BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2026

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BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV

YAZAMUT 360 0 In 2025, Yazamut 360°, Ben-Gurion University’s Entrepreneurship Center, continued to strengthen its position as a central driver of innovation, venture creation, and ecosystem collaboration. Since its establishment in 2019, the Center has engaged more than 10,000 participants, including students, researchers, staff, and Negev residents, supported dozens of startup initiatives, and contributed to over $45 million in investment raised by its ventures. Throughout 2025, Yazamut 360° significantly expanded its scope and activities. The Center, which now also houses BGU Radio, held 73 events with more than 4,600 participants, launched eight new programs, supported 21 student-led communities, and processed over 2,500 applications. This growth was reflected in an 8% increase in participation from all faculties and a 12% increase in registrations year over year. The Center’s contribution to Israel’s innovation ecosystem was recognized with the Israeli Institute for Innovation Assessment Prize. International collaboration remained a key focus. Yazamut 360° co-led Entrepreneurship through an Abrahamic Lens , a six-week online course developed with U. Conn, bringing together 45 students from universities across the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States. In September, the Center hosted the unique experience Startup Nation Mindset Challenge for 15 Canadian entrepreneurs who attended a 10-day intensive leadership course. Student engagement was particularly strong. Student communities organized 55 independent events, and the Ira M. Ingerman Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Ori Salomon, a physics student and head

of the Hackeriot BGU community, in recognition of her leadership in advancing women in cybersecurity. The Google Students Think Innovation Challenge attracted a record 633 applicants, with 12 teams selected to collaborate with 10 government bodies. The winning project, STRUCT, proposed a solution to housing construction delays by significantly reducing plan review times. The Center also advanced applied innovation addressing regional challenges. Six startups with validated solutions for urban heat mitigation were selected for the Oazis DesertTech City Lab and are preparing city-scale pilots in Beer-Sheva. Yazamut 360° continued to lead the Researcher’s Lab Experience , a six-year NIS 15.6 million program funded by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology. To date, 27 academic projects have been supported: two became startups, three entered the Oazis accelerator, nine completed proof-of-concept testing, and 15 secured additional national and international research funding. The program’s second phase launches in 2026. Inspired by extended reserve duty in 2025, during which Cactus Capital’s student team collectively served 900 days, Yazamut 360° launched Cactus4Miluim , an eight-week program designed to help reservists bridge professional and entrepreneurial gaps created by prolonged service. Finally, practical business-building support expanded through initiatives such as Bizz.AI , in which 28 students completed supervised internships providing AI consulting to small businesses in the Negev.

Participants in the 2025 Google Students Think Innovation Challenge. Photo: Boris Kulikov