Israel National Biotech Innovation Center (INBI) Announces Official Launch and the Appointment of Anat Cohen-Dayag, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer of INBI Core

INBI is a transformational hub designed to unlock the value of Israel's world-class biomedical research and accelerate the development of breakthrough therapeutics

Bringing together, for the first time, Israel's leading research institutions and medical centers to bridge the translational gap and create a pathway from groundbreaking science to new medicines

Founding partners include Bar-Ilan University, Beilinson Hospital - Rabin Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Clalit Health Services, Hadassah Medical Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Rambam Health Care Campus, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center, The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), Tel Aviv University, The University of Haifa and the Weizmann Institute of Science

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Israel National Biotech Innovation Center (INBI) Ltd., designed to unlock Israel's world-class biomedical research for the development of new therapies, announced today the official launch of its activities. Anat Cohen-Dayag, PhD, Executive Chairperson of Compugen, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of INBI Core Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of INBI. Samuel Moed, Former Head of Corporate Strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb, will serve as Chairperson of INBI and INBI Core. 

Founded in partnership with an unprecedented consortium of Israel's top academic and healthcare institutions, INBI brings together, for the first time, Israel's leading sources of life science innovation. Its founding partners include the following universities, research institutions and healthcare organizations (in alphabetical order): Bar-Ilan University, Beilinson Hospital - Rabin Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Clalit Health Services, Hadassah Medical Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Rambam Health Care Campus, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center, The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), Tel Aviv University, The University of Haifa and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

INBI is a non-profit, national center of excellence with the mission of advancing Israel's disruptive academic research into breakthrough therapeutics. This bold, new model enables INBI to harness the breadth of Israel's world class research and benefit from a centralized translational engine designed to bridge the gap between academic discovery and clinical application. INBI was catalyzed under the umbrella of 8400 The Health Network, which continues to play a central role in advancing healthcare innovation as a key growth engine for the State of Israel.

Powered by a network of global industry leaders, INBI will advance an exceptional portfolio of promising Israeli biomedical research programs. It will build a world-class team with deep expertise in early-stage drug development, provide the necessary infrastructure and funding and unlock capital and commercialization opportunities for the next generation of Israeli biotechs.

"INBI represents a visionary model and marks the first-ever unity of all major sources of life sciences research in Israel, joining forces to create a national center of excellence with the mission of accelerating human cures," said Samuel Moed, Chairperson of INBI. "We are incredibly excited to have Anat, a top-tier biotech leader, head INBI Core. Anat brings three decades of experience in navigating the complex path from early-stage innovation to clinical-stage therapeutic development and vast experience in establishing partnerships with capital markets and strategics, making her the ideal leader to deliver on our mission. I also want to thank 8400 The Health Network, our amazing circle of Helix members and global advisors and Gornitzky GNY for their invaluable contribution to INBI." 

"Israel possesses world-class academic research, yet only a fraction of this potential successfully translates into scaled economic value and patient impact," said Dr. Cohen-Dayag. "Our model was created to fundamentally change this dynamic. By building a centralized translational engine we will supply the tools, infrastructure, knowledge, expertise, and capital needed to transform disruptive discoveries into potential global lifesaving therapies. I am looking forward to working with our distinguished founding partners and global key opinion leaders to drive this model."

Inspired by biotech hubs around the world that have established above-institution centers of excellence, INBI adapts proven cross-institutional frameworks to the unique strengths of Israel's innovation ecosystem. Through INBI Core, the Center will operate a structured multi-year cohort lifecycle to de-risk projects, optimize leads, and prepare early-stage pipeline assets for robust commercial spinouts and investment.

Dr. Anat Cohen-Dayag brings pioneering leadership, deep scientific expertise combined with extensive experience in the global biotechnology industry. Anat currently serves as Executive Chair of the Board of Compugen, following a distinguished career with the company spanning more than two decades, including 15 transformative years as President and Chief Executive Officer. Under her executive direction, Compugen evolved from a computational biology service provider into a clinical-stage therapeutic developer specializing in cancer immunotherapy, successfully forging major international pharma partnerships. She holds an MS in Chemical Immunology and a PhD in Cellular Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science, combining rigorous scientific credentials with a proven track record of driving corporate strategy, global operations, strategic partnering, financing and the translation of innovative discovery into clinical-stage assets. 

Samuel Moed is an accomplished healthcare executive with over three decades of leadership experience in global biopharmaceuticals and health technology. He spent a distinguished career at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where he ultimately served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy. Today, Mr. Moed is focused on helping Israel realize the full potential of its life science innovation and elevating Israel's impact and reputation in the global healthcare market.

About INBI and INBI Core

The Israel National Biotech Innovation Center (INBI) Ltd. is a non-profit national platform that brings together projects from Israel's world-class universities, research hospitals and healthcare organizations under one umbrella to create a powerful engine of innovation. INBI Core Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of INBI, is a centralized operational hub, designed to bridge the gap between academic discovery and clinical application. It will provide the infrastructure, knowledge, talents, and capital to advance the development of breakthrough therapeutics and unlock opportunities for robust commercial spinouts and investment.

Media contact:

Tsipi Haitovsky
Global Media Liaison
The Israel National Biotech Innovation Center
[email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3008956/INBI_founding_partners.jpg

SOURCE Israel National Biotech Innovation Center