Four Israeli companies have won R&D grants from the Space Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership Program, founded in 2013 to support research, development, and commercialization of aerospace and technology projects that benefit both Israel and Florida.
The program is a joint initiative of Space Florida, the aerospace and spaceport development authority for the State of Florida, and the Israel Innovation Authority, an independent, publicly funded agency created to address the needs of the local and international innovation ecosystems.
The company pairs that won grants in the sixth round of awards are:
Nano Dimension (Ness Ziona, Israel) and Harris Corporation (Melbourne, Florida), for development of 3D printing materials on the International Space Station (ISS) for lower-cost manufacturing of small satellites.
SpacePharma (Herzliya, Israel) and CadW Therapeutics/Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Florida), which are developing a microfluidics Lab-On-A-Chip that analyzes stress and DNA damage/responses during space flight.
Polymertal (Haifa, Israel) and Semplastics (Oviedo, Florida), for the development of a novel variety of hybrid materials for aviation and space applications ranging from structural parts to electronic assemblies.
StemRad (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Lockheed Martin (Kennedy Space Center, Florida) will use their grant for final development and testing of AstroRad, a wearable radiation shield for astronauts, on the Orion EM-1 mission.
“Israel’s innovative aerospace sector is reaching new heights, on both a local and international level,” said Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority. “Joint research and development between cutting-edge companies from both Israel and Florida will help usher in the next generation of space exploration and build bridges resulting in groundbreaking innovations benefitting the entire aerospace industry.”
“For six years, the partnership between Space Florida and the Israel Innovation Authority has stimulated cutting-edge ideas and added to the body of research in aviation and aerospace. Today’s agreement will also expand into vital areas of shared concern like agriculture, clean water and cybersecurity,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.
[Photo: Israel21c]