Lockheed Martin's F35 Lighting II
Lockheed Martin's F35 Lighting IIReuters

U.S. aerospace company Lockheed Martin and Israel's EMC Corporation will invest together in advanced technology projects based in the Advanced Technologies Park in Be’er Sheva, the companies announced Sunday. Under the arrangement, the companies “will identify a series of development opportunities that can be contracted to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and other subject matter experts,” they said.

The main activity of the companies is expected to surround cyber-security. The companies will jointly develop and enhance partnerships with the Israeli industry, government and academic institutions in Be'er Sheva to explore and promote collaborative research and development projects in cloud computing, data analytics and related cyber technologies. The combined initial investment will establish a vehicle through which EMC and Lockheed Martin can engage local expertise to develop new solutions for the companies to bring to market.

According to Dr. Orna Berry, vice president and general manager of EMC’s Israel Center of Excellence, Israel’s entrepreneurial and academic communities offer a unique combination of talent, innovation and pioneering spirit.

"We expect this collaboration with Lockheed Martin will help EMC continue to rapidly accelerate our important research and development and contribution to the success of Israel’s mission to be a leader in innovation on the global stage,” she said.

“Our goal is to foster applied research and continued growth in Israel’s technology sector,” said Dr. John D. Evans, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of international engineering and technology. “We recognize evolving global needs, as well as the wealth of innovation taking place within Israel and its universities.”