Sections

Bruce Magid, Dean of the Brandeis International Business School (IBS), will accompany Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick as one of two representatives for higher education on an economic and trade mission to Israel and the United Kingdom this week.

“I’m happy to have Brandeis International Business School Dean Bruce Magid joining our great coalition of leaders on this trade mission,” said Governor Patrick. “Bruce is at the forefront of our innovation economy, and we know his expertise will go a long way towards forging lasting economic ties and partnerships between Massachusetts and Israel.”

The Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011 will focus on current and future partnerships and coalitions for job creation in Massachusetts in the leading fields of clean energy, technology and life sciences. The mission will be comprised of 40 representatives from state government and influential business executives.

Magid will be representing the university at the official visits and programs planned for the mission. He will also be serving on panels that will explore ways in which Massachusetts and Israel may collaborate in order to advance joint research, and business opportunities in the life sciences and information technology industries. He will then be traveling with the delegation to the United Kingdom where he will meet with leaders from government and the private sector to continue scheduled meetings.

“I’m a strong advocate for collaboration between the public and private sector, along with higher education, that is being advocated in this economic development mission,” wrote Magid in an e-mail to the Hoot. “It’s an honor to serve Governor Patrick and the other members of the delegation as we work to advance and deepen our alliances between Massachusetts and our foreign partners.”

In a BrandeisNOW press release Magid explained his aims for the trip, “ I’d hope to help advance the level of commercial and academic cooperation in innovative sectors where the state has a robust offering of intellectual and financial capital, especially in the areas of clean technology and life sciences,” said Magid.

According to a release by the governors’ office there are close to 100 companies with Israeli founders or Israeli-licensed technologies in Massachusetts.

These companies employ over 5,000 people and in 2009 generated $2.4 billion in direct revenue for the state. That same year local firms exported over $180 million worth of goods to Israel.

There are over four hundred companies with UK-ties in Massachusetts. These companies employ over forty thousand Massachusetts residents. For two years in a row, the UK has been the largest market for Massachusetts’s exports.

“This is a great opportunity for us to increase our visibility among public and private sector leaders abroad and to expand our relationships with overseas companies who might employ graduates. Also, the contingent of local business executives on the mission is impressive-so I hope to widen our corporate relationships right here in Massachusetts. Finally, this trip will enhance our ties with leading research centers and universities in Israel and the U.K,” Magid said in a BrandeisNow press release.

“Massachusetts is an unparalleled leader in the global economy and a trailblazer for the nation. To continue to compete on an international level and create new jobs here at home we must look outward to new markets, and position Massachusetts as the North American destination for business growth,” said Governor Patrick.