18 May 2018

Mathys & Squire at Agritech Israel

Partners Anna Gregson, Mike Stott and Dani Kramer from intellectual property firm, Mathys and Squire, recently attended Agritech Israel 2018, Tel Aviv’s 20th International Agricultural Technology Exhibition on agricultural technologies, innovations and food processing. They outline their views below on the event itself and the growing importance of the agri-tech industry.

With the theme “agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions”, the conference was dedicated to the challenges and solutions facing these global regions with attendees sharing ideas on the advanced techniques aimed at increasing the productivity of agricultural industries.

Dani Kramer noted “it was fascinating meeting individuals from such a diverse variety of companies across the agri-tech sector and learning about how their innovative technologies have helped them to grow their businesses.”

Why focus on Agritech?
Anna Gregson explains “primary food production is the biggest industry in the world and ensuring the stability and integrity of national and international food supply chains is crucial. With ever increasing challenges to expand food production in a sustainable way whilst reducing environmental impact, new technology is key to addressing these challenges.”

Why Israel?
In view of its arid geography, Israel’s agriculture sector has by necessity been forced to the at the forefront of agri-tech innovation, particularly in the areas of irrigation, water reuse and the development of plants and agricultural products to maximise production in extreme weather conditions. Mike Stott added that Israel is also a hotbed of innovation and start-ups more generally. With a population of only 7 million, Israel attracts approximately $2 billion in venture capital funding each year – to give some perspective, this is about as much funding as both Germany and France attract combined. Plus it is second only to Silicon Valley in producing start-ups.

 

What were the key trends from the conference?
Israeli agri-tech innovation has allowed crop growers to cultivate barren regions by using them as greenhouses. Israeli innovators have been at the forefront of drip irrigation, which uses slow and balanced water supply to achieve exceptional growth and also water recycling and reuse.

Why is Mathys and Squire suited to work with Israeli companies?
Our combination of technical expertise, local knowledge and commercial focus enables us to deliver results for our clients whilst understanding the culture of Israeli businesses and the unique challenges facing the Israeli market. As a result, we have developed strong relationships with associate law firms in Israel, helping them provide expert advice to Israeli businesses seeking to establish a strong foothold in the European market.

If you have any questions about Israeli innovation or the agri-tech sector, please get in touch via one of the email addresses below.

Dani  heads up our specialist Israel practice after spending years working with Israeli clients and attorney firms based in Israel. He works for a number of large corporations, drafting and prosecuting patent applications, and managing their international patent portfolios.

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Mike has a first class master’s degree in chemistry from the University of York and has worked in the patent profession since 2008. He has been involved in the drafting and prosecution of patent applications in the UK, Europe, and many overseas jurisdictions, including the US.

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Anna has a first class MA honours degree in natural sciences, specialising in pathology from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Manchester. Anna has a breadth of experience in the fields of biotechnology and life sciences.                                 

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