TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 25, 2021 -- The IMPROVATE Innovation Conference held online and in Tel Aviv last week dealt with the day after the global crisis, with Israeli technology and innovation companies presenting solutions in the fields of tourism, MedTech and distance learning to European government officials and investors. The conference was opened by IMPROVATE founder and chair, Irina Nevzlin, who said she was a big believer in win-win solutions: "When tech companies work effectively with governments, the citizens get the best possible results. IMPROVATE is a platform that brings together different parties to focus on solutions, and makes this win-win approach happen." Speaking about the impact of the coronavirus crisis on Eastern Europe, former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said the aftermath of the crisis presented huge opportunities for Israeli companies in Eastern Europe and the Balkan states as they update their health care systems. "Some of the products we have seen today are truly unique… Come to our region, we will open doors. A lot of money will be invested in coming years to improve healthcare systems. There is European money available, government money available. We need to bring you here to the market and you can do good business here." At a panel dealing with the tourism industry in the post-coronavirus era, Israel's Minister of Tourism Orit Farkash-Hacohen said the challenges posed to the industry were technological in nature as innovation was needed to create a uniform global technological standard to enable open skies once lockdowns are lifted. Greek Minister of Tourism Harry Theoharis said, "Solutions have to be around safety ... we need to integrate touchless payments schemes ensuring you can have access without physical contact. Those are the kind of systems that are going to be needed." Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon said that while Jerusalem is a city with a long and rich history, it has also always been a place of new ideas. "Jerusalem, even during the dark days of the coronavirus, has continued to develop our innovation economy. New start-ups join large companies and together they are at the heart of our capital city, of the Startup Nation." At a panel on medical innovation and technologies, Zoya Paunova, CEO of AstraZeneca Bulgaria said there was a major lesson to be learned from Israel's innovation ecosystem: "Do not innovate for yourself, innovate for the world and then the world will come and invest in you." Several Israeli companies presented advanced medical technologies for new and life-saving treatments in a diverse range of fields. Amir London, CEO of the international biopharmaceuticals company Kamada showed how treatment with Kamada's COVID-19 antibodies (IgG) may help hospitalized patients; Adi Jacobson, VP Marketing at Zebra Medical Vision presented Zebra's AI technology for early detection of chronic disease in large populations; Ayala Bliah, CEO of Sivan, described how Moovcare as a medical application improves cancer patient's longevity and helps oncologists better manage medical visits and priorities; Ilan Cohen, Chairman of the Board, and Ron Nagar, CEO of TempraMed Israel, discussed the transition to home care and its implications on cold supply chain and user compliance; Guy Halpern, VP, Products & Clinical Research at Inovytec Medical Solutions described how the company manufactures practical and easy-to-operate technology for cardiac and airway emergencies; Dvir Dahary, Co-founder & Chief Scientist of Geneyx spoke about analyzing clinical genetics data better for better Predictive, Preventive, and Precision, Personalized medicine; Shani Toledano, CEO, and Gabi Polliack, CMO, of HT BioImaging presented their solution as the first heat diffusion imaging tool for cancer classification and diagnosis at the point of care and operating room. Max Simonovsky, founder and CEO of Soapy presented the experience technology behind CLEAN, the revolutionary, data-backed hand hygiene machine - Soapy was recognized as one of Top 5 disinfection and hand hygiene technologies in 2020 and received global awards. At a panel on education technologies and the effects of distance learning during the coronavirus lockdowns, Bulgaria's Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ms. Karina Angelieva, said the crisis was accelerating the adoption of technologies and digitalization in education. Educator and education researcher Alexander Schneider of Daata Etech Lab presented an educational system for group thinking and learning developed and produced by the company. IMPROVATE CEO Ronit Hassin Hochman: "Israeli innovation is renowned the world over. After every one of our conferences, we receive inquiries from countries that want to be exposed to Israeli technologies. The coronavirus crisis has accelerated the desire of governments to adopt innovative technologies and IMPROVATE is in contact with governments to promote Israeli companies." About IMPROVATE: IMPROVATE was launched in September 2020 with a vision to make innovation and technology accessible to all. Operating out of London and Tel Aviv, IMPROVATE's mission is to connect change-makers in technology with leaders and decision makers, through international conferences, business delegations and deals between governments and companies, in order to help realize global progress through innovation. For further information visit our website: improvate.net | 
