Country’s initial nanotechnology goals being met

Since nanotechnology was declared an Israeli national priority project, 389 cooperation agreements have been established with local and foreign industry.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
nanotechnology 311 (photo credit: Courtesy of BIU)
nanotechnology 311
(photo credit: Courtesy of BIU)
Fifty-two leading scientists have settled in Israel, $77 million have been invested in equipment, $44m. have gone into infrastructure and 106 successful new projects have been launched as startups or given patents as a result of three years of financial support for nanotechnology as an Israeli national project, according to the Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative (INNI).
The INNI is opening its second NanoIsrael Conference and Exhibition at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv on Monday. Since nanotechnology was declared an Israeli national priority project, 389 cooperation agreements have been established with local and foreign industry.
The three-day NanoIsrael 2010 conference is focusing on business innovations and opportunities in the fields of energy, water systems, environmental issues, nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, nanobio and nanomedicine.
In 2007, INNI was launched with the aim of establishing research and structural infrastructure at six universities, with government, academia and contributions sharing equally in the costs. The six centers have been established.
According to the INNI, 249 junior scientists coming from the field (including postdoctoral researchers), 675 doctorate students and 662 master students have participated in the research from the beginning of the project. During these three years, 3,248 scientific articles were published and 536 other essays were originated in cooperation between several universities.
“This is an excellent example for the efficient use of the public money and the mutual cooperation between the government, academy, and industry, which brings back significant return on investment,” said Dan Vilenski, a member of the national NanoIsrael committee.
“I believe that we are on the way to turn Israel into a leading nanotechnology country.”