Israel’s Chief scientist: a new plan for agricultural R&D

A new program encouraging agricultural R&D was launched by the Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy, Avi Hasson, at the International Israel Agritech Conference. The program aims at encouraging Israeli organizations involved in agricultural endeavors, including agricultural companies and institutions from different agricultural sectors, to invest in fields such as developing plant species, seeds, improving animal breeds and more, and to realize potential, knowledge and development capabilities in various agricultural fields.

According to Chief Scientist Hasson: “Agriculture is one of the fields where novel technologies may bring significant change in our lives: from creating new species of healthier fruits and vegetables while making intelligent use of natural resources, to developing solutions for feeding the world’s population more cheaply to developing new livestock and vegetable products.”

Projects submitted to the program should deal with development of agricultural products: finished products from vegetables and livestock, agricultural yields and products with potential yield for local industries exporting the final products.

The program will subsidize R&D budgets for innovative agricultural technology, new products or upgrades to existing products. The plan is budgeted by the Israeli Ministry of Economy, the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture; the Office of the Chief Scientist is the executive branch implementing the program.

Through the program, a grant for long-term R&D for future products and innovative technologies will give companies a competitive edge, enable them to penetrate new markets and strengthen general growth in the Israeli economy.

Support from the Office of the Chief Scientist will be granted only after thorough professional assessment of a project, and will represent a mark of quality for agricultural companies, making it easier for them to recruit investors in the future.