The vision of Birzeit University aims to contribute to knowledge production on both the national and global levels. Thus, the university has begun enhancing the concept of innovation and creativity in its educational system, integrating technology to make it a lifestyle and an integral part of the university's culture among its academic staff and students. The university contributed 20 dunums of its land to establish the first Palestinian Techno Park (Technopark) in 2016, as a real contribution to the pioneering scene in Palestine.
This is how the President of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Techno Park, President of Birzeit University, Dr. Abdul Latif Abu Hijleh, began his speech in an interview from in front of the new building, where he talked about the progress of the project and the completion of its first building.
Dr. Abu Hijleh adds: "The first building in the Palestinian Techno Park occupies an area of 9500 square meters on Birzeit University's land, and it consists of the 'Palestinian-Indian Technopark' building, which is seven floors, serving the main purpose of establishing the Palestinian Technology Park, which is to create a national infrastructure for research and development, and an environment conducive to cooperation and partnership between academic institutions, research centers, companies, and institutions working in the fields of technology, environment, and innovation."
Beginning on Birzeit University's land
Dr. Abu Hijleh pointed out that the beginning of the Palestine Techno Park was in 2016, after allocating 20 dunums by the Board of Trustees of Birzeit University within the university's campus, with a generous donation from the Indian government to establish the first building, and with support from the Palestinian government to host this national project.
Choosing Birzeit University's land for the establishment of the park was not random, as Dr. Abu Hijleh said, adding: "We ensured that the site was a distinguished central location due to its proximity to an active academic community and student body, as well as easy communication with all higher education institutions in the West Bank, facilitating job opportunities for students and benefiting from academic research for all Palestinian universities as a working approach for the park."
The final finishing touches on the first building of the 'Palestinian-Indian Technological Park' began after receiving the final installment from the Indian government, marking the beginning of establishing the best place for technology-based startups to grow, research and develop in various areas, including virtual and augmented reality, satellite and media broadcasting, renewable energy, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud solutions, and 3D printing.
Details of preparing the first building
Dr. Abu Hijleh explains, "So far, we have managed to prepare four floors of the building. It has been vertically divided to meet the general objectives of establishing the park. Therefore, each floor in the building serves a different need. For example, the basement floor includes an entertainment center with a swimming pool and a sports club. The ground floor houses a conference hall, a cafeteria, a training hall, meeting rooms, along with a shared workspace for students and entrepreneurs. The first floor consists of private workspaces for startups. The second floor is designed to accommodate Palestinian companies working on developing ideas for new projects, services, or products. The third and fourth floors are allocated for innovation and creativity labs, research and development centers, or hosting international companies specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation."
A cooperative system to overcome challenges
Dr. Abu Hijleh explained that while the world is in the midst of a technological revolution, with countries rushing to keep up due to its importance in achieving sustainable development, the emergence and development of technological projects in Palestine pose a significant challenge, especially in terms of providing the necessary resources to keep pace with technological developments and mechanisms.
Dr. Abu Hijleh believes that Israeli policies and control over borders hinder the growth of various Palestinian sectors, especially the technology sector, adding: "We expect to face challenges in importing and purchasing advanced equipment or devices from abroad due to our lack of control over the borders. At the same time, we are very optimistic and hopeful about the achievements of the Technology Park. We do not work alone. We work within an integrated system of partners. Since the establishment of the Technology Park, we have begun implementing programs, activities, training programs for students, and adopting and embracing project ideas, even before completing the preparation of works in the building, such as events, application of programs, activities, and meetings with students, academics, entrepreneurs, startups, and potential partners."
The engineering plan for the park site includes nine buildings, with the Palestinian-Indian Technological Park's building being the first. Efforts are currently underway to secure new investments to construct other buildings as technology clusters aimed at providing job opportunities in the technology sector to diversify the Palestinian economy, and strive for economic growth based on knowledge, science, and technology, providing an attractive work environment and infrastructure for both foreign and domestic investments, especially by Palestinian investors and expatriates in this sector."
