HALIFAX — A new program to facilitate research and development partnerships between entrepreneurs and firms in Nova Scotia and Israel was announced Feb. 2 in Israel, Ottawa and Halifax.
The program aims to build stronger innovation and economic bridges between the province and Israel. It was initiated last November when Israeli Ambassador Rafael Barak met with Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil in Halifax.
The joint program brings together the Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist in the Ministry of Economy and the province of Nova Scotia through the Israeli Industry Center for R&D (MATIMOP), the Canada-Israel Industrial Research Development Foundation (CIIRDF), and the Embassy of Israel in Canada.
Called the Nova Scotia-Israel Innovation Program (NSIIP), the program will harness the complementary R&D expertise, experience and resources of both regions. The NSIIP will leverage investment from the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), Ministry of Economy in Israel; and the province of Nova Scotia through Innovacorp.
The program will enhance R&D partnership between Israel and Nova Scotia, and promote the joint creation and commercialization of high potential technologies in which collaborations between their start-ups could accelerate growth toward full scale operations and commercial success. Entrepreneurs will be able to combine their technological and business capabilities, and address key challenges during the precarious start-up phase of development, reducing the risk of new ventures while developing new channels to global markets.
Barak reflected on the close ties between Israel and Nova Scotia, beginning with David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, who trained as a young soldier at Fort Edward in Nova Scotia during World War I.
“We have recently strengthened these ties with several collaborative projects between Dalhousie University and Ben-Gurion University. Today’s announcement takes our bilateral relationship to the next level with a partnership in innovation that will open up new economic opportunities and foster even closer people-to-people connections.”
McNeil added, “We’re pleased to create a more formal collaboration between the vibrant technology start-up communities in Nova Scotia and Israel. This partnership will allow early-stage Nova Scotia companies to accelerate their growth through improved access to technology, global markets, business expertise and investment.”
Henri Rothschild, president of CIIRDF, stated: “CIIRDF was founded on a powerful vision: science and technology partnerships are major engines of economic growth, and deliver significant return on investment to all collaborators. The Nova Scotia-Israel Innovation Program will deliver on this value proposition and enrich companies in both jurisdictions. With a sharp focus on regional economic objectives, it will stimulate the development of novel products, open-up new global markets for collaborating firms, and ultimately increase the global competitiveness of Nova Scotia and Israel.”
The role of Innovacorp, Nova Scotia’s early-stage venture capital organization, is to find, fund and foster innovative Nova Scotia start-ups that strive to change the world. To kick-start the program, MATIMOP and CIIRDF will work closely with companies across Nova Scotia, including firms in Innovacorp’s portfolio, to identify key technological and business needs in Nova Scotia that could be addressed by Israeli companies and start-ups.
Parties will jointly facilitate matchmaking and broker new collaborations, as well as conduct bilateral calls for research and development proposals. Where possible, there will be co-funding of selected R&D projects by the OCS in Israel and Innovacorp in Nova Scotia. These initiatives will provide Nova Scotia and Israeli firms with a greater understanding of the technological strengths of each jurisdiction, business synergies, and long-term opportunities for R&D collaboration.