FW: Israeli Update-Achievements 2006, Financial Assistance forms

 

INFORMATION ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS IS INCLUDED IN TODAY'S EMAIL:

 

ISRAELI UPDATE-ACHIEVEMENTS-2006

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FORMS

 

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 ISRAELI UPDATE-ACHIEVEMENTS-2006

6th of JANUARY 2007

The mainstream media gives the impression that all the Israelis do is kill Arabs – preferably women and children – or demolish Arab homes when not spending their days in bomb shelters dodging rockets.

However surprisingly, in 2006 Israel's economy grew by 4.8 percent, a rate higher than that of any country in the West. Inflation remained at zero and, for the first time, exports exceeded imports (by $2.2 billion). The Bank of Israel forecasts that next year this figure will reach $5.3 billion.

Foreigners accounted for 30% of the luxury market and for more than $1 billion in Israeli real estate, much of it in housing. Israel's booming real estate market is attracting big-name developers, such as Donald Trump who is planning to erect a 70-story Trump Plaza Tower in Ramat Gan, just west of Tel Aviv.


Highlights of Israeli achievements in 2006:

Israeli nanomaterial more powerful than a locomotive
Israeli company ApNano developed one of the most shock-resistant substances known, able to withstand pressures equivalent to dropping 8 diesel locomotives onto an area the size of a fingernail. It's so impressive that a European Union Commission has granted ApNano $14 million as part of a project to develop new composite coatings and lubricants based on their nanoparticles.

Johnson & Johnson looks to the future with Israeli science
Hebrew University's new partner, US healthcare giant Johnson and Johnson, has cast a vote of confidence for the Israeli university's cutting edge scientific research by investing in its work. According to a J&J executive, "These guys are pushing the science and if we put them next to our guys who are pulling the science... the result will be synergistic. We are going to have a lot of fun."

Israeli technology IDs traces of explosives
If it takes a rocket scientist to develop a high tech tool to prevent terrorists from carrying explosives on board an aircraft, then Ehud Ganani – CEO of Israel's TraceGuard Technologies – is in the right job. With a solid background in weapons technology, he is bringing TraceGuard's CarrySafe system to the market. By delivering greater speed and accuracy than current screening solutions based on manual checking, CarrySafe will make travel dramatically safer and more convenient.

Israeli start-up fights bioterrorism – in real time
An Israeli start-up has developed a unique bioterrorism detection system that works like a smoke detector. The BAS101 technology sets off an alarm the instant it detects a biological hazard, such as anthrax, in the air. It identifies the agent on the spot, enabling officials to take immediate action instead of awaiting the return of test results from a lab. This is the first early-detection biodetector developed specifically for civil applications in public places.

Torino Olympics saved by Israeli snow-making technology
When Italy faced the prospect of snowless mountains only a month before the Winter Olympics, the organisers turned to Israeli water-valve manufacturers Bermad for their expertise in producing artificial snow. Let the Games begin!

Study shows Israeli elderberry extract effective against avian flu
Sambucol, an Israeli-developed elderberry treatment based on an old folk remedy has been proven, in new in-vitro tests, to be 99% effective against the avian-flu virus. While it is too soon to know if the treatment – invented by world-renowned virologist Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu – can cure avian flu in humans, British trials hold out hope that it may aid in stopping the spread of this disease.

Israeli start-up turns organic waste into energy
After you've enjoyed a tangy olive, don't throw away the pit. Thanks to the energy-saving technology of Israeli start-up Genova, the pits, along with other organic waste, could soon be providing a clean, green alternative to fossil fuels for heat and electricity production.

Israel's Brainsway stimulates a magnetic remedy for depression
Israeli company Brainsway has developed a non-invasive technique, deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, said to be effective in treating depression without the negative side effects. The technique has great potential for treating a wide range of other mental illnesses, including Alzheimer's, drug addiction, and schizophrenia, and could revolutionise the world of psychiatric care.

Landfill gas gaining popularity in Israel
Landfill gas emissions were first harnessed for energy production in Israel in 2002. Kibbutz Evron in western Galilee, where methane gas collected from decomposing trash produces about 1,000 kilowatts of electricity per hour, saves more than $300,000 a year in electricity bills.

Israel's life-sciences industry saving lives
Over the past decade, Israel's life-science industry grew by more than 16% annually (to $1 billion in 2006) and Israelis now hold the most medical-device patents per capita in the world. Notably, the 'PillCam', patented by Israeli start-up Given Imaging, has served more than 260,000 patients by allowing doctors to see a full-colour video of a individual's gastro-intestinal tract.

Israeli surveillance cameras help the US stay 'vigilant'
Israel's Vigilant Technologies is protecting Americans from crime and terrorism in dozens of locations around the US. In New York City alone, police have over 3,000 Vigilant cameras dotting the streets of Manhattan in what is probably one of the largest digital monitoring installations in the world.  

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FORMS

PLEASE NOTE:

 

Due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday on Monday, January 15, Financial Assistance packages may be turned in to the office on Tuesday, January 16.  The deadline previously was indicated as Monday, January 15.

 

 

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