Heading North: A New Hub for Science and Tech Emerges

On Israel's northern border, very close to Syria and Lebanon, several thousand young people are preparing for global challenges. They are examining how food can be healthier and more sustainable. They are investigating water management, renewable energy and environmental sustainability. They are exploring automation and smart factories, developing entrepreneurial ecosystems, and mastering cybersecurity and communication technologies. And they are learning how to strengthen communities and how to blend academic initiatives with global partnerships.

They are doing all this at Tel-Hai College, a 52-year-old center of learning in Northern Galilee which is going to soon become Israel's tenth university. In May of last year, as Hezbollah rockets rained down on the North, Israel's Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced that Tel-Hai Academic College was to become The University of Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee.

"This not only recognizes the central role of higher education in regional development and national resilience, but is also a testament to the college's quality and excellence," says Prof. Eyal Shimoni, chair and scientific manager of the Galilee Innovation Lab, which will be part of the new university.

A university tailored to its region
Tel-Hai College has long been known in Israel for its excellence in engineering, design and communications, with its graduates holding key positions throughout the country — especially in the North. Like the college from which it is evolving, the new university plans to play a hands-on role in the strategic and economic development of northern Israel.

"Commitment to community and region has always been a cornerstone of Tel-Hai," says Eli Cohen, Director General of the College since 2013, who will continue as Director General of the future university. "Our goal is not only to educate but also to lead, shape, and create lasting impact in our region. As both the largest employer and largest educational institution in the Galilee, our role in developing its economic and social fabric is central. Transforming from college to university isn't about ego. It's about serving the region and its people in the most effective and socially responsible ways possible."

Cohen, a native of Kiryat Shmona who now lives in Metulla, has devoted much of his life to his community. He is a retired IDF colonel, holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University, and served as managing director of Kiryat Shmona's municipality and head of the Gilboa Regional Council's Education Department.

He is gratified that two thirds of Tel-Hai's 5,500 students (700 of them graduate students) come from outside the region, and that many choose to stay in the North after they graduate. "I see my mission as Tel-Hai's Director General as empowering our students, serving our community and driving the region's economic and social transformation — from developing high-tech parks to ensuring that children in Kiryat Shmona receive the same quality education as those in Tel Aviv," he says.

"Our region has faced economic hardship, natural disasters and, of course, the military conflict which intensified after October 7, when 60,000 people were evacuated from the North for over a year. Our two Kiryat Shmona campuses were closed for many months (our third and smallest, in Katzrin, remained open), and more than 1,000 of our students fought in the IDF reserves for extended periods," Cohen elaborates. "We saved their academic year by shifting study schedules, introducing remote learning and providing generous financial aid. And I'm proud to say that Tel-Hai's students remained dedicated not only to their education, but also to supporting their neighbors in the region. The war underscored our success in connecting our students to the North."

A unique opportunity for change
The transition from college to university is "an incredible opportunity," says Shimoni, who is steering the new university's academic and research future. "Traditionally, universities are structured systems into which it's hard to bring change. We have here a unique opportunity to approach traditional practices in a new way — to train differently, to apply our research, to find solutions and drive real-world change in issues of global importance."

In this, Shimoni leverages a wealth of experience. A graduate of Israel's Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, he is a world authority on food technology, innovation and research, has led FoodTech development and fostered innovation. Highlights of a long and distinguished career include CTO of the Strauss food and beverage group, establishing Israel's successful technological incubator The Kitchen FoodTech Hub, and founding and chairing the Israeli Food IoT–Big Data collaborative initiative.

"I'm at a stage in my career when I can do what I want," he smiles. "When Tel-Hai College president Prof. Eliezer Shalev approached me, I said, 'I'll do whatever you want!' before he even told me what the mission was. My commitment to Tel-Hai is underpinned by Zionism."

Intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and research
The new university will be a "boutique institution, tailoring its programs to the needs and characteristics of its region," says Shimoni. "From agricultural research and food technology to innovation in engineering and computer science, we see the new university as a beacon of advanced education and scientific progress for Israel's North.

"It will offer a unique, community-focused education that addresses the needs of the Galilee region while preparing our students for the challenges of the global future," he continues. "We're developing new curricula to train not simply top engineers and scientists, but top engineers and scientists who are also entrepreneurs and bring new ideas. They'll be equipped to meet both today's needs and those of the next 15 to 20 years. They'll be masters of Big Data, Computer Science and AI, ready and able to solve complex problems from the day they graduate — as well as be fast learners to keep pace in a changing world. They'll acquire social science skills too, because the solutions they'll develop are practical, for people, so they must be able to work with all the different stakeholders.

Israel's colleges, Shimoni explains, are largely teaching systems. Universities not only teach, they are also where research is carried out. "In adding this research component, Tel-Hai will have the necessary resources to drive innovation and entrepreneurship regionwide," he notes. "Our focus will be the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and research, each actively applied to solving real-world problems such as food security, climate change and sustainability."

'Actively' is a key word here. "Our agro-engineers and computer scientists will, for example, routinely remove their white lab coats, step into rubber boots and go out to farmers in the fields. This region produces 40% of Israel's food, and with its range of soils, climates and elevations, it's a natural laboratory. We'll be capitalizing on its agricultural and environmental challenges, a crucial effort in this era of global warming and extreme weather events. Our scientists will merge their expertise in soil, plants and climate with AI, computer science, sensors and satellite systems to create an ecosystem within which research and industry can collaborate to bring global solutions."

Vision for the future
The University's academic vision is of a multi-layered technology institute structured around three interdisciplinary hubs – Science, Humanities, and Education and Teaching – in which academics, farmers, industrialists, communities, foundations and all other stakeholders work together.

"Our students with move from a research core to experimental situations guided by mentors," Cohen elaborates. "We'll enlarge our Engineering School's existing entrepreneurship and innovation program — which already has 50 start-ups, 250 incubator proposals and collaborations with 40 industrial plants and hospitals. We'll also add 100 senior faculty to our 1,550 staff, and enroll 1,000 more students over the next five years."

The once-modest educational institution, deeply embedded in its community, forward-thinking in its educational approach and known for its commitment to its students, is poised to become Israel's newest university. In making the transition, it changes not simply its status but starts a new chapter in its story.

"We anticipate that the fusion of entrepreneurship and innovation at the university we're building will galvanize not only northern Israel, but the whole country and even the world beyond," says Eyal Shimoni.

"We're writing a story of future and hope," says Eli Cohen. "We're embracing a national mission and striving to be a positive force for the future of the North and, with it, for the entire State of Israel."

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