Global Alliance for South Carolina formally launches Binational Collaborations

The Global Alliance for South Carolina (GASC), a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, announced official commencement of its operations during a “Media Round Table” event hosted by the College of Charleston this morning.  Chartered in September 2016, GASC seeks to stimulate business, economic growth, and research partnerships involving companies and academic institutions in South Carolina, Israel, and Estonia as an independent way to generate economic development, jobs, and university joint programs.

South Carolina-based technology and entrepreneurial leaders participated in the round table event, which included remarks from GASC co-founders Jonathan Zucker and Harry Huge; Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States; and Marina Kaljurand, former Estonian Foreign Minister and current Chair of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace.  College of Charleston Provost Brian McGee moderated the Round Table.

The Alliance will continue and expand the foundational activities described in Bilateral Cooperation in Industrial Research and Development agreements between South Carolina and Israel (2013) and Estonia (2016).

• Under the South Carolina–Israel agreement, research and business relationships have been forged, sustained, and expanded through annual week-long visits to Israel by South Carolina delegations, three cycles of binational industry R&D projects, and other ad hoc events in both South Carolina and Israel.
• Under the South Carolina–Estonia agreement, research and academic exchanges will build upon longstanding relationships between the Harry and Reba Huge Foundation, the College of Charleston, The Citadel, and counterpart organizations in Estonia.

In March 2017, the South Carolina Department of Commerce formally delegated management of the Bilateral Cooperation in Industrial Research and Development agreements to GASC.  Under this authority, GASC will:

• Address all the requirements assigned to the State of South Carolina delineated in the two bilateral agreements;
• Provide a mechanism for sustaining execution accountability on behalf of the South Carolina Department of Commerce;
• Assemble a statewide advisory committee early in 2018 that is representative of the research, industry, and academic resources from across the state; and
• Accommodate future enterprise growth, such as expanded exchange opportunities, more bilateral industry R&D projects, and new tri-lateral R&D projects, through the GASC organizational structure.

In fulfilling its mission, GASC will collaborate with the following:

• In South Carolina:  Advanced Technology International (ATI), SCRA’s “SC Launch” Program, the College of Charleston, the Medical University of South Carolina, The Citadel, the University of South Carolina, and Clemson University
• In Israel:  the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) and various academic research institutions and start-up business incubators
• In Estonia:  the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the University of Tartu, and Tallinn University of Technology

The College of Charleston has established the Center for the Global Alliance for South Carolina to support this new initiative.