Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is arriving for a visit in Israel on a state mission to develop economic opportunities with the Jewish State. She’ll meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the visit as well.
The 10-day trip is being coordinated by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and will also include a stop in Germany. Reynolds has previously met with Netanyahu in Israel while on a trip with the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association.
Reynolds is slated to sign two memorandums of understanding that will formally link Iowa State University – and its agricultural focus — and the University of Iowa, with its medical research – and institutions in Israel.
The governor told Radio Iowa in an interview this week, “A big percentage of their (Israel’s) GDP goes to research and development and they’re very innovative and entrepreneurial in spirit, much like we are as Iowans, and so we believe there a lot of opportunity.”
Israeli startups raised nearly $45 billion in venture capital two years ago, she noted, building itself up to become a high-tech global capital second only to Silicon Valley in the number of startups per capita.
“This is an opportunity for us to look for economic opportunities between Israel and Iowa,” said Reynolds. She’s scheduled to speak next week at an international conference in Tel Aviv co-sponsored by the American Water Resources Association and the Water Research Center of Tel Aviv University.