BGU's impactful research

Dear Friends,

This week, I was reminded of how much of the most meaningful work at Ben-Gurion University happens quietly, far from headlines and ceremonies, and yet carries enormous impact.

I was walking out of the BGN offices in our Advanced Technologies Park when I ran into Prof. Mor Peretz from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computing. Seven years ago, Mor founded a startup called CaPow, based on technology developed in his laboratory. He invited me to step inside their facilities, where I met several former BGU students now working there as engineers.

What I saw was striking. Autonomous robots moving about without ever stopping to recharge. CaPow has developed a system that enables continuous wireless power transfer, allowing robots to operate indefinitely while using smaller, lighter, and more efficient batteries. This technology is already being implemented by major logistics companies around the world. It is a powerful example of how fundamental research, pursued patiently over years, becomes practical innovation that reshapes entire industries.

Then, I encountered a very different, but equally important, example of “everyday” research.

Researchers from our Azrieli National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research and the Faculty of Health Sciences, led by Prof. Idan Menashe, recently published one of the largest studies ever conducted on maternal influenza vaccination and autism risk. Using data from more than 150,000 births, unequivocally, that vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of autism in children.

At a time when misinformation spreads easily and vaccine hesitancy remains a serious public health challenge, this kind of careful, large-scale research provides something invaluable: evidence-based reassurance for parents, physicians, and policymakers. It protects not only individual families, but public trust itself.

These two stories could not be more different in subject matter, yet they share something essential:

• Both began as questions asked in BGU laboratories.
• Both were pursued with rigor and patience.
• Both were carried forward by talented students and faculty.
• And both now touch lives far beyond our campus.

This is what a research university does at its best.

Not every breakthrough arrives with fanfare. Much of our impact is built through thousands of conversations, experiments, datasets, prototypes, and drafts. When we speak about BGU’s role in shaping the Negev and contributing to Israel’s future, this is what we mean. Innovation that strengthens the economy. Science that strengthens society. Knowledge that earns trust.

I am deeply proud of our researchers, our students, and the ecosystem that allows this work to flourish. Mor was a little surprised that I spent so much time in his company's workshops and laboratories. I explained to him, that of all the tasks I do, I am grateful to witness how “ordinary” academic life here produces extraordinary results. Nothing beats seeing that in action.

Shabbat Shalom,
Danny