A new study conducted by the Britain-Israel All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and UK Israel Business has highlighted areas for further UK-Israel collaboration in the health technology (healthtech) sector.
APPG Chair and CFI Officer Bob Blackman MP said that “the United Kingdom and Israel are natural partners across a wide range of innovative fields, from financial to agricultural technology, spanning government, the private sector and higher education”.
“Whilst demonstrating considerable resilience, the pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in the UK’s health system”, the report, entitled “A shot in the arm: Israel and UK healthtech innovation”, reads.
“Israeli health technology solutions should be a vital consideration in addressing NHS innovation challenges” going forward, yet there “remain significant barriers to access and growth for companies in the United Kingdom”.
In order to “realise the full potential of Israeli solutions for the UK”, the report recommends “the establishment of a permanent landing pad for Israeli healthtech companies in Britain, a Start-up Visa for Israeli healthtech innovators, and including Israel as a priority country for UK innovation agencies”.
In a message published in the report, Israeli Ambassador to the UK, H.E. Tzipi Hotovely, says these actions could “transform the healthtech sectors in the UK and Israel and contribute to a much-needed economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Read the full report here.
