The Israel Innovation Authority’s MAGNET program, uniting technology and industrial companies with academic research institutes for long term development of technologies in a variety of fields, has greenlighted the establishment of two new consortia:

A consortium for developing a platform for generic technologies to produce adaptable smart fabrics: Developing functional textiles with added value, that respond to climactic conditions, will allow Israeli companies to position themselves in the top tier of the global textile market for premium products, a market characterized by stability and high added value. The entrepreneurs and leaders of the consortium are the companies Avgol and SALG, and it includes export-oriented Israeli industrial companies, material manufacturers and leading academic research groups active in this field.

Multi-Dimensional Metrology (MDM) Consortium. This consortium will develop technology for control processes based on multi-dimensional imaging, for the purpose of monitoring the production of semiconductors in the nano-electronics age. The consortium is the initiative of Applied Materials Israel and includes leading companies in the field of process control such as Borker and Nova, companies from complementary fields and academic research groups active in this field.

These joint ventures will expose the companies to unique knowhow and will enable cooperation in R&D not previously possible. The long term financial support, exemption from returns on royalties, and creation of cooperation between leading companies and academia – all serve as fertile ground for the development of groundbreaking technologies, affords members of the consortia an industrial edge and contributes to the Israeli economy in general. In addition, the companies taking part will be exempt from paying royalties for grant money received through the consortium.

Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, Avi Hasson noted that “both consortia represent trends taking place in two significant sectors in which Israeli industry has a relative advantage, the metrology market – quality control of semiconductors’ production lines, and the non-weaved textile market. Research with the cooperation of academia will enable development of technologies allowing control of innovative materials and multi-dimensional semiconductor structures for the benefit of advanced production techniques in this sector, as well as generic Spun melt technology for master batch in the non-weaved textile industry in Israel. These will contribute considerably to associated industries and produce market solutions for export. Each consortium is expected to include many groups from the industry and academia that will create a critical mass of activity in these verticals, which include considerable technological challenges.”

Ilan Peled, Director of the Technology Division at the Authority, said: “The MAGNET committee chose these verticals out of several considered over the past six months. An additional vertical, the field of phenomics – creating an agricultural support platform based on phenotypical characterization of crops through remote sensoring – will also be examined. The budget of the MAGNET consortia for 2017 will be NIS 170 million, enabling operation of 12-13 consortia, mostly those from previous years (a MAGNET consortium usually operates for c. 5 years).”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)