Next week, Israeli companies will have an excellent opportunity to encounter big bucks in homeland security. Aish HaTorah is sponsoring a visit to Israel by a delegation of 50 US businesspeople, administration officials, and Congressional leaders. Aish HaTorah is a voluntary organization of American Jews for promoting religious education that also promotes business ties between Israeli companies and US government concerns.
In the aftermath of September 11, the US government budgeted $80 billion to buy security technologies, and set up special committees to determine security standards at seaports and airports. A major part of this budget is intended for innovative technologies for domestic security.
The US delegation will meet senior Israeli officials and will participate in the Homeland Security Event organized by D&A. D&A, Apax Partners, and Israel Seed Partners also brokered meetings between Members of Congress on the delegation and Israeli companies.
D&A managing partner Gilai Dolev said the US administration usually prefers spending money on the technologies of US companies, but a system of US and foreign partnerships could definitely provide access for non-US companies with suitable technologies to the US money.
Dolev said that the US would soon publish a series of standards for the technologies it is seeking, creating an excellent opportunity to influence the people who will determine the necessary standards.
The delegation members are: Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) and Rep. John Linder (R-Georgia), both members of the House Armed Services Committee, while Linder is also a member of the House Homeland Security Committee; Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Infrastructure Robert P. Liscouski; Carl M. Bucholz, a former special assistant to the president; chairman and CEO Jack London of CACI International, the second-largest IT integration company in the US; EMC Corporation EVP of technology strategy Erez Ofer; Greenberg Traurig Law LLP managing partner Joe Reeder, Undersecretary of the Army in the Clinton administration; and chairman and CEO Richard Dreihaus of Dreihaus Capital Management, which manages $3.5 billion in capital.
The main purpose of the visit and conference is to facilitate meetings between executives of leading international companies and Israeli entrepreneurs in homeland security, in order to encourage investment in Israeli technologies and collaboration between Israeli and leading US companies. The visit will also provide Israeli companies with the information necessary to gain access to the US homeland security budget, such as how to contact the Department of Homeland Security and the House and Senate Committees for Homeland Security, how to participate in tenders, and find US strategic partners.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 8, 2004