EUREKA is the largest industrial R&D program in the world. It spans 40 European countries, dispensing 1.5 billion Euros each year to over 200 R&D projects. This month, Israel concludes its one year rotating Chairmanship of Eureka, led by Dr. Eli Opper, former Chief Scientist. As Eureka celebrates its 25th anniversary celebration in Jerusalem, it is worth reviewing some of the programs that were strengthened by it.
One key achievement was launching “E!nnoVest”, a search & match web tool for investors and companies. This web-based instrument allows investors to identify highly-qualified and pre-screened companies from the EUREKA portfolio of technology start-ups. “With E!nnoVest, EUREKA can become a true deal-flow generator,” said Israel Shamay, Head of the Israeli EUREKA Chairmanship and Executive Director for European Programs at MATIMOP, the Israeli Industry Center for R&D. "Public funding schemes support the preliminary R&D stages of a company. However, private financing is also needed.”
This year placed greater focus on green technologies. For example, clean-tech start-ups from across Europe were paired with investors at the Eilat Energy Conference in February. This week will not only mark the 25th anniversary party and the Innovation Award Ceremony for early-stage, clean-tech companies, but also the fourth and last Eureka meeting to be held in Israel this year.
In particular, the E!nnovest program took on the challenge of helping start-ups obtain investment with the first ever Eureka Investors Shop, held at the HTIA conference this month in Jerusalem.
More than 50 companies participated, including the following:
Aeroscout (Israel): Uses WiFi-based Active RFID, sensors, RTLS and other technologies to provide wireless asset tracking and monitoring. Customers include Boeing, DHL, Freescale Semiconductor and over 300 hospitals.
Almira Labs (Spain): Offers telecom operators a variety of Value Added Services, particularly for the creation of network application stores.
Ethernity Networks (Israel): Provider of networking processing technology for mobile backhaul and broadband access, with emphasis on the Metro Ethernet.
GPVB Process Analysis and Solutions (Israel): Software provider for enterprises to reduce the risk, cost and effort in making internal IT and ERP changes. Customers include NICE Systems, Retalix and Alvarion.
Knowledg Development for POF (Spain): Fabless semiconductor company focused on the High Performance communications over Plastic Optical Fiber (POF). The company is focused on enabling the automotive infotainment market by means of the Media Oriented System Transport (MOST- 150) standard that currently includes more than 100 different car models from 5 major manufacturers.
Qmarkets: Enterprise social software for idea management across complex organizations. The company is providing prediction markets software, in some cases serving as many as 50,000 employees, for companies like Lockheed Martin, Merck and Swiss Post..
Smart-X Software (Israel): Software support for Systems Administrators to monitor their IT environment in real-time, including online computers (physical or virtual), users, applications, sessions and system configurations.
Softwatch (Israel): Software license management tool for CIOs, based on deep usage analysis. In addition to overseeing the usage of IT assets, enterprises are better positioned for transitioning the IT infrastructure to a hybrid and virtual environment.
Softneta (Lithuania): Healthcare software systems that specialize in medical imaging and image processing systems. These address the optimization of workflow processes for the Operating Room.
Read and Play (Israel): Educational software based on the integrated Toy-Musical-Notes (TMN) learning approach for reading and learning. After validation from the Israeli Ministry of Education as well as three research studies and five articles in professional journals, the company is expanding to the Alzheimer’s population.
Powersoft Computer Solutions (Cyprus): Software project, supported by the Ministry of Health and Education of Cyprus, to help children and their school administrators make healthier food choices. Students are informed and rewarded at the point of desire in school cafeterias, for healthy nutritional choices.
Driving Performance Solutions AS (Norway): Researches and develops digital solutions for the European Drivers Education industry. This includes an in-vehicle Traffic Teacher Support System with automated planning, booking, administrative and safety tools for teachers and schools.
Inphodrive (Israel): Eliminates the need for texting or looking at small screens while driving by offering in-vehicle, voice-activated, web access and messaging.
Road-Guard (Israel): Has developed a mobile and in-vehicle driver attention product called "Green Drive" that focuses on fuel-economy. Customers are PND (personal navigation device) makers, mobile phone manufacturers, mobile operators, automakers and automotive suppliers.
TransSpot (Israel): Develops advertising campaign management solutions for public transportation and stationary display systems. Their Ad-Stops advertising and content management platform lets advertisers create campaigns on-line and manage the details in real-time. Installations have occurred in Israel, Italy, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.
CallingID (Israel): White-label tool for service providers to protect their consumers from phishing, DNS spoofing, cross-scripting, identity theft and other forms of malicious, online fraud. Used by software vendors like CA (www.ca.com) and Content Watch (www.contentwatch) and ISPs like Comcast (www.comcast.com)
United Parents (Israel): Delivers comprehensive, personalized, online protection services, focusing on families and children. The technology uses "wisdom of the crowd" input to monitor relationships and map hundreds of behavioral dimensions over time, without jeopardizing individual privacy.
Sironta (Spain): P2P collaboration platform for Linux, Windows and Mac OS used for exchanging, creating and editing documents and files. Without creating a network, users can connect to share files of any type and size from anywhere in the world without violating any terms of confidentiality those documents may have.
Bityvip (Spain): A personalized, social intelligence recommendation engine that accompanies users as they navigate the internet, learning from their preferences as well as from the behavior of people with whom they share the most online experiences.
eyesight (Israel): Using a device''s standard 2D camera, along with real-time image processing and machine vision algorithms, users can remotely control a variety of devices, including mobile phones, TVs, tablets, notebooks, set top boxes, navigation systems, etc.
gohome (Croatia): Vertical search engine for real estate operating in 7 European countries. Gohome aggregates content from all real estate agencies, portals and sources in a relevant geography and provides free results, creating a direct connection between sellers and buyers.
Conceptic Interactive Menus (Israel): This is a rich media, interactive menu on an LCD touch-screen by the dining table. Customers view the menu with pictures and flash videos. In addition, consumers have access to a platform of entertainment and value-added applications like video games, social networking, etc.
B&M InterNets (Czech Republic): Software product focused on eLearning. Using real-time, non-intrusive to identify problems with student learning and take proactive approach toward addressing those negative patterns.
Handiconnexion (France): A technical platform for the disabled meant to match job seekers with recruiters.
Trimaran (France): Software tool for live coverage and 3D visualization of outdoor sporting events. The system entails capturing video without a camera- only with GPS trackers worn by the players. The product was successfully tested at several international sailing events in 2010.
Stream Semiconductors (Spain): Developed a new type of multi-standard TV receiver chips with secure streaming output. This can replace the Set Top Boxes inside the home with a single home gateway device, allowing each individual in the household to control their own personalized video service across devices.
Aespira (Israel): Drug delivery company specializing in the inhaled delivery of dry powder drugs using the company''s easy-to-use, single dose, disposable inhaler. Their HygieHaler is a whistle-shaped, dry powder inhaler (DPI) which efficiently delivers a single dose of an inhaled drug.
Alfama (Portugal): Develops carbon monoxide (CO) based therapies. Alfama develops CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) that can be administered orally or by injection across a range of diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis and pulmonary inflammation to colitis and ischemic injuries.
Allosterix (Israel): Drug design company focused on the design and discovery of novel allostric (specific) enzyme inhibitors. The company developed a platform technology to design oral drug-able inhibitors to any enzyme.
CartiCure (Israel): Addresses articular cartilage repair by using cartilage cells from an animal source (newborn mini-pigs). In pre-clinical animal studies (including primates, which have a human-like immune system), Cartimove produced the first documented case of implanted hyaline cartilage tissue coexisting with host cells in the same tissue.
Biotechpharma (Lithuania): The company focuses on the development of recombinant protein technologies (Protein biosynthesis and purification, proteomics research) applied biotech research and characterization of therapeutic protein molecules.
Coerruleus (Israel): Based on a proprietary bilingual spray formulation incorporating the active ingredient Flumazenil, a generic drug indicated to counteract GABAA related sedatives, currently administered only via intravenous (IV) injection. The technology is applicable for the sleep market, drug abuse, alcohol intoxication and other areas related to GABAA.
Polyrizon (Israel): Develops biological gels based on its capture and contain (C&C) platform technology. This can be adapted to protect the human body from pathogens such as pollen, viruses, bacterium, fungi, etc.
Seprox Biotech (Spain): Production process based on chemical and enzymatic methods to produce Hydroxytyrosol, the most potent natural antioxidant. Applications include cosmetic, pharmacy, nutrition and food.
Ortho-Ion (Israel): Developed and patented a device for cost-effective treatment of bone diseases, like bone infections (Osteomyelitis), non-unions and other defects. The device will be marketed as a single use disposable kit, at $3,000. Treatment takes less than two hours, applied under local anesthetic.
Medasense (Israel): Medical device that uses combination of multiple non-invasive sensors to measure pain levels during any procedure, at any time. All accredited US health facilities must provide appropriate pain assessment tools, meaning this pain monitoring device could be deployed widely.
Med-Storm Innovation (Norway): System capable of monitoring nociceptive stimuli / pain during anesthesia in infants, children and adults. The company is CE certified and has been selling the Pain Monitor device for three years.
Vaica Medical (Israel): The SimpleMed medication dispenser enables at-home care through GSM / landline access, call center connectivity and remote access to care givers. The in-home medical hub is connected via Bluetooth to health monitoring devices such as Glucometer, blood pressure devices and scale.
Bagheera (Croatia): Comprehensive biomechanical test and training device for the lower extremities. Every exercise can be performed as isokinetic, isotonic, ergo metric or in passive motion while isolated movements can be made both concentric and eccentric.
BSP-Biological Signal Processing (Israel): Develops and commercializes systems for non invasive diagnosis and monitoring of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), based on advanced signal processing of the ECG signal which integrates the company''s HyperQ technology.
EasyNotes Medical (Israel): Developing a set of tools for a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure for metabolic surgery. The endoscopic procedure creates a bypass of a portion of the small intestine and can be performed in an outpatient environment.
Melcart (Spain): System to apply fertilizers through the irrigation water (fertigation) in any automatic irrigation system. The sealed plastic buckets mimic are perforated by the machine (similar to a Nespresso coffee machine), which helps save water and improve efficiency.
Dali Medical Devices (Israel): Develops safe, auto needles that are single-use, disposable needles for use with all syringe types.
Exotech Bio Solutions (Israel): Biodegradable and biocompatible super absorbent polymer for use in disposable diapers as raw material to absorb urine.
Amsys (Israel): Developing a portable device for characterization of nano-particle content in bactericidal coatings for periodical at-site inspection and in-production monitoring.
3G Solar Photovoltaics (Israel): Has developed the world''s most efficient Dye Solar Cell (DSC) and is now working with FRET (Forester Resonant Energy Transfer) technology which have better response to occluded and low angle light, giving up to 40% more energy than comparable Silicon or Thin Film modules.
bSolar (Israel): Producer of silicon-based bifacial photovoltaic (PV) solar cells that provide up to 30% more electricity per cell at a low production cost, doubling the solar IRR. These mono-crystalline cells collect by their active backside the substantial amount of light reflected from both the earth and the atmosphere, yielding an additional 30% of output.
Solaris Synergy (Israel): Utilizes F-CPV (Floating Concentrated Photo Voltaic) technology on water surfaces, rather than land. The company has two live field tests with Mekorot / Watech, the Israeli national water company, and EDF, the French power company.
Solecta (Israel): Their Parallactic Tracking technology enables manufacturing of flat, fixed solar panels with internal contration and dynamic internal sun tracing. Thiese replace conventional fixed photovoltaic solar modules and provide a ten-fold reduction of the area of PV cells.
Cellera (Israel): First to market with Platinum-Free Membrane Fuel Cell (PFM-FC). This maintains the advantages of the leading form of Ploymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEM-FC), while alleviating major cost components, including the use of Platinum. This enables price parity with traditional lead acid and diesel generator solutions.
TriDiNetworks (Israel): Advanced software tools for Building Management Systems (BMS) which automates and simplifies the design, setup and maintenance of wired and wireless control networks. Their automatic tools enable setup in the field using off-the-shelf Smartphones and tablets with no dedicated specialists, ensuring lower cost.
Rosetta Green (Israel): Develops improved plant traits using genes called microRNAs for the agriculture and biofuel industries. The company specializes in "main bio-switches" to control key processes in major crops such as corn, wheat, rice, soybean, cotton, canola and algae.
Balmart (Spain): Has an environmental monitoring system based on wireless sensor networks to increase production, reduce consumption of water resources and optimize industrial processes for agriculture, Greenhouse, natural environments, parks and gardens, hydraulic systems and photobio-reactors.
BioLocus (Denmark): Develops environmentally friendly enzyme technology that prevents fouling on surfaces. The product replaces the toxic biocides used in today''s anti-fouling paint products.
Agazyme (Israel): Soy processing includes the production of soy proteins, soy milk and soy concentrates. Agazyme has developed an enzyme able to reduce the cost of processing soy. They are currently in the pilot stage with various soy processing companies.
Mazel Tov to the MATIMOP team for a successful, one year Eureka Chairmanship and sok szerencsét ("good luck") to Hungary as it takes over leadership for the organization.