Meet David Speer, Executive Director at the Maryland/Israel Development Center

March 24, 2025 in Israel

David Speer recently spoke to Beth El members at an event hosted by Beth El’s Men’s Club and sponsored by the Am Yisrael Chai committee to share insights on the work of the Maryland/Israel Development Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote business and research between Maryland and Israel. From AI innovations in transportation and medical devices, to energy security, Speer shares in this Q&A how Maryland firms are engaging in Israel’s future.

Q: What makes the Maryland/Israel Development Center unique?

Speer: The Maryland/Israel Development Center (MIDC) is a non-profit “public-private partnership” of the Maryland Department of Commerce, Israeli Ministry of Economy and Trade and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore that promotes bi-lateral trade and economic development. Established in 1992, the MIDC has been building business bridges between the State of Maryland and Israel for over 33 years.

Q: What would you say are the major accomplishments of MIDC?

Speer: The MIDC has organized trade missions to Israel for all of Maryland’s governors since the Maryland/Israel Declaration of Cooperation was signed in 1988, including Governors William Donald Schaefer (1989), Parris Glendening (1997), Robert Ehrlich (2004), Martin O’Malley (2008 and 2014) and Larry Hogan (2016), as well as Lt. Governor Michael Steele (2005), Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett (2007) and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford (2020).

Maryland is home to over 40 Israeli companies, up from six when the MIDC was founded in 1992, including ELTA North America, a major Israeli defense company which makes the radar for the Iron Dome anti-missile system; Nayax, a cashless payment and management solution for retailers; Medispec, developers of medical devices based on shockwave technology; and now we are witnessing  a host of AI companies in transportation and medical fields.

The MIDC is the Maryland representative for the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation, a program of Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Trade and the U.S. Department of Commerce that funds joint research between American and Israeli companies. Maryland companies that have received BIRD grants include 2020 Gene Systems, Ariadne Genomics, Brimrose Corporation, Direct Dimensions, KeyGene and Patriot Technologies. In addition, the University of Maryland and Bar Ilan University in Israel were awarded an $18.4 million, five-year grant to promote energy security and economic development through the research and development of innovative energy storage technologies.

The MIDC pioneered the entrepreneurial development program MarketReach America™ for Israel’s emerging high-tech companies bringing delegations of Israeli companies to Maryland for training and helping them grow their business in Maryland and the US.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the MIDC started two webinar series which cumulatively attracted over 2,500 participants. The Business Survival Strategies Series targeted Israeli entrepreneurs with techniques to help them survive the shutdown and prepare for post-pandemic business life, while the Israel Technology Series focused on cutting edge technologies coming from Israel.

MIDC has helped forge strong linkages between both communities’ research institutions. The University of Maryland, Baltimore signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate with Hadassah Hospital, Hebrew University and the Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces in the critical area of emergency medicine. The University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) both instituted partnerships with Tel Aviv University for faculty and student exchanges.

Q: How can we build the Business community together?

Speer: The MIDC relies on the support of its volunteers to help connect Israeli companies to the right Maryland business contacts. To that end, MIDC will be creating volunteer industry committees to do just that, offer connections to the companies.

MIDC has helped forge strong linkages between both communities’ research institutions. The University of Maryland, Baltimore signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate with Hadassah Hospital, Hebrew University and the Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces in the critical area of emergency medicine. The University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) both instituted partnerships with Tel Aviv University for faculty and student exchanges. We have connected Israeli companies to several Maryland Departments including Commerce, Health, Transportation and Agriculture.

MIDC collaborates with key Maryland businesses and funding sources as well. The MIDC co-sponsors webinars on growing your business in Maryland with organizations like Maryland TEDCO, Maryland Technology Council and various economic development organizations including Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, Baltimore County, Howard County, Prince Georges County, Frederick County and others especially if there is an Israeli company present.

The MIDC has co-sponsored webinars with other US Israel Chambers of Commerce to continue to be a leader in promoting Israeli business and technology in the US. Past webinars on topics such as the impact of the Abraham Peace Accords in which we recruited 20 sponsors as well as universities in Israel.

Q: What do you want MIDC’s future to be?

Speer: We are grateful to our sponsors, members, volunteers and partners and Board of Directors that work daily to insure we are open for business and can provide many services and networking opportunities for Israeli companies as well as Maryland companies wanting to do business together. We know our economic impact is in hundreds of millions of dollars and we see that continuing to grow.

 

For more information go to marylandisrael.org.