On March 19, Mitzpe Ramon's innovation hub was launched by the Jewish National Fund USA, with a budget of NIS 10 million. The center aims to be a workspace and meeting point for startups and budding entrepreneurs. Among them will be Creation Space, an Israeli group dedicated to advancing space technology, which has already secured a $1 million investment.
Oren Hefetz, project manager at the Jewish National Fund USA, stated, "The opening of the first-of-its-kind innovation center in Mitzpe Ramon is a significant and exciting step towards a vision of technology, progress, and employment opportunities. We have been working for many years in collaboration with the city council. Together, today, we see the place coming to life on the path to realizing this vision."
"In addition, we are pleased to open the center's doors to Israelis who have relocated from their homes since the conflict began and now live in Mitzpe Ramon," he concluded.
The Jewish National Fund USA is an American philanthropic organization working to build and strengthen settlements and the people in Israel.
In recent decades, the organization has focused on bringing over 800,000 new settlers to the Negev and the Galilee. Following the events of October 7, many communities in southern Israel suffered severe damage. The organization is committed to assisting residents in rebuilding their homes and lives and returning to their communities, while fostering mutual support and national resilience.