Technion offers new scholarship for cannabis entrepreneurship course
The 40-hour course has eight weekly five-hour evening sessions and is intended for entrepreneurs, doctors, investors, researchers, pharmaceutical employees, agricultural experts and academics.
By IDAN ZONSHINEA CanBreed researcher takes a sample from a cannabis plant.(photo credit: CANBREED)
As the future of Israel's recreational cannabis remains in doubt following the Knesset's early dispersal, the country's medical cannabis market continues to grow, leaving it as one of the few industries which have been emboldened during the coronavirus crisis. Moreover, the pandemic and the various lockdowns which followed it have left many highly qualified Israelis unable to find work in their respective fields. To help alleviate the crisis, the Technion's Continuing Education and External Studies Division – along with Cann10, one of Israel's leading medical cannabis companies, and AI cannabis analysis start-up GemmaCert – recently announced that they will award two scholarships for the Technion's external Medical Cannabis Entrepreneurship course for professionals who are interested in joining the medical cannabis industry. The course teaches students about the various aspects related to the development of products, entrepreneurship, research and investments in the field of medical cannabis, supplying them with an understanding of historical background up to the present day and future challenges and opportunities facing the field. Each scholarship is for NIS 2,750 - half the tuition fee - which goes toward participation in the eighteenth cycle of the program, which will begin on March 2 at the Technion campus in Sarona, Tel Aviv. Last year, for the seventeenth cycle of the course, Cann10 partnered with the Technion to supply a full scholarship for women who were interested in entering the field but did not have a formal education on the subject. The 40-hour course is split up into eight weekly five-hour evening sessions and is intended for entrepreneurs, doctors, investors, researchers, pharmaceutical employees, agricultural experts and academics interested in entering or studying the field. "Apart from the medical aspect, the course, is considered a significant milestone in the Israeli ecosystem currently being built around the medical cannabis industry," according to Oded Raviv, Director of the Technion's Continuing Education and External Studies Division. The course "provides solutions and training in the field of technological and business entrepreneurship in medical cannabis through its content and lecturers, who are considered to be leading experts in their fields." He emphasized the relevance of the scholarship and the course, adding that "the coronavirus period is a catalyst for professionals who are interested in moving into the field – and we are happy to provide a unique opportunity for both of the students who eventually win the scholarship." The course, which has long been working with Cann10, was started five years ago, and was the first of its kind in Israel. "We joined the Technion several years ago to offer the most comprehensive and professional course in the field of medical cannabis, an area that has seen changing trends and has been gaining momentum in the direction of legalization for medical use in many places around the world," Cann10 vice president Yael Meir said. Interested applicants must send an email to office@cann10.com, by February 1, 2021, along with an up-to-date resume and a letter detailing how the scholarship will assist in the fulfillment of their professional plans in the field of medical cannabis. A professional committee made of representatives from the Technion and Cann10 will be placed in charge of choosing the two candidates who will receive the scholarships. The winners will be announced on February 7, 2021.
