Israel Active

Israel’s Council for Higher Education has approved an investment of $123 million (NIS 458 million) over 5 years to fortify research programs in Israeli universities. It is 83% more than that invested in the last 5-year plan. 90% of the funds will be used for lab equipment.

Israel’s Technion Institute has launched a global $1.8 billion, ten-year fundraising campaign. The campaign has already raised 40% of the required funds that will be used to support world-changing, life-saving innovation.

I’ve reported previously on the excellent state of Eilat’s coral reef, in sharp contrast to the damage being caused to the coral reefs of other countries.  The latest report from Eilat’s Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences shows that Eilat’s reef is growing at a rate of 0.5% per year.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University and Tsinghua University in China have discovered a method to dramatically reduce friction. It promises to generate much faster computer processing. This ultra-low friction is known as super-lubricity.

The main cause of a fast-spreading forest fire is when the leaves at the top of the trees catch fire. Israel’s Fighting Treetop Fire (FTF) is developing algorithm-controlled laser beams for helicopters or trucks to remove leaves, thin branches and pine needles off treetops in the path of a forest fire.

Israeli startup Green Elmf manufactures cables that cancel out the electric magnetic discharge from wired infrastructure. The technology was developed by two Technion Professors. The result is less electrical interference and possibly better health, especially for young children.

Ben Gurion University scientists are part of the team that built the Sweeper robot pepper picker together with other international companies as part of a European Horizon 2020 funded project. The BGU team developed the fruit detection and maturity classification technology.

Although Israel is not a car manufacturer, many people are unaware of Israel’s partnership with manufacturers from around the world. This article by Viva Sarah Press gives an insight behind the scenes of very possibly the vehicle that you are driving.

Israel-based startup EcoPlant Technological Innovation develops a cloud-based system for monitoring industrial machinery. Its purpose is to improve energy efficiency and equipment uptime. EcoPlant has just raised $1.7 million in funds.

I reported previously on Israeli startup Apester which offers tools for on-line publishers such as quizzes and polls to promote user feedback. Now Apester has launched a story tool for embedding onto a website or integrating into social platforms such as Instagram or Snapchat.