ISRAELI INDUSTRY CENTER FOR R & D  MATIMOP

EUREKA Office

EUREKA is a Europe-wide network promoting collaborative market-driven research and development (R&D) projects in most fields of advanced civilian technology. The network was created in 1985 and has attracted 29 full members: all 15 member countries of the European Union as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Switzerland ,Turkey, Latvia and Croatia.. Israel was accepted in EUREKA as full Member at the EUREKA Ministerial Conference in Hannover in June 2000. The European Commission completes the list ot members

EUREKA's objective is to help raise the productivity and competitiveness of European industries and economies. Together Europe's industries have the resources to match those of their competitors. However, unlike them, they are separated by language barriers and legal and cultural differences. The EUREKA initiative acts as an "enabling network", helping project participants to find partners to cooperate. The mechanism itself complements individual national R&D programmes and those of the European Commission.

EUREKA projects are market driven and "bottom-up", The partners themselves not only define the project content, time scale and costs, but also maintain control. They decide which partners are to be let into the project. The project participants keep the full Intellectual Property Rights of the developments created. Resources and expertise are pooled, risks and costs are shared, enabling larger projects to be established.

EUREKA projects benefit from easier access to national funding.

EUREKA umbrellas that are of particular interest to Israeli copmanies include:

FACTORY - the EUREKA umbrella devoted to generating and supporting projects in the manufacturing areas.

EUROAGRI - aims to generate new EUREKA projects in the field of the food industry and basic related sectors.

Israeli partners may initiate or participate in any EUREKA projects. A project needs at least one other partner from another EUREKA member country to become endorsed as EUREKA project. Partners may aslo include major users providing project input or beta-site facilities, research institutes or universities. The R&D content of the project must concern development or application of innovative technologies within the EUREKA scope.The project must result in a marketable product, process or service and the partners must show, that they have the resources to manage the project succesfully.

1. Partner search for project suggestions.
2. Assistance in defining and setting up the project.
3. Support in finding state-of-the-art technological and industrial knowledge and project information.
4. Support in getting public funding for the project.
5. Help in standardisation and regulatory matters.
6. Organisation of dedicated thematic events to facilitate meeting potential collaborators in R&D and business.
7. Synergy with the manufacturing RTD programmes of the European Commission.
8. Attainment of a high technological profile through the EUREKA "Seal of Excellence".

Any Israeli company having a proposal fitting the EUREKA project criteria can submit it as a EUREKA suggestions for registration in the EUREKA's Database. Once at least one additional partner from an other EUREKA Member country has joined in and the NPC's have agreed to accept the project as a EUREKA project, the NPC of the Main partner will submit it to the EUREKA network for circulation as "Proposal". After a circulation period of 45 days the project will be brought to the HLG (High Level Group) for endorsment and later on to the Ministerial Conference for labeling as an EUREKA project.

The EUREKA Office at MATIMOP receives routinely and simultaneously early information on all proposals and all projects being circulated in the network. MATIMOP will also organize participations of representatives of Israeli companies in EUREKA's industrial conventions and brokerage events.

The EUREKA Office at MATIMOP disseminates EUREKA information within Israel and informs Israeli industry about opportunities circulated in EUREKA's network. Conversely, the EUREKA Office at MATIMOP will also pass on information on project suggestions from Israel to the EUREKA network.

The EUREKA Office at MATIMOP is your interface with the EUREKA ? organization. The National Project Coordinators (NPC's) are responsible for project assessment at the national and the international level. In Israel, the Israeli EUREKA NPC at MATIMOP together with the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, assesses your suggestions, proposals or plans to join a project.

Step 1: Prepare and submit your EUREKA  Application Form to the Israeli National Project Coordinator (NPC) at MATIMOP.(Obtain the the form generating software from MATIMOP or download it from the EUREKA Website at http://eureka.belspo.be/

Step 2: The Israeli NPC at MATIMOP and the Chief Scientist’s Office will make a preliminary assessment of the project in order to grant it EUREKA Consideration status. This will permit to pursue your application.

Step 3: The NPC at MATIMOP will submit a preliminary EUREKA Application to ??EUREKA?? indicating Israel's support of your application. EUREKA decides if your suggestion or application shall be pursued.

Step 4: Organize with your partners financing and management of the project. Submit the draft of the Application Forms for R&D Grants to the Chief Scientist’s Office and obtain approval The Israeli NPC at MATIMOP then informs EUREKA of Israel's approval and support of the application.

Step 5: The European EUREKA partners submit their EUREKA application to their NPC's (National Project Coordinators).

The NPC's decide to grant the project EUREKA Status. It will be declared publicly as an EUREKA Project at the next Ministerial Conference.

EUREKA Office
Email: [email protected]