Israel, a small country but widely recognized for its science and technological achievements, has been targeted as one of NSTDA’s strategic partner countries. Israel ranks number 1 in the world in terms of R&D expenditure in relation to GDP (about 4.8%), and has built an extensive knowledge-based society in a relatively short time. This small-but-cutting-edge country has sharply defined scientific and technological policies aimed at enhancing its competitive position. In science, it encourages the establishment of centers of excellence around key scientific priorities while at the same time, maintaining a level of quality across a broad spectrum of scientific fields. Israel's percentage of the total number of scientific articles published worldwide is almost 10 times higher than its percentage of the world's population.
Israel’s’ small size, lack of conventional energy sources, and scarcity of natural resources has spurred extensive research and development in a number of fields Israeli scientists have contributed to the advancement of agriculture, computer sciences and electronics, medicine and genetics, renewable energy and various fields of engineering. Israel is home to major players in the high-tech industry and has one of the world's most technologically-literate populations.
More than half of Israel is desert yet Israeli scientists have worked with farmers and agri-industry to develop advanced agricultural technology, water-conserving irrigation methods, anaerobic digestion, greenhouse technology, desert agriculture and salinity research. The result is one of the most successful intensive agricultural production systems in the world.
Our alliances
Agricultural Research Organization (ARO)
With a strong desire to transform “the barren land” into “the land of honey and milk”, Israel has focused on science and technology to help farmers ensure a year round supply of high quality agricultural produce. Agricultural research dates back to the end of the 19th century with the establishment of the Mikveh Israel School (1870). The Agricultural Station, set up in Tel Aviv (1921), eventually became the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), which is today Israel's major institution of agricultural research and development for the whole country.
Useful information from ARO
• Photoselective Netting
• A Novel Computer Simulation Model for Design and Management of Re-Circulating Aquaculture Systems
• Designing the Automatic Milking Farm in a Hot Climate
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Israel's oldest university was established in 1924 in order to train young men and women in the Middle East in engineering. Today, Technion, besides being a city of advanced research, stands as Israel’s leading scientific-technological university and one of the leading centers of research in the world.
Technion to the Marketplace – Some exceptional academic achievements:
• Technion graduates comprise the majority of Israeli-educated scientists and engineers, constituting over 70% of the country's founders and managers of high-tech industries
• 80% of Israeli NASDAQ companies are led by Technion graduates
• The Nobel Prize 2004 joint-winners in Chemistry, Professors Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover came from Technion‘s Faculty of Medicine.
• Professors Moussa Youdim and John Finberg from the Faculty of Medicine, together with Teva Pharmaceuticals, have developed rasagaline, a new anti-Parkinson's disease drug (Azilect®)
• The Gurwin TechSat II microsatellite, which was designed, built and launched by Technion, has successfully been in orbit since July 1998
The Weizmann Institute of Science
Established in 1949 as an initiative of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first President and also renowned chemist. The Weizmann is committed to playing a key role in the development of the State of Israel, and today the Weizmann is considered one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary research centers.
Some exceptional academic achievements:
• The Nobel Prize 2009 joint-winner in Chemistry, Professor Ada E. Yonath came from Weizmann’s Structural Biology Department
• Benjamin Franklin Medal 2010 winner in Computer and Cognitive Science, Prof. Shafrira Goldwasser came from the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU)
The vision of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurionto to bring life and development to Negev/ Beer-Sheva, a desert area comprising more than sixty percent of the country, led to the establishment of BGU in 1969. BGU continues to support David Ben-Gurion’s vision by conducting outstanding research in such fields as bio-tech, medicine, arid zone agriculture, solar energy and water resource management.
Some exceptional academic achievements:
• USAID’s five-year research grant of $ 659,000 has been awarded to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Palestinian researchers to develop a technology for reclamation and desalination of wastewater and increase water supply in the Middle East
• Professor Ora Kedem received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Desalination Technologies
• Scientists at French Associates Institute for Agriculture & Biotechnology of Dryland are world-recognized pioneers of microalgae utilizing technologies and desert aquaculture with geothermal, brackish and recycled water
Useful information from BGU
• Aquaculture in the Desert
• Algae Research: From Green Algae to Pink Salmon
• Oasis in the Desert
• Solar Surgery: Highlight of Desert Science
• The smart window and Solar energy
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Established in 1925, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a well-established research and teaching institution, encompassing humanities, science, medicine, education and agriculture.
Some exceptional academic achievements:
• The Nobel Prize in Economics 2005 joint-winner, Professor Robert J. Aumann from Center for Rationality Hebrew Jerusalem
• Prof. Daniel Cohn of the Hebrew University’s Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry received Kaye Awards for Innovation in developing a unique polymer as a material designed to prevent adhesions following surgery
• Prof. Howard Cedar and Prof. Aharon Razin, have been awarded the 2008 Wolf Prize in Medicine for their fundamental contributions to the control of gene expression and cancer research
IBM Research Laboratory, Haifa
The IBM Research Lab in Haifa (HRL) has conducted decades of research that have been vital to IBM's success. R&D projects are being conducted today in areas such as healthcare and life sciences, discovery, verification technologies, multimedia, active management, information retrieval, programming environments, business transformation, and optimization technologies. HRL is IBM's biggest research center outside the US.
IBM Research - Haifa is involved in over 30 EU-funded consortiums and conducts numerous joint projects with academic and industrial partners around the world.
Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor (MOITAL)
OCS is the official National Agency for industrial R&D cooperation charged with promoting highly supportive policies to build Israel's industrial infrastructure, and nurturing industrial innovation and entrepreneurship.
In recognition of its distance from global markets, the State of Israel enters into many international agreements to aggressively expand opportunities for Israel’s industry to engage in mutually beneficial international collaboration.
Innovations in Israel _MOVIE
MASHAV – Israel's Center for International Cooperation (MASHAV)
MASHAV, the organization under the Foreign Ministry of Israel, was launched in 1958 with the aim of sharing with the rest of the developing world the know-how and technologies which provided the basis for Israel’s own rapid development.
Since 1958, MASHAV has trained almost 200,000 course participants from approximately 140 countries in Israel and abroad and has developed dozens of demonstration projects worldwide in fields of Israeli expertise.
The Thai-Israeli Science and Technology Cooperation Conference
In July, 2009 NSTDA and the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv jointly organized the “Thai - Israeli Science and Technology Cooperation Conference” which marked the beginning of what has become an annual event which paves the way for joint research and knowledge exchange, and provides a forum for scientists/ researchers from both sides to explore and strengthen mutual collaboration.
Event chronicle:
• The 1st Thai - Israeli Science and Technology Cooperation Conference: The conference was held at NSTDA, Thailand Science Park during July 14-15, 2009 under 4 themes: Blood & Stem cells, Infectious diseases, Agro-Technology and Micro-algal Biotechnology.
• The 2nd Thai - Israeli Science and Technology Cooperation Conference: The conference was held at the Sofitel Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok during August 30-31, 2010 under 4 themes: Blood & Stem cells, Malaria, Agro-Technology and Micro-algal Biotechnology. 
• The 3rd Thai - Israeli Science and Technology Cooperation Conference will be held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok during May 30-31, 2011 under 4 themes: 1) Green Energy,
2) Post Harvest Technologies, 3) Pre Harvest Technologies, and 4) Productivity Improvement on Agricultural & Aquacultural products.
(Interested persons, please find our details and register online at http://www.nstda.or.th/register-thai-israeli by Monday, June 16, 2011).
MOUs with Israeli counterparts
1. MOU between NSTDA & the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (general scope of collaboration; signed in December 2009)
2. MOU between NSTDA & Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (cooperation in the areas of algal research and technology, agricultural research and technology, sustained agricultural management in dry or semi-arid climate; signed in February 2011)
MASHAV Training Program
The International Collaboration Division, Central Office of NSTDA is a dissemination centre to inform Thai researchers about scholarships and opportunities under the MASHAV Training Programs.
Successful candidates from NSTDA:
2010
- Training program under the topic of “Ensuring Food Safety in Times of Global Change”
Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Training duration from November 15 – December 9, 2010
1. Ms. Budsarin Osataworanun, Industrial Technology/Advisor Assistant, Technology Management Center (TMC)
2. Mr. Pornthep Meethunkij, Analyst, The National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC)
2011
- Training program under the topic of “Agri-Green Management: Agri-Environmental Considerations under Climatic Changes”
Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Training duration from May 30 – June 23, 2011
1. Ms. Wissara Chaisalee, Technical Officer, The National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC)
- Training program under the topic of “Research and Development of Integrated Pest Management”
Center for International Agricultural Development Cooperation (CINADCO)
Training duration from June 13 – July 6, 2011
1. Ms. Cheerapha Panyasiri, Research Assistant, The NationalCenter for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC)