The Representative Office of Switzerland in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) organized a workshop on October 20, 2020 and invited the main innovation ecosystem enablers in the OPT. The main objective of the workshop was to identify some of the future needs and required interventions to support and strengthen the Palestinian innovation ecosystem. Forty-five participants attended the workshop, hailing from the ecosystem support organizations (funds, accelerators and incubators); and Palestinian university professors with their respective centers of excellence. Participation in the workshop also included representatives from Palestinian public sector institutions such as the Higher Council for Innovation and Excellence (HCIE).
This report was produced to present the workshop outcomes and identify the needs to be addressed by all local and international parties interested in supporting and developing the Palestinian innovation ecosystem. The Representative Office of Switzerland in the OPT hopes that the outcomes and recommendations of this report could pave the way for concrete interventions on the ground to further support Palestinian entrepreneurs. The information presented could also help strengthen the ongoing efforts by the universities and entrepreneurship support organizations to enable Palestinian students to think creatively, take risks, and solve problems that would ultimately support sustainable growth for the Palestinian economy.