The fund will back dozens of project teams each year, while giving some students and graduates a spot on its investment committee.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is to start a $1m fund to finance technologies developed by BGU students and graduates, according to Calcalist.
The fund will invest in dozens of student teams each year to help drive activity in the technology, biotech and social engagement spaces, according to Dana Gavish Friedman, vice-president of entrepreneurship at BGU’s tech transfer office, BGN Technologies.
Students who have completed a BGU syllabus explicitly covering innovation will also have the opportunity to wield influence on the fund’s investment committee and act as the initiative’s campus representatives.
News of the fund comes after BGU launched a new research centre called Center for Computational Criminology alongside law enforcement agency Israel Police in February 2018. The hub focuses on technologies including advanced computing, big data and artificial intelligence in a bid to fight crime.
BGU becomes the fourth Israel-based university to launch an investment fund, according to Calcalist.
The others include Tel Aviv University, which runs the $20m TAU Ventures fund, and Israel Institute of Technology’s Technion, which started a $200m initiative in June 2017.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s tech transfer arm, Yissum, manages several funds spanning various research fields, including a $4m agtech-focused vehicle called Agrinnovation launched in 2015 and an earlier $5m vehicle for the life science sector.
