December Edition 2019

13 Digital health is growing in importance “There is a lot of interest in digital health, cybersecurity, manufacturing, fin-tech, retail and e-commerce,” says Becher. Digital health is growing in importance in the healthcare sector and is vital to the future of the life sciences industry.With electronic medical records and an innovative approach in areas such as machine learningandmedical imaging, Israel is apioneer in themed-tech space–boasting more than 1,000 start-ups. Through the UK-Israel Dangoor Initiative, the NHS will gain access to Israel’s latest developments, in turn ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of the healthcare revolution as well as giving Israeli start-ups exposure to such a large market. “Israeli technology has developed the ability to collect the data analyze it and create automation. This is especially relevant in healthcare as the UK’s National Health Service (“NHS”), the world’s largest healthcare provider, is pushing hard for digitization,” Becher adds. Clifford Chance partner in Londo n, Stephen Reese agrees. “Given that the NHS has declared its intention to procure the most innovative and effective medical solutions from around the world, Israeli Health Tech start-ups are keen to market their products in the UK.” Healthcare innovation has become increasingly important to the UK, Neil Wigan, the British Ambassador to Israel recently told at a recent UK-Israel Tech Hub event in November. As a result, it launched its flagship technology progr am – TeXchange2020,whichthisyearwill focusonhealthcare innovation."Theprogram creates an ongoing two-way flow of digital tech pioneers, companies, ideas and technology between the UK and Israel," the TeXchange team explained, "and it creates platforms for collaboration between entrepreneurs and companies, connecting Israeli startups to the UK's leading companies,markets, investors and service providers while giving British corporations a competitive advantage by integrating Israeli technological innovation into their business." “Cybersecurity is another field where the needs of UK corporates and security services closely align with the offerings emerging from Israel,” add s Sam Clinton-Davis , associate and member of the Israel Desk at Clifford Chance. “An increasing number of Israeli cybersecurity companies are helping UK banks and other financial institutions defend themselves against cyberattacks, whilst the cybersecurity cooperation between the UK and Israeli governments has been described as a 'first order partnership by one senior UK official.”