Space Florida, Israel Innovation Authority Announce Sixth Round Winners of Innovation Partner Funding

EXPLORATION PARK, FL and JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (May 28, 2019) – 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, are pleased to announce the sixth-round winners of industrial research and development funding tied to the Space Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership Program.

In October 2013, Florida and Israel established a $2 million recurring joint fund to support research, development, and commercialization of aerospace and technology projects that benefit both Israel and Florida. For this Call for Projects, 12 joint proposals were submitted by teams of for-profit companies in Florida and Israel. Four teams have been selected for this sixth round of awards.

The winners are as follows:

• Harris Corporation (Melbourne, Florida) & NanoDimension (Israel) for the development of 3D printing materials on the International Space Station (ISS) for lower-cost manufacturing of small satellites.
• CadW Therapeutics/Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Florida) & SpacePharma (Israel) for the development of a microfluidics Lab-On-A-Chip that analyzes stress and DNA damage/responses during space flight.
• Semplastics LLC (Oviedo, Florida) & Polymertal (Israel) for developing a novel variety of hybrid materials suitable for aviation and space applications ranging from structural parts to electronic assemblies.
• Lockheed Martin (Kennedy Space Center, Florida) & StemRad (Israel) for final development and testing of AstroRad, a wearable radiation shield for astronauts, on the Orion EM-1 mission.

Each company will receive their respective funding awards from Space Florida and the Israel Innovation Authority.

“Today’s renewal of the Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership marks an important milestone both here in Israel and back home in Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Scientific exchange lifts our respective efforts and we achieve more in partnership than we do individually. 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.”

“Florida’s innovation partnership with Israel continues to flourish, supporting research, development and commercialization of aerospace and aviation technology,” said Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello. “We look forward to the success of the winning collaborations and congratulate the Florida and Israeli companies chosen as awardees in this latest call for projects.”

“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

.”In an event held today at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv congratulating the grantees, Space Florida and the Israel Innovation Authority also announced the signing of another Memorandum of Understanding continuing the fruitful partnership between Florida and Israel.

The next joint call for applications is expected to be released in September 2019. Florida-based companies interested in more information can visit www.spaceflorida.gov, while Israel-based companies can visit www.innovationisrael.org.il.

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About Space Florida: Space Florida was created to strengthen Florida’s position as the global leader in aerospace research, investment, exploration and commerce. As Florida’s aerospace and spaceport development authority, we are committed to attracting and expanding the next generation of space industry businesses. With its highly trained workforce, proven infrastructure and unparalleled record of achievement, Florida is the ideal location for aerospace businesses to thrive – and Space Florida is the perfect partner to help them succeed. www.spaceflorida.gov

‍About the Israel Innovation Authority: The Israel Innovation Authority, an independent publicly funded agency, was thus created to provide a variety of practical tools and funding platforms aimed at effectively addressing the dynamic and changing needs of the local and international innovation ecosystems. This includes early-stage entrepreneurs, mature companies developing new products or manufacturing processes, academic groups seeking to transfer their ideas to the market, global corporations interested in collaborating with Israeli technology, Israeli companies seeking new markets abroad and traditional factories and plants seeking to incorporate innovative and advanced manufacturing into their businesses.