Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Mass., Israel seek companies to apply for $2M in partnership grants

By Michelle Lang

Massachusetts and Israel are looking for life sciences, cleantech and clean energy companies to participate in a previously announced partnership between the two regions, and they’ve got $2 million to support the initiative and those companies.

The partnership includes Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Israel’s Chief Scientist Avi Hasson, the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation, and three Massachusetts economic development agencies – the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (the Center), the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) – formed the collaboration.

The Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (MIIP) was first announced in June at the BIO International Convention. Now, the partnership is looking to provide grant funding for industrial R&D collaborations between Massachusetts and Israeli companies. Applications from Massachusetts companies working with Israeli partners or Israeli companies working with Massachusetts partners are due Feb. 6, 2012.

To support the $2 million program, the three Massachusetts agencies are providing $1 million, with the other half coming in the form of matching dollars from the Office of the Chief Scientist in Israel.

According to a news release from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Massachusetts hosts almost 100 companies that have technologies licensed from Israel or founders from Israel. About 6,000 people, bringing in $2.4 billion in revenue to Massachusetts, came from these companies.

The MIIP is the result of Patrick’s trade mission to Israel in March.  “This exciting new program will promote research collaborations, industrial partnerships and commercialization of new technologies, expanding opportunity and job growth both in Massachusetts and in Israel,” Gov. Patrick said in a statement.