Prof. Rashef Tana, chairman of the scientific committee of the "Nano-Israel 2012" conference, whose research opened up an extensive field for innovative research and many applications such as advanced lubricants and polymer armor, in an exclusive interview with 'Yaden' about nanotechnology, industry and academia, and what is in between , and also for the promising connection with the global industry
At the beginning of February of this year, the aviation and space industry was informed of another tiny innovation that could help the field whose second name is innovation: research student Mark Schneider from the Department of Plastics and Polymers Engineering at "Shanker Engineering", used nanoparticles developed by Prof. Reshef Tana from the Weizmann Institute of Science and succeeded in producing an epoxy glue , whose strength is doubled. The development, shared by "Schenker Engineering" and the Weizmann Institute of Science, was achieved as part of the chief scientist's NES project (magnet program) and the breakthrough can pave the way mainly for aerospace engineers, who in the future will be able to use the strong adhesives in the development of new types of aircraft.
Prof. Tana, whose name comes up in quite a few connections involving the nano industry and research in Israel and the world, did his doctorate in statistical mechanics of mixtures. He did his post-doctorate training in the same area at the Center for Advanced Studies at the Battelle Institute in Geneva. Upon his return to Israel, he applied to the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he engaged in research on photoelectrochemical solar cells. Later he engaged in research in layered materials such as WS2 and MoS2. In 1992 Prof. Tana and his colleagues discovered new forms of materials made of a relatively small number of atoms built as molecular cages (hollow and closed nanoparticles) and nanotubes, which were called inorganic fullerene-like forms (IF) and inorganic nanotubes (INT) ). Similar particles made of carbon atoms were discovered even before that, but the expansion of the field into the field of chemistry of inorganic materials opened up a vast field for innovative research and many applications such as advanced lubricants and polymer armor. This area has attracted wide scientific attention in recent years.
Prof. Tana has been involved in the "Nano-Israel" conference in recent years and this year is the chairman of the scientific committee of the conference.
Is there a special reason, in your opinion, why you find quite a few Israelis at the forefront of the nano field in the world?
"It is interesting to note that comparing Israel to what is happening in the other developed countries, and just like in all science in Israel, in the basic part we are underinvested. In the useful part we are overinvested. If we compare our situation to countries like Germany, Switzerland, the USA, the Netherlands and Sweden, we are rising fast Very much about the fact that in Israel the investment per professor is significantly smaller, but, despite this, we are in an excellent place in the table. 101 million dollars were invested in the last five years in basic equipment in the fields of nano, this is in addition to 45 million dollars invested in new infrastructures and facilities. The fields of nanotechnology and nanosciences are definitely a suitable area for several reasons to be done well in Israel. First of all, despite the large investments I talked about - these are not investments on the scale of a synchrotron, or a large accelerator, or even the genome project. These are absolutely reasonable investments - if you divide it among students.
Second point: we are very interdisciplinary and informal. We know how to jump between boundaries of territories and the third and no less important point: we specialize in cooperation. INNI (the Israeli National Nanotechnology Initiative) has also been very supportive of collaborations and now there are also the FTA grants where a group of researchers from several universities collaborate to realize an integrated scientific-technological vision in the nano field. What happens in the end is that you sit together with a lot of good people and formulate ideas for writing the research proposal, meet people you didn't know before and start collaborating. There is definitely a suitable atmosphere for research here, because we are informal and because our laboratories are relatively small. Also in that you collaborate, you increase your virtual laboratory. The collaborations are definitely an important factor in our character and our ability to maximize the investment.
The three factors - the orderly and concentrated investments, the interdisciplinary nature of the area that suits the Israeli head and the collaborations - definitely cause us to be in a good place in the world ranking today.
Our students, who, like in other sciences, travel abroad after completing their doctorate and do a post and return with a large personal burden, contribute to us. 88 world-renowned scientists from fields related to ours immigrated to Israel in the last five years and were accepted as faculty members at the various universities! They are definitely exposed to the greater world, and it also gives its signals. I think this is an area that is definitely suitable for research in the State of Israel and has a high impact."
What will happen at the next conference?
The purpose of the conference is to bring the best that we have in the academy and show how it will affect the economy. To show that there is progress in the field in the transition from one phase to another. In light of the program's achievements in the first five years, the government ministries - the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (the Office of the Chief Scientist), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Treasury - decided to continue funding the program for another five years, when the weight will change from a program intended to build the research-applied infrastructure In nanoscience and technology on which academia and industry will be based, for a program more focused on R&D that can be applied industrially within a reasonable time. The mission of the next 5 years will focus on strengthening the relationship with the industry and seeing that we can transfer some of the technology to start-up companies and possibly to industrial projects.
The new program actually started in 2012. The model of the distribution of funds is completely different in the second plan compared to the first plan. In the first phase, the funds were divided more or less equally among the universities. The Technion received the most because they started first, but more or less, the distribution was balanced. In the second phase of INNI, part of the money will be distributed equally and the other part will be distributed on a competitive basis. The judging of the programs will be based on the parameters of scientific excellence plus a contribution to the possibility of promoting Israeli industry and making an economic impact. It is being tested these days. Within a few weeks, the decisions will be made - 18 proposals were submitted, of which 12 proposals advanced - 2 from each university. This does not mean, God forbid, that the centers of excellence were made on a territorial basis only, and researchers from several universities were involved in a significant part of the proposals.
The Israel Nano Conference is definitely part of this picture. We want to show that on the one hand the academy has grown, the volume of activity has increased and also its scientific excellence is clearly evident. Regarding statistics - it is clear that the volume of activity has increased significantly, by about 50% if you look at the entire university over the last five years. This is a result of greater availability of resources in the reception of young faculty, students as well as in research infrastructures. This is expressed both in quality publications and in the amount of startups you can meet in our Israel. At the previous convention there were 24 industries that presented, including startups, and at this convention we reached 40 companies and there is simply no more room.
There are parameters such as the number of articles, students, and postdoctorates. The volume of activity has increased, its quality has improved because there are better means (when there are better clean rooms and better microscopes, you do better science. It's not one to one, but it certainly makes it possible to do better science."
As someone who sits on the seam between research and industry, how do they go together?
You cannot take a professor from the Weizmann Institute and tell him to do research and development. This is not the mission of the Weizmann Institute nor the rest of the academy. We are engaged in basic research and this is our main task, but if things come up that can become useful things - it goes through the application companies to satraps.
For example, I founded one company and am going to start another company that will be presented at the conference. NANO MEDICOT is intended for medical and HEALTHCARE uses of my materials which are many, including improved orthodontic treatments and improved root canal treatments. We are working on a series of projects that we hope will build skin and tendons and intend to produce patents that will serve the new company. There are two works that are close to completion based on collaborations with doctors from hospitals in Israel and one or two other projects that have started. All of these, in addition to the Nano Materials company that has existed for nearly ten years, in which I am involved in a minor way.
80-90% of my head is currently in basic work. In this I also see the scientific breakthrough. On the other hand, collaborations grew with doctors and medical students who come here and led to beautiful scientific works as well as interesting technologies. All this matured for me so that we started a company.
This is one example - there are quite a few initiatives of this type in other academic centers. Of course, in the Technion, and in the engineering faculties of the universities, it is more appropriate for start-up companies or industrial entrepreneurs to arise, since the industrial education and the relationship with the industry is closer there than at the institute.
And look ahead?
Nano-technologies will have a great significance on our daily lives in 5-10-20 years - if it is in better, stronger and lighter composite materials that will go into cars, planes, etc. If it is in the detection of diseases - then the role of nanoparticles will be huge, even to a certain extent in the detection of cancer cells - combined nano treatments. We will see nano technologies involved in the construction of tissues from stem cells, and of course in detectors. I think nanotechnology will have a very significant impact. It won't take two days, it takes its time, but we are seeing the beginning of it. You don't have to be a great prophet to ignite the future impact.
The academy developed the tools for nano research and continues to develop. No wonder that many of the nanotechnology innovations originate in academia. That's why the central importance of the academy in the maturation of technologies that will come to fruition. Per dollar invested, the promise is very great."
