JERUSALEM, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli military technology and telecommunications units will move to a new compound adjacent to Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in the south, at an investment of over 5 billion new shekels (1.36 billion U.S. dollars), the Ministry of Defense and the university said Monday.
The ministry signed an agreement with "Shikun & Binui" infrastructure company for the construction of the compound, which is expected to be operating within five years.
The compound is scheduled to be built in the "Gav Yam" hi-tech park adjacent to the university, located in the city of Beer Sheva.
Due to the strategic location of the new base alongside the university, the Israeli government will allocate an additional 55 million new shekels in upgrading the university's infrastructure.
The additional amount will also be used to recruit academic staff and students and to prepare them for hi-tech professions in preparation for the soldiers' transfer to the south.
The units that will be transferred include the computer and communications division of the IDF General Headquarters, the technological unit of the Israel Air Force and the Southern Command headquarters. More than 5,000 soldiers are expected to serve in the new base.
The new project will be built as a "smart base" with innovative planning, architectural design, advanced infrastructure and energy efficiency.
