A surprising familiarity with failure invites resilience, prompting a rise to the challenge without yielding. It motivates Israelis to mobilize a bold push to attract more than 33,000 experts in new technologies to advance the most groundbreaking ideas of the fourth industrial revolution already unfolding. A scientific oasis is forming amid regional tensions in the Middle East.
In a nation with fewer than nine million residents, startup ventures of all kinds emerge year after year. These shifts occur alongside social changes in a world that is increasingly populous and aging, while cyber threats loom over highly developed countries.
Yet it is rare to encounter foreign entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv, a city where Israel has historically prioritized building critical skills among its own people to create innovative, disruptive, global companies. That stance has begun to shift since 2019, as the country opened opportunities for foreign engineers to collaborate and contribute to this knowledge economy.
Authorities finance up to 85 percent of digital projects for foreign computer scientists through a special visa program lasting 24 months, allowing work in what is described as the promised land of a hyper-connected world. The program connects job openings to the most revolutionary initiatives on the planet, inviting those who join this technological achievement to attract international investment and transform ideas into viable businesses.
Israelis take pride in their accomplishments. The country’s second largest city sits close to Tel Aviv, the cultural and economic hub that fuels innovation and forms the epicenter of this young nation, drawing inspiration from Silicon Valley without apology from San Francisco.
Thousands of jobs for the north and nearby regions
“Initial efforts to attract foreigners to propose and develop startup ventures aimed at social change faced challenges,” explained Dror Bin, executive director of the Israel Innovation Authority, a public and privately owned autonomous body. The organization is now committed to creating thousands of engineering jobs in the north of the country and neighboring areas, welcoming immigrants from around the world under the Law of Return and Israeli citizens returning from abroad.
The innovation visa pilot enables foreign entrepreneurs to work in Israel for 24 months with support from Innovation Authority experts. Israel also offers housing, technological infrastructure, and logistical assistance to help develop their projects.
If they succeed and launch a startup, the country will extend an expert visa for five years, within a highly stimulating technological ecosystem.
The growth engine of the Israeli economy
“The tech industry drives growth for the Israeli economy, even during slowdowns,” Bin notes. The focus remains on attracting high-quality talent from abroad and integrating it into Israel’s technology sector, including skilled professionals from Russia and Ukraine.
Innovation Authority advocates technologies that improve people’s quality of life without harming society. “Earning income does not have to conflict with sustainability,” Bin says, envisioning an “impact revolution” that encourages companies to balance progress with environmental health.
The organization is prioritizing doors that open global access, with emphasis on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
The case for agricultural technology
Dror Bin envisions a future filled with challenges, notably the need to invest in agricultural technology to feed a growing planet. The development of nanotechnology, quantum computing, and molecular mathematics will enable faster drug and fertilizer simulations, advancing a persistent advocate of progress who upholds human values and aims to bring health and education closer to all, while safeguarding national security.
The future of transportation is imagined as open to public use or to leading automotive companies worldwide, featuring autonomous vehicles with sensors designed in Israel.
Israel allocates a remarkable portion of its GDP to research and development, maintaining one of the world’s strongest education systems, particularly for advancing engineering expertise. Approximately 10,000 Israeli citizens pursue engineering, underscoring a steady supply of qualified professionals.
What the country seeks now are experts from around the world to participate in the fourth industrial revolution, blending the latest production techniques with intelligent systems that elevate people’s lives.