Tomorrow the world will again turn to Stockholm for the Nobel Prize ceremony, a moment that reminds us what nations can achieve when talent is nurtured, curiosity encouraged, and excellence celebrated. For Israel, a country of just 9.4 million people, the Nobel season is a reminder of a simple but profound truth: scientific achievement is not a luxury. It is one of the foundations of Israel’s resilience, prosperity, and global relevance.
Despite making up only 0.5 per cent of the world’s population, Jews have earned 24 per cent of all Nobel Prizes. Israel’s share of that legacy includes five academic laureates, four of whom are connected to a single institution, the Technion. Those laureates, and the university’s wider culture of research, have unquestionably helped shape Israeli science. But the Technion is only one part of a much bigger national story: Israel’s determination to compete, contribute, and lead in global innovation, even in the face of efforts to isolate it.
Israel today invests more of its GDP in research and development than any nation on earth, 5.56 per cent, compared to 3.43 per cent in the US and 2.91 per cent in the UK. That investment is not abstract. It manifests itself in thousands of start-ups, dozens of research institutes, military–academic partnerships, and laboratories developing technologies that touch every corner of modern life.
The country’s achievements are well documented: breakthrough cancer treatments, water technologies that have transformed agriculture worldwide, cybersecurity tools protecting global infrastructure, and energy innovations that shape sustainability research. Yet these successes are often discussed in purely economic terms, as contributions to GDP or job creation. In reality, Israeli innovation plays a far deeper and more strategic role.
First, it strengthens national security, not only through the development of defence technologies, but by creating an economic environment robust enough to withstand geopolitical shocks. Israel’s famed military innovations from Iron Dome to intelligence systems that protect allies far beyond the Middle East, are only possible because of the scientific and engineering ecosystem that supports them. But equally important is the civilian innovation sector, which ensures the country remains economically resilient and globally indispensable.
Second, innovation fosters international partnerships that serve as an informal but powerful buffer against boycotts and delegitimisation campaigns. When global technology leaders choose to invest in Israel, they are not making a charitable gesture, they are calculating where the future will be built. Their decisions create ties that are economic, cultural, and ultimately political.
It is not incidental that Nvidia, Google, Amazon, Intel, Apple, Microsoft, and dozens of others have made Israel a key pillar of their global strategies. Nvidia’s acquisition of Mellanox, Intel’s multibillion-dollar expansion, and Google’s AI research presence are not merely votes of confidence, they are strategic stakes in Israel’s stability and success. When the world’s most influential companies embed themselves so deeply in a country’s scientific and technological infrastructure, they inevitably become advocates for its continuity and security.
This interdependence matters. In periods of diplomatic pressure, accusations, and calls for boycotts, the presence of these global players helps anchor Israel within the international system. They benefit from Israel’s creativity, and Israel benefits from their commitment.
But Israel cannot rely on past success. Innovation is a competitive, rapidly shifting field. Other nations are catching up: in quantum computing, renewable energy storage, and advanced materials, Israel faces emerging rivals that invest heavily and plan long-term. While Israel excels in cybersecurity, AI, medical technologies, and defence, it must do more to strengthen basic science, where breakthroughs are born. It must also expand the pipeline of researchers, ensuring that young Israelis of all backgrounds, from the periphery to underrepresented communities, have access to world-class education and research opportunities.
At a time when Israel faces unprecedented scrutiny, its scientific achievements stand as a reminder of what the country contributes to humanity and what would be lost if attempts to isolate it were ever to succeed. The world benefits when Israeli researchers – Jewish, Arab, secular, religious, immigrant – work with colleagues across the world. It benefits from Israel’s breakthroughs in medicine, food security, climate technology and digital infrastructure. And Israel benefits from engaging openly and confidently with that world.
Nobel Prizes are a symbol, not an endpoint. They are markers of a nation’s intellectual ambition and its commitment to progress. In that sense, Nobel season is not simply a moment of pride. It is a reminder of what is at stake and what Israel and the global Jewish community must continue to strive for. This is one of the best answers we have to the boycotters in the world.
Alan Aziz is the CEO of Technion UK
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