The DeserTech community brings together startups, researchers, industry, international organizations, and policymakers, and is designed to capture the synergies among these actors to spur the development, adaptation and commercialization of technologies that enable sustainable living in arid climates, while simultaneously, turning Be'er Sheva and the Negev region into a global entrepreneurial hub for these technologies.The DeserTech Community operates at an international level and is located in Be'er Sheva, Israel, part of the worlds desert belt, and a living laboratory of science and technology.
DeserTech builds on existing technological and policy research, such as Ben Gurion University and its Institutes for Desert Research, regional R&D centers, and leading startups and corporates in the areas of sustainable agriculture, energy, water, and infrastructure.The DeserTech community is a joint initiative of the Merage Foundation Israel, the Israel Innovation Institute, The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ben Gurion University.