Nanotechnology field in Israel attracts leading scientists from abroad

In the past six years, 101 world-class scientists have immigrated to Israel to become faculty members in universities in the field.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
nano material 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
nano material 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
In the past six years, 101 world-class scientists have immigrated to Israel to become faculty members in universities in the field of nanotechnology.
The Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative released these findings Thursday ahead of the fourth annual NanoIsrael 2014 international conference and exhibition set to take place in two weeks.
According to the INNI there are 220 junior scientists and post-doctorates in the field, with some 750 doctoral students and 850 master’s students currently studying nanotechnology.
Furthermore, in the past three years, there have been over 7,500 scientific papers published, of which 1,500 resulted from collaboration between universities.
“In the six years since declaring nanotechnology as a national priority, the field marked significant achievements,” conference co-chairman Rafi Koriat of INNI said this week.
In those years there were 830 collaborations between Israeli academia and industry (domestic and foreign) and 206 “success stories” in the form of start-up companies and approved patents, with more than 860 patents filed, according to INNI.
“The conference will be attended by large delegations and experts from around the world, who will come to Israel to experience its vibrant nanotechnology scene. Both industry and academia, with its six nanotechnology centers at the leading research universities, will feature strongly in the conference,” said Koriat.
He said that “commercializing technologies” would be a standout at this year’s conference.
NanoIsrael 2014 is scheduled to be held at the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv on March 24th and 25th.
Prof. Uri Sivan of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, a renowned scientist and the first head of the institute’s Russell Berry Nanotechnology Center, will cosponsor the conference and act as chairman of the scientific committee this year.
NanoIsrael 2014 is held in cooperation with INNI and the nanotechnology centers at Israeli universities, and is supported by the Economy Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and companies, universities and organizations from Israel and abroad.