The new center is scheduled to open in the coming months, and IAI is considering a number of possible locations in Tel Aviv for its operations. 30 employees will work at the center in the initial stage – Globez newspaper publish today(20.6.2019).
The founding of the center is being led by IAI VP technology and R&D Dr. Amira Sharon. She told "Globes," "The innovation center's activity will focus on absorbing technological talents and ideas that will be used in the coming years to develop and update the company's basket of products in order to preserve its competitive advantage in the Israeli and global markets."
Starburst supports 300 startups from all over the world and 26 leading companies whose activity involves the defense industry, including Airbus, Thales Group, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, and others.
IAI says that the decision to open the innovation center in Tel Aviv was taken because the city is an active and globally recognized business center that attracts entrepreneurs seeking to germinate ideas and plans. "The center will operate on the basis of the enormous know-how accumulated by IAI over the years, with involvement from external forces. Thanks to the involvement of startup accelerator in the enterprise, we will focus on entrepreneurship and ideas for the market's future needs, so that they will be adapted later in our line of products,"
IAI regards the founding of the innovation center as an integral part of its strategic plan of adapting its activity to a dynamic market, such as the growing demand for autonomous tools for transporting and shipping cargo. "We already have many capabilities in unmanned tools in air, land, and sea. We also have very impressive capabilities in outer space. The innovation center will facilitate making more groundbreaking technologies accessible, and the company will be able to connect more rapidly to these innovations,"