On May 9 – one year after PTC signed a long-term strategic collaboration to invest 15 million New Israeli Shekel ($5 Million U.S.) in the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology – an international team from various PTC offices worldwide came to the Technion to discuss progress, share hopes and excitement, and visit the newly dedicated Research and Development center on campus, which is in the final stages of being built.

A team of 9 people from PTC international and 8 from PTC Israel including Kevin Wrenn (U.S.) – EVP, Products and Ziv Belfer (Israel), Division VP, PTC R&D arrived to meet Professor Uri Sivan, the President of the Technion, Professor Boaz Golany, Executive Vice President & Director General and Professor Koby Rubinstein, Executive Vice President for Research, to discuss their unique cooperation. This pioneering model for industry-academia collaboration is the fruit of Technion’s long history with PTC and a model the Technion hopes will serve as the first of many between itself and industry.

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan opened the meeting by welcoming the PTC delegation to the Technion and to Israel. He outlined the importance of the Technion in the history of Israel’s development from civil infrastructure through micro and optoelectronics to aerospace. He said that “We do the best research we can and train our students as best we can, but we also consider Israel’s economy and security as part of our mission. Indeed, our impact is unparalleled”. He further updated that the Technion is building a new eco-system with industry by strengthening ties with a selected group of industrial partners and that he is proud to have PTC as such a close partner.

Kevin Wrenn, EVP, Products, PTC spoke on behalf of PTC with an “incredibly optimistic outlook on this very important partnership.” He went on to talk about the “three goals being basic research, working with the Technion to train the best engineers possible and joining forces between Technion, PTC, and their subset of customers” (some 30,000 industrial customers around the world). He talked about the incredibly sophisticated engineering techniques that PTC is developing and the digital transformation that is taking place.

“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Ziv Belfer, Divisional Vice President of Global Research and Development and General Manager, PTC. “Technion will become the first place in the world to teach this technology [generative engineering] in a university. Industrial research can make sure that education is at the forefront of what’s happening in the world.” He went on to say that the new R&D center at the Technion will be a front arm for PTC and that together they will influence research and collaborate on education. He also said that the digital engineering center will evolve to be strategically important.

Executive Vice President & Director General Professor Boaz Golany talked about how PTC is aligned with the three frontiers of Technion’s strategic plan: human health, sustainability, and digital industries, each of which was open to input and fertilization from all faculties. He likened PTC’s involvement in the partnership to being the “future captain of an industrial club,” which would then serve as a model for others.

The PTC delegation continued their visit to their R&D center on campus, which is due to open in November and which will be home to around 100 people.

For more than a century, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has pioneered in science and technology education and delivered world-changing impact. Proudly a global university, the Technion has long leveraged boundary-crossing collaborations to advance breakthrough research and technologies. Now with a presence in three countries, the Technion will prepare the next generation of global innovators. Technion people, ideas and inventions make immeasurable contributions to the world, innovating in fields from cancer research and sustainable energy to quantum computing and computer science to do good around the world.

The American Technion Society supports visionary education and world-changing impact through the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Based in New York City, we represent thousands of US donors, alumni and stakeholders who invest in the Technion’s growth and innovation to advance critical research and technologies that serve the State of Israel and the global good. Since 1940, our nationwide supporter network has funded new Technion scholarships, research, labs, and facilities that have helped deliver world-changing contributions and extend Technion education to campuses in three countries.