US, Israel tech companies lay building blocks for business

Another Margalit-backed innovation centre is in Jerusalem, which is the largest project of its kind in Israel, which caters to critical sectors such as cybersecurity and food technology.

“The reason why we have such a large delegation here is that many people are very interested and very much looking forward both on a personal level and a business level and excited to build relationships and to turn it into something that’s real. This is really the content of peace after the politicians are signing the agreement.”

So, now that they have begun creating ties in the UAE, the next step is determining what is it the UAE is interested in doing and how Israel can tap into it and create a centre of excellence for it, he said.

He added that the UAE, having that advantage thanks to its reputation as a gateway for trade and business, has what can be called convincing power: Any decision by any entity to offer a service in the country would be relied upon and seen as a reference for the region.

Leadership amid Covid

Dr Margalit also gave his thoughts on the current Covid-19 pandemic, which mainly involves a fusion of already-large undertakings into something bigger and more effective.

“Countries need to reevaluate their medical strategies — from large hospitals and medical centres to a combination of centralised medical care and distributed medical care at the home and from afar,” he explained.

That will require healthcare IT — “IT needs to marry healthcare, he says — which would give the ability the ability to monitor patients at their home and to do testing and evaluation from afar. As a result, there’s going to be new investments for telemedicine, remote medicine, home care and diagnostics.

He also touched on the new normal when it comes to working, and what companies must keep in mind to cope up with changing, if not unpredictable times.