Dovik Barkay&Roman Morar

　　Our guests today are Dovik Barkay and Roman Morar, two Israeli entrepreneurial partners who arrived in Changzhou this Septemberand established their projects in the CICP. They have come to explore business opportunities in China. In this interview, we engaged in a captivating and profound discussion.

　　Dovik and Roman are good friends who work together. They are both experts in the field of AI and IoT but with different research interests. After graduating from Ariel University in Electrical Engineering, Roman worked for almost 20 years in the field of computing and IoT. He chose to apply his technology to poultry farming and founded AR Software, a company that can use its self-developed system, Sinornis, to monitor the growth process of poultry comprehensively, including early prediction/detection of growth problems and diseases, monitoring of the growth rate and environment conditions, etc. It can also visualize data and determine potential problems through AI analysis. In 2023, AR Software was approved by the “CIP Initiative” and settled in the CICP this month. Roman himself has applied for the China-Israel Special Plan under “Changzhou Talent Program” to exploit the Chinese market starting from the CICP.

　　Dovik’s experience is even more impressive. He has nine degrees ranging from engineering to law, including a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Design and Manufacturing Engineering from the International University of Business and Law in Ukraine. Dovik chose the firefighting field and founded Hydrantech, a company focusing on the development of hydrant monitoring systems, which can monitor real-time water usage comprehensively by sensors and visualization software. The sensors, which are easy to install, can be placed on water mains or nozzles of firefighting equipment to monitor water pressure, water level in the mains, and abnormal water flow. The cellular transmitter embedded in each sensor can transmit its status to the central control center. The matching software can provide real-time feedback of hydrological information around the clock. Dovik has also applied for the China-Israel Special Plan under “Changzhou Talent Program” and considers the Chinese market as his next priority.

　　They are optimistic about the future. When asked to entitle this interview, Dovik said, like a poet, that “The boat is safe in the bay, but it is not what they are built for.” There is an old Chinese poem that also expresses the connotation of his words,“A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves, I'll set my cloud-white sail and cross the sea which raves.”This is the indispensable spirit of an entrepreneur.

　　Liu Yi：What do you feel about the CICP? Dovik：I knew about the CICP in 2019 and haven’t had a chance to visit until now. I am genuinely impressed and invigorated by this brand-new park. There was some obstacles in personnel exchanges during the past few years, but now everything is going well.

　　Roman：I think so. I'd like to emphasize that while applying for the "CIP Initiative" for AR Software, I felt that the CICP has provided Israeli companies with great support and comprehensive services. They facilitated our connections with top-tier Chinese firms, significantly boosting our confidence in succeeding in the Chinese market.

　　Liu Yi：What message would you like to convey to the Chinese market as you prepare to enter it?

　　Dovik：The Chinese market is very large, so every improvement or breakthrough in the existing technology will get great feedback due to the market size. Hydrantech’s products have brought revolutionary technology and innovative ideas in the field of firefighting, which can enhance water usage efficiency. Roman：AR Software has given constructive and operational solutions to the existing challenges and issues in the poultry farming industry, which are very suitable for the demands and industrial foundation of the Chinese market. I believe it will bring a new trend to the poultry farming industry in China.

　　Liu Yi：Do you have any specific business plans in China? Dovik：Hydrantech is interested in establishing various forms of collaboration with local companies and institutions, particularly municipal departments, fire departments, and the water treatment industry. Roman：AR Software is targeting to poultry farming companies as it can increase production and reduce costs. So we hope to contact with Chinese poultry companies that are interested in cooperation and introduce our technology. Then we can expand the application areas of our system and sensors according to their demands.