News Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2007

Columbus, OH -- Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher today offered opening keynote remarks to a delegation of Israeli business leaders at the Ohio-Israel Medical IT Mission visiting Northeast Ohio. Lt. Governor Fisher touted Ohio's vast bioscience industry and the benefits of doing business in Ohio to representatives of more than a dozen Israeli life science companies interested in establishing a North American presence.

"Ohio is home to some of the world's finest research facilities, hospitals and health care organizations, making it an ideal location for investment by medical and IT companies interested in establishing a North American presence," said Lt. Governor Fisher, who also serves as state development director. "Ohio's strong bioscience infrastructure, its strategic location and an outstanding, highly trained workforce offer tremendous potential for firms from Israel, or anywhere in the world, to grow their bioscience operations in the U.S. I'm confident that this delegation will recognize the great potential Ohio has to offer their businesses and the outstanding quality of life that is enjoyed in our great state."

The delegation will be in Northeast Ohio for much of the week participating in events that include a luncheon at the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in Akron; an Israeli IT solutions program for Regional Health Information Organizations; and a presentation of Level 1 Treatment of Mass Casualty and Trauma presented by Haifa's world-famous Rambam Medical Center. Delegates will also visit area hospitals, medical and research institutions, healthcare providers, venture capital organizations, insurance companies and others involved in medical IT products and solutions.

Participating Israeli companies include later stage or fully-developed firms seeking to access the U.S. market through research and development collaborations, customer and distributor arrangements, co-location, beta site locations, clinical trial sites and investment partners. Innovative medical information technologies represented by the Israeli companies include data management, security systems, telemedicine, teleradiology and simulation technology.

The official, high-level mission was organized by the Government of Israel, through the Israel Export & International Co-operation Institute and the Israel Life Sciences Association and SGI Global Business Advisors, LLC, an international economic consultancy based in Ohio. The event is sponsored and supported by the Ohio Lifesciences and Business and Economic Development communities.