Tel Aviv University selected Hagai Itkin, who retired from Israel's foreign intelligence agency in 2020 after nearly twenty years of service, as its vice-president for industry relations and entrepreneurship. The appointment coincides with preparations for the university's second annual DefenseTech Week, which is co-organised alongside the Israeli Defence Ministry's Directorate of Defence Research and Development. The upcoming event gathers military figures, researchers, and global arms manufacturers, backed by 22 corporate sponsors including Lockheed Martin, Shield AI, Rafael, and Elbit. While the institution promotes the initiatives as addressing global security challenges, critics argue…
Key points
Academic institutions in Israel are actively leveraging former defence establishment pers…: Academic institutions in Israel are actively leveraging former defence establishment personnel to direct high-tech partnerships and commercial entrepreneurship.
Joint events between universities and defence ministries facilitate direct networking bet…: Joint events between universities and defence ministries facilitate direct networking between academic researchers and major multinational weapons contractors.
Watchdog groups like New Profile argue that higher education facilities maintain deep ins…: Watchdog groups like New Profile argue that higher education facilities maintain deep institutional cooperation with forces engaged in the Palestinian territories.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
A former senior Mossad officer’s appointment as Tel Aviv University’s vice-president for industry relations and entrepreneurship has been seen as another sign of the university’s close ties to Israel’s defence establishment, Local Call reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the university (TAU) announced last month that Hagai Itkin, a former officer in Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, had been appointed to the role based on his previous experience, including “senior positions in the defence establishment”.
The university added that Itkin had held positions on campus for several years before his appointment, building “connections and links with the high-tech industry”.
Itkin retired from the Mossad in 2020 after nearly 20 years of service.
In 2022, he told Israel’s Channel 12 News that he had worked in the agency’s technology department in the years leading up to his retirement.
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