Israel Active

(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Evogene is working with Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group (DBN) to increase fertilizer uptake and drought tolerance in rice. Evogene has discovered several candidate genes and these will be introduced into DBN’s pipeline for the development of improved rice.

(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Cellocator has launched Cello-IQ, a driver safety and eco driving solution, designed to improve fleet safety and reduce fleet operation costs. Over one million vehicles have a Cellocator device. (Now we just need these installed in every Israeli car!)

Israel’s RAD Data Communications won the 2013 NetEvents Technology Innovation Award for “infrastructure equipment and innovative solutions to Service Providers’ current challenges”. RAD’s MiNID device configures nearly any telecom equipment just by plugging it in.

Tel Aviv University hosted the 3rd International Cyber Security conference just as Israel found it was ranked as the world’s leader in cyber security – up from 19th place in 2012.

Gadi Mazor, Chief Technical Officer of Israel’s OurCrowd, has won the Blackberry Achievement Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. Gadi developed Nobex Radio for BlackBerry - an innovative mobile radio app that has reached over 12 million registered users.

This is essentially an old story, but I’ve included it mainly because it is rare that the BBC includes any good news from Israel.

Apple Inc. will inaugurate the first entrepreneurship development center of its kind at the interdisciplinary arts and sciences Amal High School in Hadera next week. The students will develop iOS-based apps for iPads and iPhones. Sixty 9th and 10th grade students will join the project.

(Thanks to NoCamels) When old computers are disposed of, sensitive personal information recorded in them may still be readable by malicious individuals and organizations. Israeli start-up Sure Erasure removes the data completely, allowing equipment and parts to be recycled without compromising security.

Israeli start-up OrCam has developed a camera-based system that will “read” to the visually impaired whilst on the move. So OrCam employee Liat Negrin, visually impaired since childhood, can pick up a can of vegetables in a grocery store and easily read its label. Ships in September.

Israeli hi-tech Red Bend’s systems allow employees to use their own mobile devices to check company emails and do other work while protecting the company from exposing sensitive information. In the video, my cousin Roger describes Red Bend’s TRUE (TRUsted) solution for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) at Mobile World Congress. (Warning – it’s a bit technical!)