Over the past twelve years, BGU has transformed itself from an academically "backwoods" university, to a
"sought out" place of higher learning.Today the student body numbers more than 16,000.
President Avishai Braverman, at this year's meeting, launched the National Institute of Biotechnology.
Prof. Braverman has gained prominence for his ability to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, which are
applied with great vigor to building up the University's infrastructure.
The founding of the National Institute of Biotechnology was accompanied by the excitement and fanfare
associated with the launching of an important national project. Yet, behind closed doors, warnings were
sounded. Prof. Raymond Dwek, Director of the Oxford Institute of Glycobiology stipulated that BGU must
acquire "the ethos of a research community". In a discussion with IHTIR he elaborated that "the proper
management of this enterprise is a must. I manage 650 scientists and maintain the highest level of
excellence. There is no room for less than top performance. I have noticed from my numerous visits here
that this is not always the case in Israel, where scientists and others occupy key positions, when others
more suitable are held back. I feel strongly about this and have made my point in the strongest manner,
during our private meetings".
Prof. Aaron Klug, Nobel laureate in Chemistry, Cambridge University was equally outspoken on this
subject. "Inadequacies at BGU have to be patched up," he said during his prepared talk. "The prize will go
to those who will invent new technologies to solve specific problems. For technologies to be good and
viable they must originate from top quality fundamental research".
The "government has no money" he reminded the audience. He is a known advocate of the principle that
"science is a global enterprise with global responsibilities." Those that are funded, must be held
responsible and accountable by those who provide the funding.
Where can the National Institute of Biotechnology make its mark?
Mr. Morris Kahn, is an internationally successful businessman, who in recent years has concentrated his
personal efforts and capital on backing Israeli technology projects. If Mr. Kahn has his way, a consortium
with Johnson & Johnson, in alliance with a leading Israeli industrial group and the Government of Israel,
will establish a Technological Incubator at BGU.
The new National Institute of Biotechnology at BGU was showered with blessings by the visiting Nobel
laureates and other scientists. They came to Beersheba and have drawn painstakingly the necessary
roadmarks for success. They have prescribed a daunting task.
Ben Gurion University needs to appoint the most capable and dedicated research scientists for the task. If
it harnesses their brainpower and applies it in an unswerving manner to research and development, and
adopts the recently discovered knowledge of the human genome and wedding it to the computational
sciences, it will find its place, not only in the desert sun but also on the global scene.
At present, as a result of the ongoing security situation, only very few people from the international
high-tech community, visit Israel. So it was more than refreshing to hear lectures delivered by two visiting
Nobel laureates. One of these was American Prof. Barry Blumberg who was awarded the coveted prize in
Medicine for his work developing and creating the Hepatitis A vaccine. The other was Prof. Aaron Klug,
Nobel laureate in Chemistry, from Cambridge University. It was a most resplendent gathering. also
attended by the former Chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl, Lord Weidenfeld of Chelsea and international
supporters of BGU.
They attended the annual meeting of the international Board of Governors of Ben Gurion University (BGU),
located in Beersheba, the Gateway City to Israel's Negev. A major feature was the symposium titled
"Biotechnology in the Post-Genomic Era".
Most likely it will come from the close relationship with the 120,000 Bedouin population, living within the
extended area of Beersheba. That population is served by the city's hospital, which has maintained
pertinent records for decades. This information may prove to be a window of opportunity for
biotechnology solutions for unique genetic problems. The Bedouins represent a homogenous
population, that lives in a "closed" environment. One of its characteristics is an extremely high incidence
of intermarriage between cousins, often resulting in genetic inherited diseases. "Genetic disease is a
lifetime burden and we are uniquely positioned to become more deeply involved with the Bedouin
community, with the aim of reducing genetic disease," said Prof. Rivka Carmi, Dean, Faculty of Health
Sciences at BGU. Philip Needleman, Chief Scientific Officer, of the American Pharmacia Corp. concurred
that "the goal should be for reaching at least two unmet medical needs within ten years, and that the
Bedouin community represents a wonderful opportunity for the finding of solutions for inherited diseases".
"Studying of the local population could lead to biotechnology solutions in treating genetically transmitted
diseases. This knowledge could be made available for the benefit of Israel's African and Middle East
neighbors who have similar problems," added