BGU | VISION TAKES SHAPE

CAPACITY In 2003, professor of physics Ron Folman turned the shell of an old primary school into the Negev’s first nano-fabrication facility. In so doing, he set BGU on a path to joining the ranks of the world’s top research universities. A network of cleanrooms with specialized machines for production at the nanoscale, fabrication facilities enable breakthrough research in every area of the exact, engineering, and medical sciences today. Lab-on-chips that run massive numbers of samples for diagnostics and drug therapies. Atom chips that further the foundation for quantum computing technologies. And novel materials for use in sustainable construction, medical devices, and electrical engineering: All these innovations are possible only by means of the most advanced equipment and laboratories. Over the last two decades, our Center for Nano-Fabrication has enabled groundbreaking discoveries and innovations. Yet its aging infrastructure can no longer keep pace with new developments in chip fabrication technology. By building a new facility on the North Campus, BGU will build a bridge to science’s next century. Yet in the case of BGU, the benefits of advanced infrastructure will extend far beyond research. They will also be felt by the city of Beer-Sheva, where smaller tech companies will move to avail themselves of BGU’s research facilities. This makes a capital investment in the North Campus’ research buildings an investment in Beer-Sheva’s ecosystem, too, and a key to closing the distance between Israel’s Center and southern periphery.

Prof. Ron Folman and a vacuum chamber for creating conditions similar to those in deep space. Inside, single atoms are forced into highly exotic quantum states; by observing their behavior, researchers help build the

scientific foundation for quantum technologies.

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