Israel Active

US billionaire investor John Paulson has donated a record $250 million to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the largest in the university’s history, to support science and medicine. He said a dollar invested at Hebrew University goes ten times further than at Harvard. Please read the article.

An Israeli-led research team has identified the genes that guide how tomatoes release pollen. They used CRISPR gene-editing to produce tomatoes without seeds and do not require fertilization. They grow all-year-round and produce 10 times the weight of unmodified ripe fruit.

Apple recently unveiled its long-anticipated foldable iPhone with Israel’s Chief Hardware Officer Johny Srouji (see previously) presenting the iPhone Duo.  

Israeli and European diplomats, researchers and innovators gathered at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem for the Horizon Europe Award Ceremony. The program has involved 5,000+ joint projects, 6,000+ Israeli participants, 1,000+ companies and billions of Euros in research activity.

Airis Labs has developed an AI platform designed to connect and analyze multiple streams of visual information, including security cameras, drones, body cameras and media footage, and transform them into structured intelligence that can be searched, investigated and analyzed in real time.

Some 45% of Tel Aviv University’s power now comes from green energy (target is 100%). 4 million kWh originates from 17,000 sq meters of solar systems installed on campus roofs, plus 29 million kWh from off-campus solar energy sources. 30 MWh of storage is planned.

NASA’s Artemis moon mission relies on Israeli companies. for radiation-shielding vests; (AI‑driven electromagnetic monitoring); (robotic drilling platform); for radiation‑hardened processors; and (electromagnetic launch).

A team of scientists from Israel’s Weizmann Institute and in the USA have developed a new method for detecting alien life, by analyzing molecular groups to identify life’s building blocks. Israel’s Eureka spacecraft proposes to take this to Jupiter’s Europa moon in the next decade.

Ride-hailing app Uber has tapped Israeli autonomous driving startup Autobrains and US chipmaker giant Nvidia for a pilot program set to bring driverless robotaxis to the streets of the German city of Munich.

Israel’s Bigger Picture is transforming cinemas with AI and technology, into experiences that offer a more social environment. It offers venues a full platform that allows them to provide touchless experiences, better ticketing, scheduling, and cross-selling, plus big data analysis of its customers.