Call for Proposals for R&D Programs in the Field of Bio-Convergence
Israel Innovation Authority Offers Call for Proposals for R&D Programs in the Field of Bio-Convergence, at a Total Budget of NIS 13.5 Million
The Israel Innovation Authority has announced a new call for proposals inviting researchers in academia, hospitals and commercial companies to submit requests for R&D funding to develop programs commercializing academic knowhow for medical innovation in the field of bio-convergence.
Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority: “Given that bio-convergence is still a burgeoning technological field, most relevant expertise in the area remains concentrated in academic institutions. The Israel Innovation Authority’s call for proposals will help in developing R&D programs with the potential to contribute to the commercial application of this technology. This synthesis of academia and industry is part of an overall attempt to develop an innovative ecosystem that will be an engine of growth for Israeli industry.”
Bio-convergence is a burgeoning industry as a result of the significant challenges faced by the global health and pharma systems. Bio-convergence integrates biology with additional disciplines from engineering such as electronics, AI, physics, computer science, nanotechnology, material science, and advanced genetic engineering. Israel’s ecosystem is strongly positioned in these fields, and Israel is poised to translate its research capabilities into innovative technologies, offering tangible potential for building a leading competitive international cluster.
Bio-convergence has immense potential to transform technology and industry. This call for proposals from academia and industry in the field of bio-convergence and the accompanying program aims to establish suitable conditions to foster the field’s growth in Israel, and to build a competitive, world-leading industry with significant economic impact.
This is the Israel Innovation Authority’s first call for proposals from academia and industry in the field of bio-convergence in 2020. It aims to develop technological infrastructures, apply academic expertise and pave the way for commercial deployment through two separate tracks:
Track C: Utilizing Academic Expertise in Industry
This proposal must relate to applied multidisciplinary research in medicine, joining a top researcher in the life sciences with at least one leading researcher in the field of engineering, computer sciences, math, or physics. The Israel Innovation Authority will finance projects based on multidisciplinary cooperation between researchers from different faculties in the same institution or between researchers from different research institutions together with hospital clinicians. For more information on this track [Hebrew].
Track D: Commercializing Research for Industry
This proposal is for commercialization of medical expertise, developed through multidisciplinary life sciences research integrating engineering, computer science, mathematics or physics. The Israel Innovation Authority will finance projects in which knowledge is transferred from the research institution/s to a corporation based on collaboration between the two. The project does not require that new knowledge be developed during the cooperative venture – all activities will be geared towards validating research and adapting it to the corporation’s requirements. For more information on this track [Hebrew].
Date of submission
The proposals must be submitted by September 21, 2020 at 12:00 PM IST, with the results to be finalized in December 2020. Late submissions will not be accepted.