Canada and Israel to renew R&D partnership

Ottawa, On – The Canadian and Israeli governments say they plan to renew their support for the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF), which promotes business-led research and development partnerships between Canada and Israel.

“Projects supported by CIIRDF have produced important technological advances, which benefit not only participating businesses, but help us to address national priorities in areas such as health care and the environment,” said David L Emerson, minister of industry. “Canada’s innovation performance depends increasingly on our ability to capitalize on technology opportunities around the globe, and the Canada-Israel partnership is an excellent model for how we can achieve this.”

Since CIIRDF’s inception in 1993, the governments of Canada and Israel have each contributed $1 million per year to the program. Government support for CIIRDF was most recently renewed in November 1999 for a five-year period, from fiscal year 2000-01 to 2004-05.

The Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation is an international role model for fostering innovation. The program grants seed money for basic advanced technological research and development to joint ventures of Canadian and Israeli small enterprises. Approved projects have demonstrated both commercial viability and outstanding contribution to the public good; for instance, cancer research.