The Magnet Committee approved the establishment of the Biotube association, which operates in the field of agro-biotechnology and brings together the leading companies in the field
The Magnet Committee headed by the Chief Scientist, Dr. Eli Ofer, approved the activities of the Biotube Association, which operates in the field of agro-biotechnology and brings together the leading companies in this field in Israel.
The food industry is going through a long process of change, starting with the removal of harmful substances, such as synthetic food colors, through the development of products low in fat, calories and sugar, to products enriched with health ingredients. Among the products enriched with health ingredients, we can mention the vegetables and fruits, which, at the same time as they are enriched from a health point of view, the people in the field are working on bringing back their taste that was lost during their cultivation, in recent years.
The association, led by Mr. Rami Dar, CEO of Zarea Genetics, will develop tools in the next 3 years to control and control the activity of genes that affect the creation and storage of secondary metabolites in plants, thus enabling companies to create plants rich in health and flavor substances.
The following corporations are members of Maged: Zareim Genetics, Zareim Gedera, Avogen, Frutarom and Rehvan Terviat, and researchers from the Volcani Institute, the Weizmann Institute and the Hebrew University.
The members of the association predict that by 2015, functional food will make up about a third of their sales, and the total increase in sales will be 50% or more.
Dr. Ofer pointed out that in Israel there is a high-quality and competitive group in the international markets, which includes companies in the field of agro-biotechnology. In order to maintain competitiveness, new tools must be developed to deal with challenges in this developing market, and the best way is that of cooperation, as is customary in magnet associations.
Rami Dar - the chairman of the association noted that entry into the field of functional food is the order of the hour for the seed companies, and the state's support and encouragement within the framework of the Magnet program will improve their chances of reaching the aggregate technological achievements in reasonable timeframes.
Ilan Peled - Magnet Director added that the Magnet program consistently supports the agro-biotechnology industry, and has helped partner companies achieve impressive technological achievements, including the development of new patented technologies, which are currently used by the companies to develop unique products. One of the keys to success is the integration of academia into associations.
According to the entrepreneurs, the budget required for the next 3 years is about NIS 40 million.
Magnet's director noted that this year - the year the activity started - NIS 8 million was approved, with the state's participation being 2/3 of the budget.
Magnet's total budget for 2006 is about 200 million NIS, which enables activity to the extent of about 285 million NIS.
