The consortia, which are developing process control, water, and low-power electronic components, will receive NIS 55 million.
The Magnet Program committee, headed by Chief Scientist Dr. Eli Opper, has approved follow-on budgets amounting to NIS 55 million for three consortia. The Magnet Program (Generic Pre-Competitive Technologies and R&D) at the Office of the Chief Scientist organizes joint ventures by companies and research institutes to develop generic technologies for future products.
Magnet Program director Ilan Peled said that 13 consortia were currently active in developing various technologies. The approval of the follow-on funding for the three consortia is based on their achievements to date.
Opper added that continuity of Magnet Program consortia made it possible to focus on long-term R&D projects.
The three consortia that have obtained funding are:
- NIS 20 million for IMG4, which is developing imaging machinery for process control that will function effectively and precisely without the need for expert supervision or the need for frequent calibration. The consortium members are Orbotech Ltd. (Nasdaq: ORBK), KLA-Tencor Corporation (Nasdaq: KLAC), Applied Materials Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT), Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (Nasdaq:NVMI; TASE:NVMI), Applied Spectral Imaging Ltd., CogniTens Ltd., Ben Gurion University of the Negev and Technion Israel Institute of Technology.
- NIS 18 million for MIM, which is developing solutions to biofilms on the surfaces of water treatment and transport systems, as part of efforts to deal with water shortages around the world. The problem of biofilms is especially critical at alternative water sources and surface water sources, where microorganisms block filters and pumps, and damage pipes. The consortium members are Mekorot National Water Company, GES - Global Environmental Solutions Ltd., Amiad Filtration Systems Ltd. (AIM:AFS), BG Polymers Ltd., Netafim Ltd., Bromine Compounds Ltd., BPT (Bio-Pure Technology) Ltd., Atlantium Technologies Ltd., and Tahal Group.
- NIS 17 million for Alfa, which focuses on power output in new designs for electronic components, and control of low-power technologies for innovative components. The consortium has completed its first year of activity, towards the end of which it doubled its members. Its members are Applied Materials, Zoran Corp. (Nasdaq: ZRAN), Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: TSEM; TASE: TSEM), Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX), Ceva Inc. (Nasdaq:CEVA); LSE:CVA), Altair Semiconductor Ltd., Comsys Communications and Signal Processing Ltd., Ben Gurion University, and the Technion.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 23, 2008
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