Ben-Gurion University: Bringing Innovation From the Lab to the World

Among the Israeli success stories that hold a place of honor are the cherry tomato, desert agriculture, and reverse osmosis-based seawater desalination - all born at Ben-Gurion University. But how do you generate systematic innovation at a university? This is where the university's technology transfer company comes into the picture.

"Our role is to bring the researchers’ capabilities and inventions to the world," says Josh Peleg, CEO of BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University. "We are striving to change the paradigm how University inventions find their way to the outside world, by removing the barriers that have traditionally made this process complex and difficult. We are constantly introducing new commercialization techniques to ensure that technologies reach their destinations so that humanity can derive the best from them."

“There are two main aspects to our role – the first is to encourage Israeli and multinational companies to engage with BGU researchers to collaborate on new research projects. We typically will facilitate dozens of these collaborative projects annually. Some of our multinational partners from the past year include Lenovo, Fujitsu, SAP, Facebook, Ebay, Deutsche Telekom and more. The new technologies developed by these research projects can then be incorporated by the companies in their product offerings.

“The second aspect is to commercialize new technologies arising out of BGU researchers’ independent research activity. Our job is to identify those technologies with strong commercial potential, protect them via patent applications, and commercialize them either by licensing the technology to an existing company, or by establishing a new startup based on the technology," he explains.

“BGU places special emphasis on establishing new startups. This activity has the additional benefit of contributing to the development of the Negev region and the creation of a local ecosystem that attracts both Israeli and international companies and investors.

BGN operates various tracks to support this goal. One of the tools includes the "Oazis" venture-building program, which was established in collaboration with BGU's Yazamut 360 entrepreneurship center two years ago. This program is a distinctive approach that brings together researchers and experienced CEOs to incubate new startups." Peleg elaborates.

Dividing BGU’s technology fields into three distinct areas, Peleg highlights high-tech, encompassing a range of fields such as cyber, AI, machine learning, quantum computing, robotics, nanotechnology, and materials, as the leading producers of new technologies. The second is biopharma and the cross-disciplinary field of bioconvergence, while the third covers technologies related to sustainability and climate change, with a strong focus on desert agriculture, renewable energy, and water technologies.

"Our multidisciplinary approach, our ability to connect engineering to non-engineering fields, and our capacity to add advanced sensing and AI capabilities to various industries, together create a unique advantage that has already generated several companies," he declares.

Here are some of the noteworthy examples:

CartiHeal: The Coral That Grows Cartilage

Knee problems are a significant issue for a large portion of the population since the consensus among the medical community has been that damaged cartilage cannot be replaced. CartiHeal was established by BGN based on a technology developed by Prof. Razi Vago, who demonstrated that an implant made from sea coral can lead to renewed growth of cartilage. The company entered an Innovation Authority funded technology incubator, where it continued its development. The company, which recently obtained FDA approval for its technology, was acquired in 2022 by the U.S. company Bioventus.

DOTS: The Sensor That Reduces Fertilizer Use

Fertilizers pose a challenge for farmers, not just in terms of cost, but also due to groundwater pollution resulting from excessive use. DOTS, a company based on the research of researchers Prof. Ofer Dahan, Dr. Elad Yeshno and Prof. Shlomi Arnon, has combined agricultural expertise, data processing capabilities, and sensing technologies to create an electro-optical sensor and information system that provides farmers with real-time information on nitrate concentration in the soil. Nitrates can filter down into groundwater and pollute them. With this information, farmers can use fertilizers more efficiently, potentially saving the agricultural sector up to $80b USD annually in excessive fertilizer usage, while protecting the environment.

Madrigal Mental Care: A Spray for Post Trauma

From agriculture to health: Madrigal Mental Care has developed a nasal spray based on nanotechnology with a certain concentration of psychedelic materials aimed at helping those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The solution is based on in-depth research by Prof. Amnon Sintov on substances, mainly types of fungi, and their effect on humans. Additionally, the spray utilizes an innovative delivery method to target specific areas of the brain with a precise dose.

BugEra: Energy of a Fly

Nice to meet you, Black Soldier Fly (BSF), scientifically known as Hermetia Illucens. This fly has the ability to produce oil with significant industrial uses, such as protein and oil for the animal, fish, and pet feed industries as well as oil for renewable biofuels. The start-up BugEra is dedicated to developing and breeding new strains of the BSF, through genetic engineering pioneered by Dr. Anna Melkov and Prof. Uri Abdu, who have developed a BSF strain with more than double the lipids volume without negatively altering the protein or oil content. The result is sure to be a game-changer for the rapidly expanding BSF industry.

NeuroHELP: A Breakthrough in Epilepsy

Dr. Oren Shriki refers to it as a "boiling point": when a brain changes phases. Detecting it can warn of an imminent attack of various types. NeuroHELP has developed an AI-based device for the early prediction of epileptic attacks. Using novel EEG signal analysis techniques and machine learning algorithms, NeroHELP’s solutions can reliably detect seizures as they happen and forecast upcoming seizures up to one hour in advance.

Morphisec: Cyber Defense Suit

Information security company Morphisec, has developed a solution to protect endpoints using what is known as the moving target method (MTD) to prevent cyber-attacks even before they begin. Morphisec, which emerged from the Cyber Security Research Center and grew out of the successful research collaboration between BGU researchers Prof. Yuval Elovici, Dr. Mordechai Guri, Gaby Kedma and telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom, has concluded several impressive funding rounds and has created prestigious partnerships, such as ones with Cisco and the US Department of Homeland Security.

Over the last 15 years, BGN Technologies has founded over 120 start-ups in a wide variety of fields.

“We are proud of the wonders created by these startups, which have become increasingly integral to our university", says Peleg.

in collaboration with BGN Technologies