Rhode Island signs agreement with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo says she has signed a cooperation agreement with an Israeli research university.

The Providence Journal reports that the US Democrat signed the agreement with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev during a six-day trip to Israel last week.

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, October 24, 2019, on the campus of Rhode Island College, in Providence, Rhode Island.(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

According to the governor’s office, the agreement encourages the US state and the university to create business startups and internships, as well as partnerships with Rhode Island colleges and universities.

Ben-Gurion University’s Advance Technologies Park will partner with a state-grant-funded business accelerator called RI Hub, which is run by IBM, Brown University and Mass Challenge.

During the trip to Israel, Raimondo and state Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor also met with multiple companies including Dell EMC and IBM about opening offices or otherwise investing in Rhode Island.

— AP