Israel Innovation Authority רשות החדשנות
Assaf Kovo, PhD is currently serving as the Chief Economist at Israel Innovation Authority. Prior to this role, he held the position of Senior Economist at the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister's Office. Kovo also worked as a Senior Team Leader at The Antitrust Authority, where he was a member of the steering committee for the removal of barriers to personal import. With a background in economics and management, Kovo has a Doctor of Philosophy degree from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a Master of Arts degree from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tel Aviv University.
Israel Innovation Authority רשות החדשנות
The Israel Innovation Authority is Israel's central agency to manage the country’s governmental support of the resource of innovation. As the governments' operational arm in the arena of technological innovation and R&D, the goal of the Authority is to provide professional support and infrastructure to government efforts to encourage innovation in all industry sectors, complementing the major role that Israel already plays in the global high-tech sector. The Israel Innovation Authority has three main roles: creating infrastructure to support diverse industries, developing tools and programs that suit the needs of the industry, and budgeting and financing high-risk projects and products. In addition to these roles, the Authority serves as a central hub for knowledge and consists of six customer-oriented “Innovation Divisions,” each providing a variety of tools for each market segment and stage in the life cycle of a product: Technological Infrastructure, Advanced Manufacturing, International Collaborations, Societal Challenges, Growth and Early Stage.