Israel ranked second in the world after the United States in coronavirus solution innovation, according to a new report by research center StartupBlink and placed ahead of Canada, Belgium and Switzerland among the top spots. The top-ranked countries were unchanged from last year.
“If there is one message from the COVID–19 crisis and the mapping of the innovations by StartupBlink, it is this: Innovators can and have risen to the challenge,” said Pradeep Kakkattil, director of the office of innovation at UNAIDS. “It is time for the world to invest in leveraging these solutions to save lives now!”
Israel was the source of 38 pandemic-related innovations on a list of more than 1,300 compiled by StartupBlink.
“Israel is a relatively small country that has always excelled in innovation; it’s no surprise Israel has over-performed in creating solutions to combat the COVID–19 pandemic,” the report said. “Other than producing innovation, Israel has also deployed mass vaccination faster than any other country in the world.”
Israel also placed strongest in the categories of prevention, treatment and diagnostics, the report added. Several innovations were singled out as being particularly notable.
Temi Robots, designed in Tel Aviv, have been deployed in hospitals in China, Japan and the US to enable COVID-19 patients to consult with their doctors and to automate the temperature-taking process remotely.
Haifa-based Resmetrix has developed a wearable respiratory monitoring system that accurately monitors the respiratory pattern of respiratory disease patients (such as those with asthma), sending alerts to the patient’s smartphone and the medical team when early signs of respiratory deterioration occur.
A Vaccine Tracker maintained in Tel Aviv was also found noteworthy as a live dashboard of how the COVID-19 vaccine is being administered across the world.
Teva Pharmaceuticals was also recognized as a 'champion' Chloroquine treatment manufacturer.
Among cities, Tel Aviv was ranked sixth most innovative in the world, Haifa ranked #40, and Jerusalem came in at #93.
StartupBlink recently ranked Israel’s start-up ecosystem third in the world in its annual Startup Ecosystem Index Report. The United States led by a wide margin, with the UK coming in second, narrowly beating Israel, the Haifa-based research center said in June.