2017 Highlights
MIDC’s 25th Anniversary
The MIDC celebrated its 25th anniversary in May 2017 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Alvin Katz, chaired the event with Governor Larry Hogan as the keynote speaker. Barry Bogage, Executive Director, was honored for his 25 years of service with the Hanan Y. Sibel Maryland/Israel Business Leadership Award. See photos and 25th anniversary booklet.
Maryland/Israel Company Highlights
- Ametrine, developers of next generation camouflage technology; met during Governor Hogan’s trade mission; was recently was awarded a Montgomery County MOVE grant for its new facility in Rockville.
- Elta North America, moved into their new facility in Annapolis Junction, tripling in size.
- Cyberbit, the cyber security subsidiary of Israel defense company Elbit, opened a cyber security training facility in Baltimore, called Baltimore Cyber Range, with a local firm, Electronic Technology Associates.
- Insfocus, developer of business intelligence software for the insurance industry was introduced to co-working spaces in Rockville and Gaithersburg and opened a “virtual office” at Launch Workplaces in Gaithersburg.
- The MIDC assisted Lonza, a Swiss biotech company with a large presence in Frederick County, with opening an R&D center in Israel.
- Mantaro Networks, Germantown-based robotics company, working with Beeper Communications of Israel on robotics technologies received a $900,000 BIRD Foundation grant for a joint research project on robotics. Beeper is planning to open a Germantown office near Mantaro. This marks the third successive round of BIRD grant awards where Maryland has had a project approved. (KeyGene received a grant in the last round and Brimrose before that).
- Sesame Enable, an Israel-based technology firm, has opened its United States headquarters in Bethesda near the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The company has developed a proprietary technology, known as Open Sesame, that enables people to operate a smartphone through head movements and voice control if they cannot use their hands to control the device’s touch screen. Maryland is one of the first states to adopt this technology, which is now available to citizens through the state’s Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) program administered by the Department of Information Technology (DoIT).
2017 Membership & Strategic Partners
Four Maryland county economic development agencies became members of the MIDC for the first time, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard and Montgomery Counties. MIDC had a record number of Strategic Partners with benefits that include year-round recognition on our website as well as listing these companies on handouts to potential Israeli companies.
State-wide Events
- MIDC’s 25th Anniversary celebration headlined the year.
- Young Professionals gathering in Montgomery County with Israeli companies
- MIDC Day at the Embassy of Israel included the Commercial, ISA (Israel Security Agency, “Shin Bet”) and Political Affairs Attachés.
- A science-to-technology program with Israeli entrepreneurs sponsored by the MIDC and ScienceAbroad. Programs were held at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda and hosted in Baltimore by Sinai Hospital/LifeBridge Health.
- Technologies of the Future with Maryland Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn, MTA/MDOT Administrator Kevin Quinn on the Mobileye/MTA/MDOT. The State of Maryland is working with Israeli Company Mobileye using collusion software technology from Mobileye. An MTA bus was parked at the event and a team of experts explained the objectives of the pilot project. Mantaro Networks/Beeper Israel and Roboteam demoed their newest robotic technologies.
Sponsors and Founding Partners
The Maryland/Israel Development Center is a non-profit membership organization that promotes bi-lateral trade and investment. It is a “public-private partnership” of the Maryland Department of Commerce, Israel’s Ministry of Economy, and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. Additional partners include the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development. The MIDC is grateful for the continued and support.