NITSAN
Sustainable Development Lab
At Tel Aviv University
Innovation Villages
Bridging Israeli innovation and the ground
realities of developing countries
Israel has a unique potential to advance the global sustainable development agenda in ways that vastly exceed its size. The purpose of the NITSAN Innovation Villages Program - a first of its kind in Israeli Academia - is to enable Israeli technology and its innovation system in agriculture, water, energy and other fields to diffuse and realize their potential to assist sustainable development in low-income settings.
NITSAN acts as a bridge between Israeli expertise and its innovation ecosystem - in both the private and public sector - and the ground realities of developing countries in order to test and adapt Israeli solutions in the field, and to develop policies and business models that can overcome socio-economic barriers to the diffusion of these solutions.
THE MODEL >
Each NITSAN project brings together a local partner with a strong field presence and community engagement in the destination country and one or more Israeli technologies identified by NITSAN based on local needs. NITSAN faculty and students then lead a scientifically rigorous process that involves the development, piloting and adapting of the solution in real field conditions. The culmination of the process is an integrated solution that combines the technology and an appropriate business model, is proven to be effective with local end-users and ripe for large-scale implementation.
A crucial element of the NITSAN model is the involvement of Israeli fellows (graduate students from the engineering, agricultural, social, computer, management, economics and policy sciences) through deep and prolonged immersion in local field conditions. Guided by experienced faculty and technical experts, the NITSAN fellows form a bridge between the Israeli innovation ecosystem and the complex realities of developing countries.
PROOF OF CONCEPT: THE TATA TRUSTS-TAU INDO-ISRAELI INNOVATION VILLAGES >
Harnessing the power of Israeli innovation to
increase India's smallholder farmers' income
In 2017, Tata Trusts and Tel Aviv University joined forces to increase India’s smallholder farmers’ net income through the diffusion of Israeli technologies and innovations in agriculture.
Through a network of local innovation hubs - the “Indo-Israeli Innovation Villages” (IIVs) - initially in Andhra Pradesh and in the future throughout India, Tata Trusts and TAU aim to provide a platform for innovative Israeli agricultural technologies to pilot in real field conditions and adapt to the local needs and context, until ripe for large-scale roll-out.
To date, two expeditions of agronomic experts have visited the field; training was provided to a dozen local extension agents; and eight outstanding and pioneering TAU students from some of the most prestigious programs of the university have already successfully completed a NITSAN Fellowship in India, where they helped create a data-driven monitoring platform and piloted several technologies, including two Israeli agtech start-ups in the field.
Israeli agtech startups- learn more about the Tata Trusts-TAU Pilot Program.
PARTNER >
