Peres ‘overwhelmed’ by blue-and-white innovation

President visits new development department at Philips facility in Haifa where company develops innovative medical devices.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Peres at Philips 370 (photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
Peres at Philips 370
(photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
After a tour of the Philips company’s development center in Haifa on Wednesday, President Shimon Peres said that what he saw was “bigger than all my dreams: You are developing here the most advanced medical technology in the world.”
The Dutch electronics giant announced during his tour that it was opening a new department for research and development in Israel. He was especially impressed with the new computerized tomography (CT) technology developed by Israeli scientists and engineers that will be manufactured here as well.
“I never though the peak of Philips development is in Haifa. It’s an incredible experience for me [to see] the in-depth research combined with values of excellent and genuine breakthroughs,” the president said.
Peres praised the company for its achievements, “largely due to the creativity and daring” of Israelis. “If one time we wanted Israel to be a safe haven for Jews, today we want Israel to be an attraction for people to work in development, innovation and technology,” he said.
Yair Briman, Philips International’s vice president and CEO for clinical applications, announced his company’s plans for the new department, which will carry out long-term R&D.
Among the recent short-term developments of the company is one that converts pictures and data produced by medical devices into “clear” images that will serve physicians and patients.
Dozens of new scientists are being sought by Philips- Haifa, including software engineers, clinicians, image processors and others who will be based in the city.
Separately, referring to the current nurses’ sanctions, Peres said that they must not continue. “The [Tel Aviv] Labor Court supported the striking nurses, and the verdict must be respected so that the crisis is brought to an end,” he said.