10.24.12, 08:11–Israel’s scientific cooperation with Europe is in danger, as the government has yet to approve the transfer of NIS 700 million (about $185 million) a year to the European Union’s Seventh Research Framework Program due to “budgetary difficulties.”

For year, the program has allowed the Israeli industry and academia to participate in European research and win research grants, which only in the past five years totaled €20 billion ($26 billion). Terminating the project would be a death-blow to the academic-industrial research in Israel.

Andrew Standley, head of the delegation of the European Union to the State of Israel, hosted an event last weekend in honor the 361 Israeli recipients of more than NIS 600 million ($155 million) in research grants in the past year, as part of the EU’s Seventh Research Framework Program.

During the event, EU officials said Israel must clarify as soon as possible whether it plans to pay for its participation in the new program, Horizon 2020, which begins next year and is valued at €80 billion ($105 billion). If Israel decides not to participate, it will not be able to return for the next seven years…Read More>>

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