In cooperation with the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council
The overcrowding in the big cities gives its signals in the cost of living and the damage to the quality of life, and as a result, many residents and entrepreneurs want to leave the dense and expensive areas in order to improve the quality of their lives and businesses.
One of the prominent areas that has become in recent years a center of attraction for families, businesses and entrepreneurs from all over the country, is the Western Negev.
Significant investments in infrastructure, including the development of highways and new public transportation systems, not only improve the quality of life of the residents of the area but also made it more accessible for business initiatives, employment and industry.
The population is also growing and along with it the opportunities in the Western Negev.
One of the examples of the growth of industry in this area is reflected in the Sapirim Industrial Park, which is shared by the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council and Sderot.
Forty companies in five years.
The SouthUP technology incubator in Shaar HaNegev, photo: from a page of the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council
The park constitutes a broad and fruitful infrastructure for initiatives with technological and economic potential, which produces many diverse employment opportunities.
The park is in constant development in accordance with the positive migration of residents and entrepreneurs to the area and to Raya, these days just ahead of phase 2, at the end of which its area will be tripled and reach about a thousand dunams that will form an infrastructure for additional projects and workplaces.
The amount of investment as the size of the potential
In recent years, the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council has managed to raise significant resources that have turned it into a center of attraction for entrepreneurs, high-tech companies and industry, through which hundreds of additional jobs have been added in the region. One who, among other things, has paved the way for the field of innovation and initiative in the Shaar HaNegev and the entire Western Negev, is the technology incubator SouthUp Shaar HaNegev, which was established About five years ago and it has already attracted more than forty startup companies that will create about 250 jobs.
In total, more than 90 million dollars were invested in all the SouthUp companies, 50 million of which were invested by the Innovation Authority and the rest from other investors.
The size of the investment and the sums indicate the recognition of the inherent potential in the area and the growth figures are also exceptional in relation to the time required for the prosperity of employment areas.
"When there is good in the space - good for the community"
In light of the growing interest and the council's strategic decision to bring Startup Nation to the area surrounding Gaza, the council is currently promoting the establishment of the "Innovation Campus" on its territory, which will include three buildings and cover 9,000 square meters. The campus is expected to house startup companies alongside established companies and produce About two thousand new jobs. The first building to be built on the campus is the KKL-JNF Australia Center for Innovation and Sustainability named after the late Alexander Teter-Gross, the establishment of which was recently signed by the head of the council and his partners in KKL-JNF Israel and JNF Australia.
The flourishing industry in the Western Negev is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes the region and the commitment of the Israeli governments to promote economic growth with its partners in the regional council.
Its preferred location, facilities with strict standards and talented personnel - all these guarantee the growth of the Western Negev in the coming years.
"A thriving system of startups and the high-tech industry will lead to an increase in innovation and the development of new products and services that can further drive economic growth in the region and create more and more jobs," says Ofir Liebstein, head of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, "Jobs in the periphery play a critical role in supporting local economies and providing opportunities Employment and living for those who live outside the big cities.
The periphery has tremendous potential to become a center of attraction for entrepreneurs and the high-tech industry, certainly due to the density and cost of living in the big cities, and thanks to the benefits and incentives from the state in these areas.
"My concept is spatial - when there is good in the area, it is good for the different communities that live in it. That is why I signed a border agreement with Sderot, without it, we would have continued to dream of expanding the Safirim industrial area and of course a partnership in it and its revenues. Alon Davidi (Mayor of Sderot) and I are working together to Strengthen our region and instead of fighting over the cake that represents employment and advanced industry, I am increasing it."
Ofir Liebstein, head of the Shaar Hanegev regional council, photo: photo from Facebook
Liebstein set himself the goal of developing the region and creating an ecosystem that would support technological entrepreneurship.
"Thanks to the support we receive from the government, from our important partners in JNF Australia and KKL-Israel and our many partners - the goal is being realized before our eyes," he says with satisfaction, "the residents of Shaar HaNegev and the entire Western Negev will benefit from a cumulative investment of tens of millions of shekels in the creation of a variety of places High-quality and progressive work for the residents of the region." In cooperation with the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, Ofir Libstein: "Jobs in the periphery play a critical role in providing employment and living opportunities to those who live outside the big cities.
The periphery has tremendous potential to attract entrepreneurs and the high-tech industry."
In cooperation with the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council