BOOK SPECIAL... The Greatest Science Books of 2016 13.THE GLASS UNIVERSE

 The Greatest


 Science

 Books of 2016

13.THE GLASS UNIVERSE

Predating NASA’s women mathematicians by a century was a devoted team of female amateur astronomers — “amateur” being a reflection not of their skill but of the dearth of academic accreditation available to women at the time — who came together at the Harvard Observatory at the end of the nineteenth century around an unprecedented quest to catalog the cosmos by classifying the stars and their spectra.

Decades before they were allowed to vote, these women, who came to be known as the “Harvard computers,” classified hundreds of thousands of stars according to a system they invented, which astronomers continue to use today. Their calculations became the basis for the discovery that the universe is expanding. Their spirit of selfless pursuit of truth and knowledge stands as a timeless testament to pioneering physicist Lise Meitner’s definition of the true scientist.

The “Harvard computers” at work, circa 1890.

Science historian Dava Sobel, author of Galileo’s Daughter, chronicles their unsung story and lasting legacy in The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars (public library).

Sobel, who takes on the role of rigorous reporter and storyteller bent on preserving the unvarnished historical integrity of the story, paints the backdrop:

A little piece of heaven. That was one way to look at the sheet of glass propped up in front of her. It measured about the same dimensions as a picture frame, eight inches by ten, and no thicker than a windowpane. It was coated on one side with a fine layer of photographic emulsion, which now held several thousand stars fixed in place, like tiny insects trapped in amber. One of the men had stood outside all night, guiding the telescope to capture this image, along with another dozen in the pile of glass plates that awaited her when she reached the observatory at 9 a.m. Warm and dry indoors in her long woolen dress, she threaded her way among the stars. She ascertained their positions on the dome of the sky, gauged their relative brightness, studied their light for changes over time, extracted clues to their chemical content, and occasionally made a discovery that got touted in the press. Seated all around her, another twenty women did the same.

The “computers” working at the Harvard Observatory, with Williamina Fleming (standing) supervising. (Harvard University Archives)

Among the “Harvard computers” were Antonia Maury, who had graduated from Maria Mitchell’s program at Vassar; Annie Jump Cannon, who catalogued more than 20,000 variable stars in a short period after joining the observatory; Henrietta Swan Levitt, a Radcliffe alumna whose discoveries later became the basis for Hubble’s Law demonstrating the expansion of the universe and whose work was so valued that she was paid 30 cents an hour, five cents over the standard salary of the computers; and Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin, who became not only the first woman but the first person of any gender to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy.

Helming the team was Williamina Fleming — a Scotswoman whom Edward Charles Pickering, the thirty-something director of the observatory, first hired as a second maid at his residency in 1879 before recognizing her mathematical talents and assigning her the role of part-time computer.

BRAIN PICKINGS

READING SPECIAL .....Reading with intention can change your life

Reading with intention can change your life

A random sampling of the world’s most successful people will show one common trait: a love of reading. Reading is the easiest way to continue the learning process, increase empathy, boost creativity, and even just unwind from a long day. But books can also change the way we think and live.

Warren Buffett, who says he spends 80% of his time reading and writing, attributes a huge amount of his success to a single book: The Intelligent Investor, by his mentor Benjamin Graham. For Malcolm Gladwell, it was Richard Nisbett’s The Person and the Situation that inspired his string of New York Times bestselling books. These are what economist Tyler Cowen calls “quake books”—pieces of writing that are so powerful they shake up your entire worldview.

As author and avid reader Ryan Holiday explains: “Whatever problem you’re struggling with is probably addressed in some book somewhere written by someone a lot smarter than you.”

Every story has been experienced, recorded, and published by someone at some point in time. Beyond just stories, books provide life lessons—a set of proven theories and anecdotes that you can apply to your own life.

So there’s the why of reading, but what about the how? Too often we get through a book, flip the last page, sit back, and think, “What the hell did I just read?” Reading and being able to use what you’ve read are completely different things.

Understanding how to get the most out of your time reading starts with understanding why we remember things at all, and then figuring out the best way to use that information.

The basics of memory

Without purpose and intention, the ideas sparked while reading easily slip away. Learning to hold onto them means understanding how our memory works. For the purposes of reading retention, we can think of our memory as being basically made up of three components:

·         Impression

·         Association

·         Repetition

Read to be impressed (and to impress others)

When you’re impressed by something, there’s a much higher probability that you’ll remember it. This could mean a phrase or quote that catches you off guard or changes the way you think about a certain topic. Or an interesting fact that you’ll want to teach someone later on.

Just like a teacher is able to master a subject because they know they’ll be teaching it later on, attacking a book with the same level of purpose means you’ll be able to recall information a lot quicker.

A recent study in the journal Memory & Cognition showed the effect that reading with intention and purpose can have. Two groups were given the same material to read—one was told they’d have a test at the end, while the others were told they’d have to teach someone the material.

In the end, both groups were given the same test. Surprisingly, the group that was told they’d have to teach the material (rather than be tested on it) performed much better:

When compared to learners expecting a test, learners expecting to teach recalled more material correctly, they organized their recall more effectively and they had better memory for especially important information.

Having a clear question in mind or a topic you’re focusing on can make all the difference in helping you to remember and recall information. While this can be as easy as defining a subject to look into beforehand, if time is no object here’s how to effectively “hack” your brain into being impressed with the subject matter:

Before reading

Ruin the ending. Read reviews and summaries of the work. You’re trying to learn why something happened, so the what is secondary. Frame your reading with knowledge around the subject and perspective of what’s being said and how it relates to the larger topic.

During reading

As you read, have a specific purpose in mind and stick to it. Don’t let your mind be the river that sweeps your thoughts away as you read. Be a ruthless notetaker. Your librarian might kill you for this, but using a technique such as marginalia (writing notes in the margin and marking up key patterns for follow ups), will make you a more active reader and help lock information in your memory.

After reading

Engage with the material. Write a summary or analysis of the main ideas you want to recall or use, research supporting topics and ideas noting how they connect with what you’ve read, and then present, discuss, or write about your final ideas.

Make associations with what you already know

Association is a peg upon which you hang a new idea, fact, or figure. When you know where the peg is located, it’s a lot easier to find what you’ve hung upon it. As you read and come across new ideas and thoughts, you’ll want to connect and associate these with familiar memories as a means of creating a bond between old and new. There are many different ways to create associations in your mind, from pairing new thoughts with familiar objects, to creating acronyms.

Many champion memorizers (there is such a thing) talk about creating a memory palace—a mental map in their mind where they store information. Each memory is connected to a ‘physical’ place in their mind, so as they walk through the palace they can ‘find’ what they were looking for, just like you or I would walk through the house looking for our keys.

The information “sticks out” because it’s in contrast to the “physical” locations in your mind. Our brain’s work much better with visuals than they do with words and abstract thoughts alone. Connecting a memory with a location or visual makes it much easier to recall.

Repeat, revisit, and re-engage

The final factor influencing our memory, and the one that is most important for long-term memorization, is repetition. Without revisiting or re-engaging with the material that you’ve read, there’s a pretty low chance you’ll be able to remember and apply any of that knowledge in the real world.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to read through the book multiple times (although that does help). But rather, that you need to have a method for taking and organizing notes around the key parts you want to revisit later on.

How the smartest people read

The most successful creatives don’t just read for pleasure, they read to learn. This might not seem like much of a distinction, but it is. Reading with intention is the sum of all of the parts of memory—it means that you have a specific goal at hand (impression), that you want to connect what you’re reading to other information (association), and that it is something you’re invested in and will come back to again and again (repetition).

Here’s how some of the most well-read and successful people organize their thoughts and get the most out of reading:

Ryan Holiday: author and marketer

Ryan Holiday’s monthly book recommendation emails are one of my favorite newsletters to receive. Ryan is so well-read on a wide variety of subjects that I was incredibly curious as to how he organizes his thoughts as he reads. Ryan uses a method he picked up from his mentor Robert Greene.

Here’s the rundown:

·         While reading, write detailed notes in the margins and then fold the bottom corner of any page you’ve written on.

·         After a week or two, come back to the book and transcribe the notes you’re still impressed by onto 4×6 cards.

·         Each card gets a category or theme in the top righthand corner (or you can use color-coded cards).

·         Organize the cards by category (or by chapter if you’re working on a book project). This way you can move them around as you please and connect random ideas (the basis of creativity).

·          

Maria Popova: author and founder of Brainpickings.org

Maria relies on making her own indexes of books in order to quickly scan what’s inside and connect it to what she’s writing. Here’s how it works:

·         While reading, highlight any passages or quotes you find interesting (making notes in the margin).

·         In the back (or front) of the book, create an index listing each page you’ve highlighted and what category the note should be under (This could be “C” for creativity, or even the title of your latest project).

·          

Austin Kleon: artist, author

Artist and author Austin Kleon leverages the fact that our brains respond better to visual information by taking notes in a mind map fashion. Here’s how he explains it:

I’m trying to construct a 2-D memory palace on paper. By making notes in a non-linear manner, by arranging images and words in space, I can see connections that would otherwise be impossible with just words written in sequence.

Josh Kaufman: bestselling author of The Personal MBA

While not as intricate or as interesting as some of the other methods, Josh’s method—named “The McDowell Grid” after Benchmark Revenue Management CEO Tyson McDowell—is an excellent way to connect new thoughts with your own opinions and ideas. Here’s how The McDowell Grid works:

·         Create a simple two-column grid.

·         On one side, write the fact, thought, or quote you are impressed by.

·         On the other side, write your own personal reaction and thought.

That’s it! This way, when you revisit your reading notes later on, you’ll be able to put yourself back into the same frame of mind you were in when you originally read.

Reading is one of the great joys of life. And while it is an incredible way to unwind from the busyness of our day-to-day lives, reading with intention allows us to increase our skills and learn from the lives of others.

Jory Mackay

https://qz.com/658605/reading-with-intention-can-change-your-life/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=botw_05152016&utm_source=blueshift&utm_term=bsft_&utm_content=botw_sunday&bsft_eid=233a7db4-1a55-41f3-96ae-af6139f5f9f1&bsft_clkid=dd2ce166-057e-453f-b0e4-6d46921e4c08&bsft_uid=d4f9562c-4347-49cb-9544-373dd1f2b1f3

PHARMA SPECIAL ....Piramal expands route scouting offering to meet demand

Piramal expands route scouting offering to meet demand

Piramal’s ‘route scouting’ service helps customers rapidly identify robust, cost effective routes to manufacture Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). The company’s scientists offer their expertise to develop routes from late preclinical through clinical development, that are shorter and safer, and more cost effective, atom efficient, and environmentally-friendly, than conventional methods of API production. The success of this service since its launch last year has encouraged Piramal to expand this offering to additional sites while augmenting its technology platform.

Scaling up and manufacturing complex intermediates and APIs pose significant challenges when working with tight deadlines, typically associated with clinical development and commercialization of new products. To address these challenges, many pharmaceutical and biotech companies look for support from external partners. Piramal’s ‘Route Scouting’ offering seeks to fulfil this need.

Piramal’s Route Scouting Strategy focuses on a Fit for Purpose (FFP) approach that serves customers from discovery through commercialization, and through life cycle management. Introduced in 2015, this service targeted biotech clients who needed to develop robust routes to scale up medicinal chemistry processes and rapidly manufacture material for preclinical Tox. The service was initially offered out of Piramal’s Ahmedabad, India site, and was staffed with process scientists with several years of experience in developing novel chemistries. The number of clients and projects expanded rapidly, with large pharmaceutical clients also signing up for the service. The team has now tackled issues from preclinical through commercialization in the past 18 months. Some of them include:

·         "I have a medicinal chemistry route ... I now need to make my first 100-250 g for GLP tox."

·         "I need a robust route for Tox/Ph I ...  my route uses reagents that are expensive, toxic or not available in bulk."

·         "I have multiple chromatographic separations leading to significant loss in yields."

·         "I want to reduce the number of steps, or decrease the cycle time to release capacity."

·         "I am going to face generic competition and need a cost effective route, at scale, to be competitive."

Piramal is now working with more than 15 companies, from large pharmaceuticals to virtual biotechs, on over 20 projects that involve developing routes for clinical development and commercialization. Piramal has now expanded this offering from Ahmedabad (India), to its sites in Michigan (USA), Aurora (Canada), and Ennore (India). In addition, the company has married this initiative with additions to its technology platforms: Piramal has invested in (a) Advanced Flow Reactors for continuous flow route development, and (b) established a chemocatalyst and biocatalyst Centre of Excellence, where commercial catalyst technologies can be levered to provide customized solutions.

Ramesh Subramanian, Vice President, Strategic Marketing at Piramal concluded, “Piramal route scouting focuses on providing tailored solutions for clients. Once the route is developed, our clients own the route and the API can be manufactured at any site of their choice. While this flexibility is appreciated, in practice we find that a vast majority of clients choose to manufacture at Piramal. Our track record of 34 successful product launches, with 10 potential additional launches this year, gives them confidence in our abilities. In addition, they appreciate the seamless tech transfer towards larger volumes of intermediates or API, that Piramal offers. This, combined with a world class program management system, that supports clinical/commercial API supplies from our sites across the globe appeals to our collaborators. Feedback from one of our collaborators sums this up well: ‘Piramal was the only firm we found that has a dedicated service to develop novel routes cost effectively while integrating it seamlessly with downstream manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia”

Published: February 20, 2017

http://www.specchemonline.com/news/piramal-expands-route-finding-network

PRODUCTIVITY SPECIAL.... 4 Productivity Strategies That'll Help Anyone (and Everyone!) Feel More in Control

4 Productivity Strategies That'll Help Anyone (and Everyone!) Feel More in Control

No matter how early you wake up, it might seem like there are never enough hours in the day to squeeze it all in. It, of course, being your job, your meals, your relationships, your sleep, and your Netflix queue.

Trust me, I know how you feel. For the past year and a half, I’ve been making around $5,000 per month from freelance writing—making me a “full-time writer” by most standards. But unlike the majority of full-time writers, I’m also a college student. That means on top of my work, I’m also balancing approximately 20 hours of class per week and 15 hours of homework and studying.

Even if you graduated many (many) years ago and even if starting a side gig is the last thing on your mind, we both have the same time management struggles in common. I don’t know a single person who can master it day in and day out.

However, balancing a thriving freelancing business with a full course load has led me to try some pretty creative time-management solutions. And all the trial and error has resulted in a few strategies that really do work.

Here are my top four techniques for beating procrastination, staying focused, and maximizing your day—no matter what you do.

1. Pick a System—and Stick to It

When I first started freelancing, I didn’t have a productivity system. I relied on a notepad to keep track of current tasks, and as I worked, I’d simply move down the list and check things off.

But of course, this set-up meant I was often tackling low-priority projects before more important or urgent ones. So I moved to my list to Todoist. This free app lets you assign deadlines and priority statuses to your to-dos, making it obvious what you should be working on at any given time.

Since making the leap, I’ve managed to turn in hundreds of articles and essays to clients and professors, respectively, without ever missing a deadline.

You definitely don’t need to use Todoist (or any app, for that matter) to be productive. However, having some sort of system is essential. It could be GTD, energy mapping (Muse CEO Kathryn Minshew’s system!), or the 1-3-5 rule—just don’t wing it, or you’ll (literally) waste your time.

2. Figure Out How You Use Your Time

Most people consider themselves fairly productive. I sure did—until I started tracking my time. I discovered I was spending hours a day reading blog posts, scrolling through LinkedIn and Twitter, and looking at designs on Behance and Dribble. Since I wasn’t on Facebook or Instagram, I didn’t feel like I was wasting time, but there’s no doubt I could’ve been putting those hours to better use.

That’s why I wholeheartedly recommend using a time-tracking tool. My favorite is RescueTime: The free version tells you exactly how much time you’re spending on individual websites and apps and grades your activity from “very productive” to “very distracting.” You can also set goals, such as, “80% of the time I spend online will be productive.”

I’ve upgraded to premium, and it’s been a fantastic decision. For $72 a year, this version lets you block distracting websites, track time spent in meetings and calls, keep a log of your daily accomplishments, and more.

Toggl is a solid alternative to RescueTime. Unlike RescueTime, which is always running, Toggl only tracks your time when you click the in-app timer. You can categorize your time by project (for example, “research for Smithsonian Magazine piece”), by tag, or both.

Plus, Toggl comes with a Pomodoro Timer, which is handy if you like working in sprints with periodic breathers.

3. Stop Going Down Internet Rabbit Holes

As time-tracking showed me, and as you probably already know, it’s incredibly easy to get off-track while doing anything online. Whenever I came across something that piques my curiosity—whether it was an interesting article, a cool site, or a piece of breaking news—I felt compelled to pause what I was doing and check it out, just for a minute, or five, or 30.

The problem? Not only was I delaying my original task, but research shows jumping between unrelated activities temporarily lowers your IQ and boosts your stress level. Not good.

So, I decided to establish a new routine. I downloaded Pocket, an app that lets you save articles, webpages, and videos to read later. (Feedly and Evernote’s web extension are also great options.) Every time I find an intriguing link, I save it to Pocket and move on with my work.

At the end of the day, when my energy reserves are basically tapped out and I just want to relax, I’ll open up Pocket and browse everything I bookmarked. And if saving links doesn’t help you stop going down that hole, think about browser extensions like StayFocusd for Chrome that allow you to block specific sites (cough Facebook cough). Oh, and if your phone serves as a similar distraction, consider taking the steps productivity writer Tristan Harris advises to become less addicted.

4. Keep a Running List of Small Tasks

For every hour I spend writing, I spend two hours doing small, fairly administrative tasks: sending invoices, answering emails, checking in with clients, and so on.

Whether you’re in a creative role or a more technical one, you’ve probably got a similar ratio of big projects to small, boring-but-necessary ones. I’ve discovered it’s more efficient to create a bank of these mini assignments and do them whenever I have a short break, rather than periodically clearing my to-do list of the small stuff.

That’s because the day is chock-full of awkward pockets of time. How many times have you had an hour-long call that wraps up seven minutes early? Sure, you could hop on to Slack and send a funny GIF to your co-workers, or you could knock out a small task. Or maybe you’re meeting someone for coffee, and you get there four minutes early. Rather than scrolling through Twitter, quickly consult your list, find a mini-project, and complete it just as your friend walks through the door.

These days, it’s nearly impossible to find a professional who doesn’t feel busy. But just because you’ve got a mile-long to-do list doesn’t mean you need to feel overwhelmed. With these strategies up your sleeve, you can accomplish what you need to—and still have time for your side gig (or some Netflix).

By Aja Frost

https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-productivity-strategies-thatll-help-anyone-and-everyone-feel-more-in-control?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=botw_06192016&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=botw_sunday&bsft_eid=30da36f4-9a08-4ba1-a39c-ebf8d01cc896&bsft_clkid=47394610-ef17-493f-998d-3fb3863a3432&bsft_uid=d4f9562c-4347-49cb-9544-373dd1f2b1f3

STARTUP SPECIAL .....STARTUP NATION

STARTUP NATION





How Israel with a population of just 8 million and bang in the middle of a conflict zone emerged as a global top 5 startup hub

At times, serendipity can be planned. Tel Aviv based Smadar Landau, founder of Israeli startup Feelter, knows what that means. Founded in 2013, her online retail review startup moved to Sosa in Tel Aviv last summer. Set up by pioneers of the Israeli hi-tech industry, Sosa calls itself a town square for global innovators. Going beyond accelerators and incubators, the Sosa ecosystem brings together startups, investors, and MNCs all under one roof to nurture and scale up innovation. Global delegations from countries and MNCs come calling to look up Israeli startups.

Eight months back, Feelter played host to a delegation from the UK, which led to enquires from a leading UK etailer. Now, Feelter is working on pilots that will soon go live for testing. “We were all focused on the US market. The UK just happened, thanks to Sosa,“ says Landau. She credits Sosa not just for customers, but for the funding ($4.5 million so far) and a slew of global startup awards that Feelter has bagged. It was this serendipity that lured Enel, an Italian energy giant, to the Sosa fold last August. It had landed in Israel two years back, scouting for startups doing innovative work in cybersecurity, drones, smartphones and the internet of things. “Israel has the world's highest concentration of innovative startups and smart engi neers,“ says Iran Levy, the Israel based manag ing director of Enel Innovation Lab.

Enel's lab -its only such overseas facility -collabo rates closely with Sosa to screen and shortlist Israeli startups it wants to work with. So far, it has met “hundreds“ of startups, held four boot camps for delegations from Italy, is working closely with around 20 startups, has made a few investments and is exploring many more.

Once Enel zeroes in on a startup, it sponsors a project that could take three to six months to de velop the relevant technology applications. “But commercialisation and integration of the startup technology with a large MNC like Enel takes time,“ says Levy.

The Sosa network today has 2,500 startups, 450 partners, 45 investors and has received over 150 global delegations. For example, the Australian government has launched a landing pad for market-ready startups in Tel Aviv, tapping into Sosa's innovation highway.

Sosa is now expanding its footprint. Soon it will have a seven-storey facility in Manhattan, New York. With a capacity to house 100 startups, it will also be equipped with the requisite after-hours trappings like pubs and restaurants. It will have a floor for boardrooms and meeting rooms and another with spas. “This place will be so selfsufficient that people can just fly in and not need to hop out. We want to connect local innovation with global demand and work like a lighthouse,“ says Rami Beracha, managing general partner, Pitango Venture Capital, and a cofounder of Sosa. From one facility in Israel, Sosa hopes to expand rapidly and set up six to seven in Europe, the US and Asia in the near future.

Hi-Tech Grip

The roller-coaster ride in the startup world isn't for the fainthearted. Volatile and shaky, it's a world that swings between meteoric highs and abysmal lows. Israel -the Startup Nation -has perfected the art of not just surviving but flourishing in it.

A small country of over 8 million people -mostly immigrants -with no natural resources, no local market and surrounded by enemies, Israel is a political startup where survival instinct is part of the DNA.Israel has tapped into that to build one of the most robust startup ecosystems in the world, considered second only to Silicon Valley. It has 6,000 active startups, 350 MNC R&D centres, has seen exits worth $9.2 billion and venture funding worth $4.8 billion in 2016. Perhaps more impressive is that in this volatile, fickle world, Israel's hitech industry has charted a steady upward journey.

How does Israel do it? Lessons from the tiny, closely networked country may not be directly relevant for India. Yet, in a year when India's startup world is on a rough ride, both the NDA government and the industry stakeholders would do well to look for some inspiration there. In India, the hype around fancy valuations and me-too unicorns has made way for shutdowns and consolidation. According to a recent survey, about 65% of the leaders in the startup world feel the sector is in a tech bubble.Hitherto bullish investors like SoftBank have mellowed even as their investments in firms like Ola and Snapdeal are hurting. The government's much hyped Startup India campaign, which was to give wind to the startup wave, has barely taken off.

In contrast, Israel is a great example of the role the government can play in nurturing the startup ecosystem. And Israeli success tells you that, if done well, it can have great upsides for the macroeconomic health of the country.

Inflection Point

Even though the foundations were laid much earlier, the build-up for Israeli hi-tech industry began in the 1990s. “Around 2005, the world changed. Things we were good at became important and we managed to take advantage of the tech revolution,“ says Avio Simhon, head, National Economic Council, Israel.

The numbers reveal what Simhon means.Formed in 1948, in the middle of the desert with virtually nothing, Israel's GDP today stands at $311 billion (as against India's $2.3 trillion economy), GDP per capita income is $34,800 (India's is $6,700) and exports are worth $80 billion.

But here's the revealing part. Israel's debt-to-GDP ratio, which stood at 93% in 2004 has been steadily declining and stands at 62.1% even as the OECD average (117% now) rose sharply. Thanks to the private sector, government ex penditure as a percentage of GDP has come down from 51% in 2002 to 39.3% in 2016. The current account balance (as a percentage of GDP), which s i g n a l s a n e c o n o my 's health, has risen from around -1% in 2002 to 4.2% in 2016. The economy's net as sets too have grown from -$51.2 billion in 2000 to $95.6 billion in 2016. “We (Israel) are an accidental combi nation of a hi-tech revolution and govern ment policies,“ says Simhon.

The unemployment rate in Israel is now at a historical low of 4.8%. Bear in mind that the biggest growth push, including exports, has come from the private sector, especial ly in the hi-tech space, which contributes 12.5% of the GDP. The country's R&D ex penditure (minus defence expenditure which is not public) stands at 4.3% of GDP, the world's highest. “Private sector is criti cal: 95% of our R&D expenditure comes from them,“ says Avi Hasson, chief scien tist, ministry of economy & industry.

Meet the Chief Scientist

Behind Israel's startup machine is what is often called its killer app -OCS or the office of the chief scientist, which is part of the ministry of economy and headed by Hasson. With two decades of experience in the corporate sector, his mandate is to set policy framework and push innovation and entrepreneurship in knowledge-based science and technology industries. “One of the biggest roles that the government can play is to connect networks. For a robust startup ecosystem, this interconnectivity is critical. And we must celebrate entrepreneurs,“ says Hasson.

Hasson's office advises the government on many issues like how to tax MNCs or offer incentives to angel investors, or regulate clinical trials. He oversees a $500 million plus R&D fund called Tmura, which plays anchor investor in emerging technologies.It also has an incubator programme. This domestic R&D thrust gets amplified with global partnerships. Its Magnet programme manages partnerships between academic and commercial R&D programmes globally and has already signed bilateral agreements with 70 countries. It has given a grant to a startup that is now developing Israel's first human tissue bank. “Our philosophy is that the government should embrace failures and bet on the riskiest of ventures where the private sector will hesitate to go,“ says Hasson.

Helped by the government and nudged by investors -and also thanks to being deeply networked with the US -Israel's startup ecosystem is dynamic and constantly betting on new emerging sectors, ahead of the curve. “The challenge for us is not just to identify new sectors but also abandon the old ones that are past their peak,“ says Beracha. Take, for example, the automobile sector. There are over 50 startups in Israel focused on a range of areas like autonomous cars, ride sharing, electric vehicles, navigation, in-car monitoring and the like. There are a lot of startups in agri-tech, insure-tech, cybersecurity, ecommerce, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality -areas where big MNCs are actively scouting for new technologies.

Government as Catalyst

“Our biggest job is to not stand in the way of the hi-tech private sector,“ says Simhon. For example, he says, a lot of Israeli startups focus on defence-related technologies. And there was a view in the government that a committee should vet which countries can buy these Israeli companies and which cannot. “Re striction in itself wasn't bad but it would have unnecessarily created hurdles for the startups. Let's just say that as of now we have no such committee,“ says Simhon with a smile. Some of Israel's most successful entrepreneurs are ex-army men like Adam Neumann, cofounder of WeWork, and Uri Levine, cofounder of Waze, which got sold to Google for $1.03 billion (army service is mandatory for Israeli citizens).

The government for its part does it bit to solve problems. Take for example talent shortage which, the government has constantly been told, is the biggest constrain for the hi-tech industry. It is now responding by rolling out a five-year programme which will see the number of seats in electrical and computer science departments in Israeli universities go up by 40% in five years. Further, to boost the student pipeline in science and engineering streams, it is offering incentives to high school stu dents who study maths.

From reaching out to untapped population segments like Arabs, ultra-orthodox Jews and women, to liberalising the visa regime, the government is now exploring options to increase the talent pipeline.

Of course, like India, Israel too faces challenges that most democracies do. But executives here admit that there is political maturity. “Irrespective of the political party in power, and despite being a vibrant democracy with all its challenges, science and technology has got constant support with policy stability,“ says Hasson.

A few other factors help. Israel is fortunate to have a rich and prosperous diaspora that is often closely networked and connected to the Jewish land. Forbes' billionaire list of 2016 had 17 from Israel, including new entrant Neumann. Jews who normally have strong Israeli ties have a disproportionate presence on the billionaire list -in the 2015 list, there were 10 among the top 50.

Their wealth sometimes finds its way to Israel. For example, last year, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel received a $400 million legacy gift from a Jewish couple in California. Thanks to the gift, the university has ambitious plans to expand capacity and introduce new disci plines. City mayors in Israel too play a critical role in craft ing policies to attract and grow the hi-tech industry.

Simon Elfassy, mayor of Yoqneam since 1989, has converted an almost bank rupt, struggling city into a hotbed of hi-tech innovation.Today it hosts over 100 hi-tech companies like Intel and Panason ic Avionics, with exports worth $5 billion.“What I have learnt is to think long term and work hard to remain current in my knowledge and focus. And then you have to believe in yourself and take those chances,“ says Elfassy.

The India Connect

Despite being a hotbed of innovation, Israel has produced few unicorns. Most entrepreneurs have exited far before their peak, selling out to MNCs from Cisco to Google. With a small domestic market, most Israeli startups think global from day one but also face scale-up constraints.

That may be changing. “Majority of Israeli entrepreneurs wake up and think of the US. Historically that's how it has been.But that is changing. Both investors and startups are looking at Asia Pacific more and more,“ says Chemi Peres, cofounder, Pitango Venture Capital. This is where India -with a huge domestic market -should get some attention.Many Israeli startups are now developing a risk appetite to physically expand and roll out their products and services in new territories. Feelter's Landau says she would be keen to tap the Indian market.“India is a huge opportunity for Israeli startups. We are keen to see the Sosa model replicated in India,“ says Tel Aviv-based Uzi Scheffer, general manager of Sosa. He has initiated talks with Sakal Media's Delivering Change Foundation, a not-for-profit that aspires to make positive changes in the communities.

Israeli government too is keen on boosting bilateral cooperation. In the 1990s, the two governments signed their first agreement but nothing much happened. Israel has set up a $40 million India-Israel fund to invest in Indian companies but it has made little progress. “There has been a lot of bureaucracy (in India),“ says Hasson.

In a year when India and Israel are celebrating 25 years of diplomatic ties and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Israel, the mood is one of hope and optimism. “We (India and Israel) have a very special relationship. There is a growing meeting of minds. The strategic relationship between the two nations has never been better,“ says deputy director-general Mark Sofer, head of Asia Pacific in the ministry of foreign affairs, Israel.

Startup India could finally get wings.

Malini Goyal

The writer was in Israel at the invitation of Israeli government

ETM19FEB17