From May 9th to May 20th, 2023, the Jiangsu International Science and Technology Cooperation Association and Jiangsu Incubator Association organized a delegation of leaders from technology parks, technology business incubators, and technology service-oriented enterprises in Jiangsu Province to visit Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

1.Israel Trip

Israel, known as the "Nation of Innovation" and the world's "Second Silicon Valley," has a population of over 9 million and a land area of more than 20,000 square kilometers, of which 2/3 is desert. Despite the lack of natural resources, Israel has the highest number of companies listed on NASDAQ outside the United States. It reveres itself as a technology powerhouse, with technology contributing to over 90% of its GDP, and a high survival rate of around 60% for startup companies, many of which are high-tech firms. With curiosity about these achievements, the delegation visited the following institutions:

1.1 MOR Research Application: This is the technology transfer office of Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest healthcare organization. MOR provides end-to-end technology transfer services, helping inventors transform new ideas in the fields of medicine, pharmaceuticals,

diagnostics, medical IT, and biotechnology into products and solutions. beneficial to healthcare providers and patients.

                                                                                  Mor Research Application

1.2 Tel Aviv University (TAU): TAU, located in Tel Aviv, Israel, is a public research university founded in 1956. It is one of Israel's leading universities known for its academic and research excellence. TAU comprises nine colleges, including the Coller School of Management, Buchmann Faculty of Law, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

1.3 Lab02 - OurCrowd: OurCrowd, established in 2013, is a globally renowned venture capital platform. The delegation visited Lab02, an incubator under OurCrowd, and held discussions on the operation and collaboration opportunities with them.

1.4 Kinnret Innovation Center (KIC): Accompanied by Mr. Wang Qiang, the Chief Representative of the National Foreign Experts Bureau in Israel, the delegation visited KIC, located near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. KIC, established in 2013 and affiliated with Kinneret College, focuses on agricultural technology, water treatment, clean technology, and biotechnology.

2. UAE Trip

The United Arab Emirates, located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, consists of seven emirates with a total area of 84,000 square kilometers and a population of 9.4 million. While the per capita GDP in 2021 is $42,800, the oil and gas sector still accounts for 72% of the industrial output. However, the UAE is currently implementing a diversification strategy for its economy and is actively promoting technological innovation and international openness. The UAE is the second-largest trading partner of China in the Middle East, and many Chinese companies and offices have been established there.

                                                                             SRTI Park in Sharjah UAE

2.1 Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park Free Zone (SRTIP): The delegation visited SRTIP, a free trade zone in Sharjah, established in 2016 by the royal decree of Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah.

2.2 Khalifa University (KU): KU is a research-oriented higher education institution located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The delegation was received by Prof. Sir John O’Reilly, the university's president, and other officials.

2.3 China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park: This park is one of the specific projects resulting from a cooperation agreement signed between China and the UAE in 2015.

3. Impressions of the Trip:

3.1 Although Israel is a small country with a small population and lacks any natural resource advantages, it is full of innovative vitality and   innovation output is the pillar of their economy. Renowned global tech giants have established research centers here, such as the Matam Technology Park in Haifa, which houses branches of companies like Microsoft, IBM, Google, Philips, and other world-class corporations. Investment firms also frequently come here to seek technology and projects. Therefore, in our cooperation with Israel, we should not expect to attract large projects here. Instead, we should focus on facilitating collaboration between our enterprises, universities, and research institutions with their corresponding counterparts in Israel, to engage in their innovation at the technology prototype stage or during the B-round of funding. As Professor Udi from the School of Management at Tel Aviv University put it, Israel excels in innovation from 0 to 1, while China excels in innovation from 1 to 100. By combining the strengths of both, it is not just 1 + 100 = 101, but rather 1 + 100 = 1100.

3.2 Israel's innovation platforms place great emphasis on building an. innovative ecosystem. They maintain excellent relationships with academia, industry, venture capital, and the community. They often position themselves as hubs of innovation, attracting not only startups for incubation but also investors for investment. Additionally, they are involved in technology transfer, training, and other related activities. This can be observed from their websites, unlike our incubators, which primarily focus on attracting resident companies and projects.

3.3 The internationalization level is high. Khalifa University has more international students than domestic students, and the university president is British. The host who received us at the SRTI Park in Sharjah is also British, while the Asian director at Tel Aviv University is Russian. Their projects, attracted investments, and future markets come from all around the world. Kinneret Innovation Center has collaborated with Brazil and successfully organized a three-month accelerator program, resulting in the successful incubation of eight projects.

3.4 Innovation in Israel is highly practical. During our visit to the. OurCrowd incubator, due to our group of 24 people, they did not have a large meeting room available, so they received us in a space similar to our co-working space at the Lab02 incubator, where they also lacked a formal meeting room. However, this did not hinder their incubation of several unicorn companies.