(Communicated by the
Ministry of Economy)
Unilever has become the 41st corporation, the second British corporation (British-Dutch) and the third food and consumer products corporation entering the Multinational Program for R&D Collaboration ("the MNC Program") at the
Office of the Chief Scientist, part of the Israeli Ministry of Economy. According to Chief Scientist Avi Hasson, "The MNC Program has become the preferred option for many corporations seeking to join forces with innovative Israeli companies."
Hasson also said that “The international Unilever Corporation can create opportunities for many trailblazing Israeli producers of consumer products, thus creating solutions for the global challenges this field is facing. This can be achieved by commercial and technological cooperation that will bring Israeli innovation to the fore. The entry of Unilever, a world leader in the manufacture of food and care products to the program, emphasizes the attraction Israeli industrial innovation holds for multinationals outside the realm of Information Technology and Communications."
David Blanchard, Chief R&D Officer at Unilever, said that "Unilever is known for its investment in innovation. Cooperating with the Chief Scientist in the MNC Program is an excellent way for us to discover and examine innovative technologies that can help us meet the company's growth aspirations.”
An example of one such type of cooperation is the joint initiative established by Unilever in 2013 with Israeli company Syneron Medical Ltd., a world leader in aesthetic medicine products. The two companies joined forces on the design and development of a line of innovative high-performance cosmetic products for home use, called 'Illuminage Beauty'.
The Multinational Program at the Office of the Chief Scientist: The program offers a unique framework for technological cooperation between Israeli companies and multinational concerns. According to the agreement, the Chief Scientist helps a multinational company find Israeli technologies answering the company's needs and gives subsidies for funding R&D necessary to complete development. The multinational company supports the product by matching the grant from the Chief Scientist either financially or by lending equipment, technological and regulatory counseling, marketing direction etc. Thus, the multinational corporation helps the Israeli company grow and opens marketing opportunities abroad.
About Unilever: Unilever is one of the world's leading and largest producers of food, healthcare and homecare products. The company is a world leader in research and development through innovation and through constant improvements to existing products. Unilever is active in 190 countries and its products are used by 2 billion people every day. 174,000 people work in the company and it manufactures and distributes its products under 400 brand names.
Unilever is always practicing new ways of doing business, as part of its vision and sustainability program and in an effort to grow whole at the same time, reducing its negative impact on the environment and creating a positive environmental footprint. Unilever's sustainability program focuses on three main goals for the year 2020 - improving health and quality of living, reducing the environmental footprint by half and improving sources of income in the company's supply chain. In 2014, the corporation's production around the world closed at 48.4 billion euro.
In Israel, Unilever is represented by Unilever-Israel, employing 2,500 people in the company's headquarters and four production facilities. Some of Unilever's leading brands: Telma, Knorr, Lipton, Hellmann's, Mazola, Blue Band, Klik, Bagel & Bagel, Strauss Ice Creams, Dove, Rexxona, Axe, Clear, Badin, Pinuk and others.
Another facility established in Israel is the international Unilever Innovation Center, entrusted with locating, testing and implementing innovative solutions across the company's brands. The innovation center is run and operated by the Earthbound Company.