This year, the University has launched a new cohort for the Blue Economy program, a mini-acceleration program, in collaboration with Haifa Innovation Labs (HIL), the University of Haifa’s center for innovation and entrepreneurship, along with the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences. Following the SwitchMed methodology, the professors have encouraged participants to register and complete the business canvas on SwitchMed’s digital platform, enabling them to join the Switchers community.

All the students in our previous programs in Green and Blue Economy have registered with the SwitchMed platform, benefiting from the well-established methodology that guides the process of launching projects and companies by entrepreneurs. This allows them to take advantage of the tested steps and resources provided by SwitchMed to launch their business models and future business implentations.

15 Participants, including Marine Sciences faculty members and graduate students take part in the program.  The ventures are varied, and includes projects such as:

Increasing awareness and utilization of the non-sentient marine colonial invertebrate, Botryllus schlosseri, for laboratory experiments as a substitute for sentient animals.

Developing an amphibious robot equipped with multiple IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) capable of navigating both on sand and underwater. The robot has versatile applications such as environmental tasks, cleaning, searching, and research.

Establishing a multi-disciplinary data center that gathers information from ships, surrounding sensors, and companies operating within the global supply chain. The main objective is to leverage this data to reduce CO2 emissions, streamline the supply chain, and enhance its efficiency.

About Haifa University

Over 18,000 students from a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds are enrolled at the University of Haifa, the largest research university in northern Israel, and the most pluralistic institution of higher education in the country. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full accreditation in 1972 and, since then, has created and developed a world-class institution dedicated to academic and research excellence.

Through an accelerated growth strategy, the University has established Israel’s first “Multiversity” – a multi-campus institution that promotes extensive interdisciplinary studies and partnerships. The Multiversity is designed to improve access to higher education in northern Israel, better prepare students for a dynamic job market and serve as a catalyst for economic expansion and strengthening Israel’s northern region.

As a thriving academic center, the University comprises six faculties, 59 departments, ten schools and 57 research centers and institutes. The University has gained an international reputation in a variety of fields, including public health, security studies, holocaust research, cancer research, neurosciences, bioinformatics, marine sciences, education and epigenetics. The University also offers 18 international graduate programs taught in English and a Study Abroad program.