NSW has partnered with one of the world’s leading hospitals, Israel’s Sheba Medical Centre, strengthening the state’s future as a global centre of excellence in health and medical research innovation.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Director-General, Professor Yitshak Kreiss, of Sheba Medical Centre, paving the way for NSW and Israel to work together on advancing health and medical research and improve patient outcomes.

“The significant agreement between NSW Health and Sheba Medical Centre will enable new opportunities for medical research, accelerate innovation and support early stage start-up companies in NSW,” Mr Hazzard said.

“Our experts will be able to draw on the experience of the Sheba Medical Centre and its global network of innovators so we can continue to expand our knowledge, skills and capability and improve clinical care for patients.

“One of the key aims of this partnership will be looking at new ways to overcome the challenges associated with getting health technology to market, so patients in NSW are able to access life-saving treatments quicker.”

Sheba Medical Centre’s model for innovation, ARC (Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate), brings together more than 100 organisations, including leading academic medical centres, multinational industry partners, universities, venture capital firms and startups with the goal of redesigning healthcare by 2030.

Founder of ARC and Sheba Medical Centre’s Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer Professor Eyal Zimlichman said ARC's mission is to enable large-scale transformation of health around the world through innovations and collaborations.

"In Australia, and specifically NSW, we have found like-minded organisations. We look forward to working closely together in order to drive health transformation efforts,” Professor Zimlichman said.

Australian Friends of Sheba CEO Idan Goldberger said Sheba Medical Centre and NSW Health have joined forces to advance health, innovation and medical research, bringing cutting-edge technology in order to improve patient outcomes.

“Together we are creating, a brighter, healthier future for all as health has no boundaries,” Mr Goldberger said.

Ranked in the world’s top 15 smart hospitals and the Middle East’s leading medical centre, formalising NSW Health’s relationship with Sheba Medical Centre will reinforce and bolster the strategic relationship with the State of Israel.