BGU | Fundraising Handbook

3.3 INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Expanding BGU’s impact and providing a 21 st century education

The Need Today, equipping students for the real world means much more than providing theoretical knowledge. Professional success and advancement require a broad skillset, as well as practical experience. Yazamut 360°, BGU’s flourishing entrepreneurship center, aims to develop this skillset and experience by creating new opportunities for students, as well as academic faculty and staff, thus cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship at BGU. However, Yazamut 360°’s reach has always extended beyond the BGU community, with an aim to foster innovation and entrepreneurship more widely and provide residents of Beer-Sheva and greater Negev region with opportunities to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and the skills needed to innovate. Entrepreneurship and innovation are key parts of BGU’s strategic plan where they are viewed as integral to

the University’s advancement and ability to achieve its goals. For example, the strategic plan determined that closer ties with Industry are critical to the University’s capacity for impact and recommended expanding the scope and activities of Yazamut 360°, which successfully connects students and researchers to both Israeli and multinational tech companies. In addition, entrepreneurship and innovation affect BGU’s international rankings and stature. The fact that BGU is now included in PitchBook’s top 50 undergraduate programs worldwide in the production of VC-backed entrepreneurs is a source of great pride, as is the fact that Yazamut 360° was awarded the 2021 Award for Outstanding Student Engagement and Leadership by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC), the premier organization for more than 300 academic entrepreneurship programs. These achievements raise

ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

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INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP