chairman of the advisory board of the export institute in the life sciences field. Yarkoni, a medical doctor and a senior manager in the biotechnology industry, has emphasized that Bio-Negev is today the only cluster from Israel that is also a partner of the steering committee of the European CEBR, and that it will integrate resources and existing abilities (academic, clinical and industrial) and will act towards the establishment of industrial foundations in the area and serve as an epicenter that will attract monetary, organizations, management and human resources to the Negev.

Source: Ben-Gurion University’s press release