INSEAD opens its first regional research centre for entrepreneurship in Israel.
The school plans to create a global network that will help young high-growth companies from all over the world share insight and experience.
INSEAD, the international business school with campuses in Europe and Asia, is planning to create an entrepreneurship network that spans the globe. The school intends to set up several Regional Research Centres around the world to study entrepreneurship across geographies. The first Regional Research Centre officially opens today in the Caesarea Business Park near Tel Aviv. The Centres will all be part of the Rudolf and Valeria Maag International Centre for Entrepreneurship at INSEAD.
“We are establishing a new standard for the way entrepreneurship is being studied and taught,” said Professor Phil Anderson, Director of the Rudolf and Valeria Maag International Centre for Entrepreneurship at INSEAD. “Traditionally, entrepreneurship has been examined from a narrow local perspective. INSEAD will bring a fresh global perspective to entrepreneurship research and teaching drawing on examples from all over the world.”
The Centre in Israel will be named after the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Foundation which provided the seed funding.
A large number of prominent representatives from Israeli politics and business, and INSEAD alumni will convene on Saturday 20 May at the harbour of historical Caesarea to celebrate the official opening of the Centre. Mr Avraham Bigger, Deputy Chairman of the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Foundation, will be among the key note speakers.
Israel represents an interesting model for the rest of the world’s entrepreneurs. Despite its size, the country is technologically very advanced with a large number of companies listed on the NASDAQ. Furthermore, a number of Israeli enterprises have experience in expanding internationally early on in their life cycles. This, and the fact that INSEAD has very strong ties to the Israeli business community, gives the school the opportunity to study large samples of growth ventures, especially those that are technology intensive.
Mr. Doron Nahmias, President of the INSEAD Alumni Association in Israel, has been appointed as Managing Director of the Centre. In this role, he will be charged with raising funds for the Centre, reinforcing the ties between INSEAD and the Israeli high-tech and entrepreneurship community, and overlooking the Centre’s research and conference activities under the supervision of Professor Phil Anderson and other INSEAD entrepreneurship faculty.
“The new Regional Research Centre in Israel is a tangible example of INSEAD’s global vision as the business school for the world,” Mr. Nahmias said. “Thanks to its global network of alumni and corporate contacts, the school is uniquely positioned to build bridges and connect entrepreneurs from all over the world. We are very grateful for the support we have received from the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Foundation to help us build INSEAD’s reputation as a leading authority on global entrepreneurship”.
The initial activities of the Centre will include a series of conferences as well as the production of several case studies and other research material covering Israel’s high-tech entrepreneurs. Research topics will include, among others, how to keep jobs in developed countries by adding value, how to commercialize public-sector technology, and how to transfer know-how from the defence industry to the commercial industry.
About the Caesarea Edmond de Rothschild Foundation
The Caesarea Edmond Benjamin De Rothschild Foundation was established in 1962 by the Rothschild family and the State of Israel. The foundation generously uses part of its profits to promote higher education in Israel; support cultural institutions, and provide social welfare.
