The year 2020 was marked by a global pandemic, yet the State of Israel wasn’t deterred and marked many impressive feats in scientific research, technological achievements, and is gearing up for sending the second Israeli astronaut, Eytan Stibbe, to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021. It also has plans in the works for its next lunar spacecraft, Beresheet 2, to be sent to the Moon in 2024, and the local high tech industry is booming, despite the crisis.
In an exclusive interview, Minister of Science and Technology Yizhar Shai spoke to CTech about Israel’s next ventures in space, future scientific collaborations, diplomacy, and how Israel can retain its innovative edge as the Startup Nation.
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Shai, 57, was a partner at the venture capital fund Canaan Partners Israel, a former Chairman and CEO of V-Secure Technologies, and was an entrepreneur in the field of Israeli startups prior to being appointed minister. He was a member of the Blue and White party led by Minister of Defense Benny Gantz, but recently quit. It is unclear whether he will be in the transition government. Shai replaced outgoing minister MK Ofir Akunis from the Likud party in May 2020. Shai has also been a guest speaker featured at