Dr. Eli Ofer, Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Defense: The association will enable the transfer of knowledge accumulated in the security system for the benefit of the entire Israeli economy
A group of Israeli companies, led by the "Al-Op" company, a company with academic research groups to establish a consortium that will operate within the magnet program for the development of advanced fiber laser technologies. Laser technology is generic in nature, and forms the basis for diverse industries, including the areas of material processing, the medical industry, electronics and the defense industry. The members of the association are: Al-Op, Vision, Orbotech, "Solid State Devices" Co., Ltd., Raicol, Ngo-Op and researchers from the Technion, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University and the Weizmann Institute.
The association focuses on the fiber laser, which is a new technology whose applications are expected to gradually supplant the old lasers. The advantages of the fiber lasers are reflected in the costs and reliability and in accordance with the extension of the life of the product.
According to the members of the association, successful completion of the technological developments in the association will allow, in 5 years, to increase exports by 150 million dollars, and subsequently this amount will increase year by year.
Dr. Eli Ofer, the chief scientist at the Ministry of Defense, stated that this association is an example of inter-ministerial cooperation, where the activities carried out within the association, and the activity on the laser-fiber issue as a whole, which is promoted by the Ministry of Defense / MFAAT, are added to the base Technological knowledge is shared for the benefit and use of all members of the association, and thus the government budget is used in an optimal way.
Ilan Peled, director of Magnet, points out that AFL completes a mosaic of 15 associations promoted simultaneously within Magnet, which promote the knowledge-rich Israeli industry, and encompass diverse technological fields such as agro-bio and pharmaceuticals, microelectronics, communications and electro-optics and light metals . Magnet's total budget is about NIS 190 million per year.
New R&D grants and special status for Raphael
At the same time, at the beginning of the week, the research committee chaired by Dr. Ofer approved requests for support for new R&D programs of companies in the fields of: electro-optics, electronics, medical equipment and communications with a total investment of NIS 81.7 million.
In the field of communication, the committee approved 18 projects with a budget of NIS 134 million, while the state grants for these projects amounted to NIS 57 million.
In the field of electronics, the committee approved 9 projects with a budget of NIS 36 million, while the state grants for these projects totaled NIS 18.7 million.
In the field of medical equipment, the committee approved 4 projects with a budget of NIS 12.8 million, while the state grants for these projects amounted to NIS 5 million.
In the field of electro-optics, the committee approved one project with a budget of NIS 1.6 million, while the state grant for this project amounted to NIS 1 million.
The committee approved grants to the company "Raphael Advanced Combat Systems Ltd." Rafael develops and manufactures the most advanced weapons for the IDF and the defense establishment, while establishing its economic strength by exporting to international markets. Today, the company offers its customers a very wide range of innovative solutions at the forefront of global technology in various fields such as: air defense, air-to-surface missiles, anti-tank missiles, attack pods, navigation and photography, protection of all types, controlled weapon positions, hacking means and more. The Rafael company is the largest industrial employer in the north of the country. The company has over 6000 employees and outsources many subcontractors and service providers.
Dr. Ofer points out that the main tasks of the Office of the Chief Scientist are to assist in the development of new technologies as a means of strengthening the Israeli economy. "80% of the R&D budget constitutes funding for the salaries of R&D employees. The 2008 data shows that the state's investment in R&D in 2008 resulted in a total employment of approximately 60,000 workers. Growth through the high-tech industry means, among other things, increasing revenues for the state treasury from taxes and increasing employment in the economy."
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A company that receives any help from the state in money or knowledge or in any other way should be supervised by professionals (police and accountants) to rule out the possibility that it is a bribe by the minister in charge to his associates, so that they will later "reward" him.
Only when we start investing in science and in the next generation will the Arab problem disappear as if it never existed.