Israel to launch national trauma and resilience research lab in southern region

The Israel Innovation Authority and the Tkuma Directorate, in collaboration with Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College, announced on Tuesday a NIS 5 million ($1.6 million) plan for a new national research laboratory.

Located in southern Israel, the laboratory will harvest and analyze real-time data from the population in that region to help startups, researchers, government entities, and academia discover new ways to counteract stress and strengthen national resilience.

Since 2001, southern Israel has been under constant rocket fire from the Hamas terrorist organization, with roughly 20,000 rockets hitting communities close to the Gaza Strip. The continual barrage of attacks culminated in the brutal terror invasion of Oct. 7, 2023, the worst massacre the Jewish people have known since the Holocaust.

The new research lab is expected to open between October 2026 and March 2027 in the southern city of Sderot and will study sleep, behavior, emotion, environmental conditions, and responses to emergency situations.

Studies have shown that the long-term impact of the conflict in the region has resulted in nearly half of young adults suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

According to the Israel Innovation Authority, the research aims to address the current lack of applied research infrastructure for studying mental health and resilience within a living community over time, as well as the shortage of services and facilities needed to help industry develop, validate, and scientifically demonstrate technologies that support resilience.

Shortly after the Iron Swords War began in 2023, the Israeli government established the Tkuma Directorate in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Tkuma, “revival” in Hebrew, and the government task force has been rehabilitating Gaza border communities to ensure the future generations will flourish in the region.

Tkuma said they hope the new research initiative will draw top scientists and provide additional employment in the region.

“Mental health and community resilience have become a strategic challenge for health systems, local authorities, education, welfare, and the defense system, but today decisions are made almost without continuous, objective, and integrative measurement of the population’s condition,” the statement read.