When the power grid fails, almost everything else begins to follow: water, gas, communications and the ordinary machinery of civic life. Maayan Hoffman reports on a new Indiana-Israel partnership built around preventing that cascade—and turning mutual goodwill into technology that can survive the worst day imaginable.
TechIndiana and the Electric Infrastructure Security Council signed their agreement in Jerusalem in June, although it was only recently made public. The plan is to connect companies, entrepreneurs, universities, researchers, investors and government agencies in Indiana and Israel, then convert those relationships into practical security and resilience projects.
The collaboration reaches well beyond electricity. Its agenda includes energy security, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, workforce development, entrepreneurship and research commercialization. The aim is both defensive and economic: protect essential systems from disasters and attacks while creating new paths for investment, business growth and technology deployment.
Dr. Ronen Hoffman, the council’s president and CEO, explains why electricity comes first. Infrastructure systems depend on one another, so a collapsed grid can rapidly disable water, gas and other services. The threats range from floods, forest fires and tornadoes to large cyberattacks and electromagnetic pulses.
Dennis Trinkle, president and CEO of TechIndiana, sees Israel’s innovation ecosystem as a bridge to commercial partnerships, talent development and long-term growth. EIS Council Chairman and CEO Avi Schnurr adds that modern infrastructure has become so interconnected that the technologies producing prosperity must also help preserve societal continuity during a crisis.
Heartland to Holyland, led by Laura Hatton, will coordinate the partnership. Indiana Secretary of Business Affairs Mike Speedy casts the agreement as an investment in competitiveness, community security and durable international cooperation.
The political symbolism is hard to miss. At a time when American support for Israel faces new strains, Indiana is expressing friendship through contracts, research ties and working relationships rather than another ceremonial declaration. Hoffman says that willingness to act is what distinguishes the state.
Read Hoffman’s full article for a closer look at the people building the partnership, the dangers they are preparing to confront and the economic opportunities they hope resilience will create.