TORONTO — Dr. Yaron Avitzur jokes that every Jewish mother in Israel now lets her kid choose his own career: they can become a doctor or a medical engineer.
Avitzur spoke about the core values behind Israeli innovation in the biotech industry in a recent lecture at Toronto’s Reconstructionist synagogue Darchei Noam.
“There’s a real culture of innovation in Israel, and it’s grown significantly over the last two decades,” he said. “Israel is now a real leader in startups and entrepreneurship. It’s ranked first in the world in terms of the number of scientists and technicians per 10,000 employees.”
A pediatric gastroenterologist, Avitzur established the first national pediatric small-bowel transplantation program in Israel and is currently a medical director at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
In his opinion, one of the driving forces behind Israel’s success is the sense of responsibility and teamwork instilled in Israel’s children through youth groups. As they age, he said, this ethic is further cemented in the army.
“In the army, everyone has regular debriefings with candid and honest discussions,” he said. “That atmosphere of constructive criticism and honesty translates well for new companies. You lose time with subtlety – what you really need is for people to be able to tell their bosses when things are not working.”
In developing the country’s first pediatric small-bowel transplant program, Avitzur relied on his own experiences growing up in Israel. “We had to overcome many obstacles,” he said, citing Israel’s low rate of organ donations. “We had to adopt the typical Israeli mentality: improvise, be creative, and have a little chutzpah. We really had to think outside the box.”
This kind of creativity has played a major role in Israel’s entrepreneurial success, he said. “Israelis come up with ideas that sound like science fiction at first. In Israel, there’s a mentality that you have to be willing to take risks, and that it is okay to fail as long as you’re persistent.”
Avitzur also cited the regulatory and financial frameworks in Israel as key to the success of its high-tech and biotech industries. “In their early stages, Israeli ‘incubator’ companies are well supported by government subsidies and venture capital,” he said, noting that Israel spends a higher percentage of its GDP on research and development than any other country in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
“You need ideas and passion, but you also need the market support, patents, regulatory bodies and technology in place to turn those ideas into products,” he said. “Israel has that unique mixture of core values, education and financial structure to help new businesses succeed.”
Despite these enormous successes, Avitzur warned of challenges facing Israel’s biotech future. “Our math and science scores are not what they used to be,” he said. “On top of that, there’s high unemployment amongst males because so many of them are going to a yeshiva instead of working. It’s not sustainable.”
Avitzur’s lecture was part of a two-part lecture series on Israel’s high-tech and biotech industries hosted by Darchei Noam’s adult education and Israel connections committees.
“When you hear about Israel on the news, it’s always about the conflict,” says Meir Bester, chair of Darchei Noam’s adult education committee. “It’s rare to see a story of Israeli success, so we’ve decided to focus on Israel’s great achievements in the high-tech and medical arenas.”
The second lecture will feature Jonathan Levy , Israel’s consul for economic affairs, who will dissect the business climate behind Israel’s growth and discuss key Israeli innovations. Levy will be speaking on April 3 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Darchei Noam, 864 Sheppard Ave. W.
