Based on the 2002 Bilateral Cooperation Agreement in the Field of Industrial, Scientific and Technological Research and Development, a number of programs and initiatives have been established over the years to promote cooperation between the academic, scientific and industrial communities, particularly in the fields of high technology.
If you are interested in developing academic and industrial cooperation initiatives with Israeli partners in the field of scientific research, technology and innovation, the Office of the Scientific Attaché is available to provide you with information and support (scienza.telaviv@esteri.it).
Programs and initiatives are available on an annual basis to support bilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation are as follows:
1.Call for scientific research projects.
The call is published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation jointly with the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology. Universities or research centres alone or in consortia, including with companies, can apply, provided they are not lead partners. The call is dedicated each year to two specific areas of research. Projects must have a maximum duration of two years. Italian funding covers 50 percent of research costs; Israeli funding covers 100 percent. The call allows to apply for a “consolidator grant” in case there is a prospect of concrete development of the scientific cooperation achieved.
2.Call for industrial projects.
The call is published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation jointly with the Israel Innovation Authority. The call is dedicated to companies also in consortium with higher education institutes or research centres. The call is open to any field of research. Projects must have a maximum duration of two years and funding covers 50 percent of research and development costs. Projects must be aimed at developing an innovative product, industrial process or service. They must include “proof of concept” activities and/or prototype development and experimentation carried out jointly by the proponents in Italy and/or research and technology development activities carried out jointly in Israel.
3.Program of scientific seminars
The program is defined and implemented by the Embassy of Italy in Israel by gathering proposals and suggestions from the Italian and Israeli academic and scientific communities. The seminars are aimed at fostering contacts between researchers and academics from the two countries and stimulating a process of thematic comparison and discussion with the goal of promoting scientific and industrial collaborations through a bottom-up process.
4.”Rita Levi Montalcini Prize”
The prize consists of funding in the amount of 40,000 euros on each side for research projects carried out by internationally renowned Israeli researchers in Italy and Italian researchers in Israel. On the Italian side, the call for proposals is published and awarded by the Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities (CRUI). On the Israeli side it is administered by the Council on Higher Education.
5.”Accelerate in Israel 4th edition.”
The program aims to promote the international growth of Italian start-ups by facilitating an acceleration period for them in Israel with a lump sum funding. The funding is intended as a non-repayable contribution for expenses related to the acceleration period in Israel, including those for services offered by the accelerator. The call is published and managed by the Embassy of Italy in Israel, with the collaboration of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, the ICE Tel Aviv Office and the Israel-Italy Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Israeli innovation ecosystem.
Information on research and collaboration opportunities in science and technology fields is posted on the Innovitalia portal, which also serves as a networking tool for Italian researchers abroad. To register on Innovitalia click here. Registered users can:
– establish a close relationship with the Scientific Offices of the Italian diplomatic consular network;
– be included in the Directory of Italian Research Abroad;
– receive the periodic Newsletter with the main news published on the portal;
– get in touch with other registered users;
– share information and opportunities on the portal.