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The State of Israel and the European Union have a rich history of fruitful cooperation on cutting-edge research and development and science, which has only grown stronger over the years. In 1996, Israel was the first non-European country to be associated with the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, and this year we are celebrating 20 years of a successful partnership advancing research and innovation.
Over the past 20 years, 21,589 Israeli organizations and researchers submitted proposals to the European programmes and 4,461 received funding for over 3,100 projects.
In 2014, Israel became a member of Horizon 2020, the EU’s latest framework programme and its largest and most ambitious Research and Innovation programme ever, with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020) – to which Israel is contributing approximately €1 billion. Over the past two and a half years, 4,244 Israeli entities participated in over 600 funded projects in the programme.
This unique partnership creates tremendous value for Israel's innovative research community as well as for Europe’s. It combines the strengths of both sides to create breakthroughs, discoveries and pioneering products. Beyond the numbers – both E.U. and Israeli researchers, companies and other participants gain connections with key actors in the private and public sectors, contributing to their knowledge and impact and providing economic gains to both sides.
Israeli excellence is prominent in several fields such as ICT; health; the ERC programme for outstanding researchers and ground-breaking research; the future technologies programme (FET) - funding for high-risk projects across disciplines where Israel is among the eight countries with the highest funding from among 41 participating nations; integrated activities research infrastructure (RI), where Israel has one of the highest success rate in the programme; homeland security; 5G mobile technology; and semiconductor production line technologies and more.
Successful examples of joint Israeli-EU collaboration will perhaps explain it best. The following are just a few of the projects developed via the programme: new technologies based on nano-diamonds for non-intrusive imaging that can help diagnose diseases like prostate cancer; use of a tiny receiver for transferring data in a mobile device as part of a European flagship project involved in the standardization of 5G mobile networks; development of a wristwatch that enables hikers and sailors to send distress signals via satellite that includes data regarding their health conditions; and many more.
Israel’s participation in European R&D programmes over the years has brought tremendous benefits to the country’s industrial and academic organizations. Research grants have helped increase competition in local industry, connect researchers and scientists from Israel and Europe, and bring home Israeli researchers living abroad. According to the Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, Avi Hasson, “This cooperation helps solidify Israel as a leading country in the fields of research, development and innovation in both industry and academia.” We expect cooperation between Europe and the “Start-up Nation” in this framework to generate even more disruptive R&D and science in the years to come.
Nili Shalev is the new Managing Director of ISERD, the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate. ISERD is an inter-ministerial directorate, established by the Israeli Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ISERD is operated through the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Economy, and is Israel's official contact point (NCP) with the EU, for all the activities of the FP.
ISERD promotes the participation of Israeli entities in R&D ventures within the European Research Area.