“Like many other countries around the world, Italy is interested in joint ventures and has tightened its science and technology ties to Israel,” Israel’s minister of science said.
By: United with Israel Staff
Israel closed another groundbreaking deal to share know-how and collaborate with a fellow nation, signing an agreement with Italy in the sphere of academic research and development.
The Israel-Italy Joint Innovation Council for Industrial, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation in R&D will promote eight academic and six industrial cooperative projects, funded by both governments by a sum of 15 million shekels per year, over the course of two years.
The Israel Innovation Authority and Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space are both participants in this venture.
Israeli Minister of Science, Technology, and Space Ofir Akunis stated that “investment in joint research leads to a threefold return on investment.”
“Italy understands the value of investing together with Israel, and is indeed seeking to expand this cooperation,” he noted. “Like many other countries around the world, Italy is interested in joint ventures and has tightened its science and technology ties to Israel.”
Within this framework of scientific cooperation, universities and research institutes from both countries have been working together on research in selected fields. The eight approved scientific projects will focus in the fields of marine biology and marine agriculture and the physics of complex systems.
In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology, and Space will help fund the establishment of joint bio-robotics laboratories with an NIS 8 million investment.
In the field of industrial cooperation, approved projects include innovative manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical development, cybersecurity and transportation.
Israeli-Italian Cooperation ‘Among Our Most Fruitful’
Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen pointed out that the bilateral Israeli-Italian cooperation “is among our most fruitful.”
Throughout 17 years of cooperation, some 100 projects have been funded in the industrial sphere and dozens more in the scientific arena. A large portion of these projects have reached commercialization, and cooperation between the two countries has proven to be quite beneficial to participating companies.
“[Our] governments are highly committed to continuing this level of cooperation,” Cohen stressed.
Both parties agreed to expand joint activities including workshops, seminars and other events in order to deepen cooperation between companies, universities, and research institutions from the two countries.
The council will also award the Rita Levi-Montalcini Prize to enable outstanding scientists from both Italy and Israel to benefit from scholarships from each other’s countries.
Israel and Italy will also expand their collaboration as part of the Horizon 2020 program, increasing cooperation to promote startups from both countries.
Horizon 2020 is the pan-European program for cooperation in research, development, and innovation, and is considered the largest R&D program in the world. Some €80 billion are being invested in research from 2014-2020 as part of Horizon 2020.