The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is strengthening its ties with Israel, a world leader in technology. To that end, Europe’s largest organization for applied research is cooperating with the Israeli industrialist Stef Wertheimer.
The goal of the partnership is to bring Fraunhofer institutes together with companies, research institutions, and the public sector in Israel. To further this goal, Fraunhofer and Lavon industrial park have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint communications platform.
Wertheimer owns the Lavon complex, which is located to the north of Haifa. The partnership will give Fraunhofer access to networks of excellence in Israel and the opportunity to work with its companies, universities, and research institutions.
For their part, the Israelis will gain the opportunity to network with Fraunhofer institutes and scientists. Further goals include launching joint research projects, organizing scientist exchanges, and intensifying educational transfer.
Initially, activities will focus on manufacturing-centered industry in northern Israel. The further strategic development of the partnership will be the responsibility of an expert group led by Wertheimer and Raoul Klingner, Director International Business Development at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
Other supporters include Emanuel Liban, Chairman of the Israeli Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Prof. Rafael Wertheim, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Chemnitz and a close confidant of Wertheimer’s.
The Fraunhofer organization is one of the leading research and development establishments in the world, maintaining 67 institutes in Europe, USA, China and India with a combined research budget for 2014 of 1.9 billion Euros, out of which 1.6 billion is generated by contractual research and development activities.
