TechIndiana and the EIS Council will connect businesses, researchers, and public-sector leaders to pursue cybersecurity, energy-security, and innovation projects
Indiana is deepening its ties with Israel through a new partnership intended to connect companies, researchers, investors, and government agencies working on infrastructure resilience and security.
TechIndiana and the Electric Infrastructure Security (EIS) Council signed the agreement, which was only recently made public, in Jerusalem in June. It aims to bring Israeli and Indiana experts and businesses together to develop and deploy technologies that can strengthen critical infrastructure and help communities withstand major disruptions. The partnership will span fields ranging from energy security, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, to entrepreneurship, workforce development, and research commercialization.
EIS Council is a nonprofit organization that helps countries, communities, and critical infrastructure providers prepare for potentially catastrophic threats. It works with government and private-sector partners to develop strategies to keep essential systems functioning during major crises. TechIndiana represents Indiana’s technology ecosystem and works to advance technology-driven economic growth in the state.
Under the agreement, the two organizations plan to connect companies, entrepreneurs, universities and research institutions, government agencies, investors, and innovation leaders in Indiana and Israel. The goal is to turn those relationships into practical projects and technologies that can improve infrastructure security and help societies continue functioning during crises.
Ronen Hoffman. (Liat Mandel)
Dr. Ronen Hoffman, president and CEO of EIS Council, told The Media Line that the organization was established 16 years ago by aerospace industry professionals with a vision of protecting societies against catastrophic events. The approach, he explained, focuses on ensuring the continuity and resilience of critical infrastructure, beginning with electricity.
“There is interdependency between infrastructure,” Hoffman explained. “If the electricity is damaged or collapses, then water, gas, all the other infrastructure will also go out.”
If the electricity is damaged or collapses, then water, gas, all the other infrastructure will also go out
He said the idea is to help states and communities in the United States and Israel become better protected against disruptions to civilian infrastructure.
“We lead the development of concrete, practical and stable solutions to protect nations against catastrophic scenarios,” Hoffman said. “This could be natural disasters like floods, forest fires or tornadoes, but it can also be mega cyberattacks or an electromagnetic pulse.”
A major cyberattack could cause the power grid to collapse, setting off disruptions across other essential systems that depend on electricity.
Dennis Trinkle, president and CEO of TechIndiana, said the partnership could create new connections between Indiana’s technology sector and Israel’s innovation ecosystem.
“By connecting Indiana’s technology companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and research institutions with Israel’s world-renowned innovation ecosystem, we are creating new pathways for technology commercialization, business partnerships, talent development, and long-term growth and security,” Trinkle said in a statement provided to The Media Line.
EIS Council chairman and CEO Avi Schnurr said the partnership comes at a time when increasingly complex and interconnected infrastructure has created new challenges for governments and communities.
“Indiana and Israel share life-centric societal values, technology-friendly cultures and commitment to vigorous economic development and opportunity,” Schnurr said. “At the same time, the complexity and interdependency of today’s critical infrastructures represent a security and societal continuity challenge which tech-driven businesses are uniquely suited to address.” He added that the partnership creates an opportunity to catalyze vigorous commercial growth while enabling exceptional infrastructure security.
Heartland to Holyland, an organization led by Laura Hatton that works to build ties between Indiana and Israel, will coordinate the partnership.
Indiana’s friendship is true, and being translated into this partnership will lead to a … thriving society
Mike Speedy, Indiana’s secretary of business affairs, also emphasized the economic and security dimensions of the relationship. “Indiana and Israel share a longstanding commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, economic growth and the security and continuity of their communities,” he said. “This partnership reflects our mutual belief that international collaboration drives opportunity, strengthens competitiveness, and creates lasting value and secure continuity for our businesses, institutions, and citizens.”
Hoffman told The Media Line that Indiana is not necessarily more supportive of Israel than other US states. What distinguishes it, he said, is its willingness to translate that support into a practical partnership. The partnership comes at a critical time for US support for Israel, amid growing concerns about antisemitism in the United States. “Indiana’s friendship is true, and being translated into this partnership will lead to a more thriving society,” Hoffman said.