4-May-2023: India-Israel Friendship - Beginning of a New Era of Industrial Research and Development Cooperation
In a momentous milestone in S&T cooperation between India and Israel, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation was signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) of the Republic of India and the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), under the Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel.
Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR thanked the Hon’ble Minister of State(IC), Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, GoI and Vice President, CSIR Society for gracing the meeting and his continued support to CSIR. She welcomed the dignitaries and gave an overview of CSIR, showcasing its technological and research prowess as also the ongoing collaboration discussions with DDR&D, Israel in Aerospace, Healthcare, Energy. Sharing CSIR’s priority topics she concurred to the interest of DDR&D for furthering collaboration with Israel in high technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum and semiconductors, synthetic biology etc.
Acknowledging the ongoing cooperation efforts of CSIR and his team, Dr. Daniel Gold, Head, DDR&D envisioned that the CSIR-DDR&D cooperation would be beneficial for the welfare of both the countries. He added that DDR&D welcomes collaboration not only with R&D organizations but also with start-ups and companies, venture capitals on both sides. He apprised that AI and photonics are strengths of Israel and welcomed cooperation with CSIR in High Technology sectors which would pave the way for building a better future.
Stressing the successful completion of three decades of India-Israel successful diplomatic relations, Mr. Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India emphasised the close friendly relations between Israel and India, which have culminated into a strategic partnership after the complimentary visits of Prime Ministers of both the countries in 2018. The present CSIR-DDR&D cooperation would add another feather and be a milestone for India-Israel relations.
Dr N Kalaiselvi and Dr. Daniel Gold signed the CSIR-DDR&D MoU in the august presence of Hon’ble Minister of S&T, Government of India and Vice President, CSIR Society, Dr Jitendra Singh.
The MoU shall enable cooperation in the industrial R&D programs in mutually agreeable industrial technology fields through implementation of specific projects. The collaboration would encompass some of the key industrial sectors including Healthcare; Aerospace & Electronics Instrumentation; Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering; Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Sustainable Energy including Energy Devices; Ecology, Environment, Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water; Mining, Minerals, Metals & Materials; Agriculture, Nutrition & Biotechnology. The collaboration through the MoU would be steered and the execution monitored by a Joint Steering Committee led by the heads of the CSIR and DDR&D for taking forward mutually benefiting Industrial and technology cooperation.
Specific collaboration on Hydrogen and Aerospace currently under discussed between CSIR and DDR&D were briefed by Dr Abhay Pashilkar, Director, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), and Dr Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL); they welcomed collaboration on futuristic technologies in these domains, including in High Altitude Platform, Hydrogen Valley programs of CSIR, respectively.
Specific collaboration on Therapeutics between CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) and M/s 101 Therapeutics for conducting clinical trials of a COVID-19 drug having enormous therapeutic potential was briefed; if successful this would prove to be highly appropriate and effective for preparation of future pandemics. The cooperation MoU between CSIR-IICT and M/s 101 Therapeutics was also signed during the meeting.
In his remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh said that it is a very important year in the S&T sphere of India under the leadership of PM of India as India is holding G20 presidency, celebrating the International year of Millets, as also India and Israel completed 30 years of successful diplomatic relations.
He apprised that CSIR has specialized laboratories in almost all the identified priority sectors therefore assured appropriate competence for this cooperation. For e.g. indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell bus by CSIR-NCL, purple revolution (Lavender cultivation) by CSIR-IIIM. He welcomed technology partnership with Israel and congratulated both sides for their efforts to strengthen the India-Israel relationship.
4-May-2023: India-Israel Friendship - Beginning of a New Era of Industrial Research and Development Cooperation
In a momentous milestone in S&T cooperation between India and Israel, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation was signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) of the Republic of India and the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), under the Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel.
Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR thanked the Hon’ble Minister of State(IC), Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, GoI and Vice President, CSIR Society for gracing the meeting and his continued support to CSIR. She welcomed the dignitaries and gave an overview of CSIR, showcasing its technological and research prowess as also the ongoing collaboration discussions with DDR&D, Israel in Aerospace, Healthcare, Energy. Sharing CSIR’s priority topics she concurred to the interest of DDR&D for furthering collaboration with Israel in high technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum and semiconductors, synthetic biology etc.
Acknowledging the ongoing cooperation efforts of CSIR and his team, Dr. Daniel Gold, Head, DDR&D envisioned that the CSIR-DDR&D cooperation would be beneficial for the welfare of both the countries. He added that DDR&D welcomes collaboration not only with R&D organizations but also with start-ups and companies, venture capitals on both sides. He apprised that AI and photonics are strengths of Israel and welcomed cooperation with CSIR in High Technology sectors which would pave the way for building a better future.
Stressing the successful completion of three decades of India-Israel successful diplomatic relations, Mr. Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India emphasised the close friendly relations between Israel and India, which have culminated into a strategic partnership after the complimentary visits of Prime Ministers of both the countries in 2018. The present CSIR-DDR&D cooperation would add another feather and be a milestone for India-Israel relations.
Dr N Kalaiselvi and Dr. Daniel Gold signed the CSIR-DDR&D MoU in the august presence of Hon’ble Minister of S&T, Government of India and Vice President, CSIR Society, Dr Jitendra Singh.
The MoU shall enable cooperation in the industrial R&D programs in mutually agreeable industrial technology fields through implementation of specific projects. The collaboration would encompass some of the key industrial sectors including Healthcare; Aerospace & Electronics Instrumentation; Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering; Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Sustainable Energy including Energy Devices; Ecology, Environment, Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water; Mining, Minerals, Metals & Materials; Agriculture, Nutrition & Biotechnology. The collaboration through the MoU would be steered and the execution monitored by a Joint Steering Committee led by the heads of the CSIR and DDR&D for taking forward mutually benefiting Industrial and technology cooperation.
Specific collaboration on Hydrogen and Aerospace currently under discussed between CSIR and DDR&D were briefed by Dr Abhay Pashilkar, Director, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), and Dr Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL); they welcomed collaboration on futuristic technologies in these domains, including in High Altitude Platform, Hydrogen Valley programs of CSIR, respectively.
Specific collaboration on Therapeutics between CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) and M/s 101 Therapeutics for conducting clinical trials of a COVID-19 drug having enormous therapeutic potential was briefed; if successful this would prove to be highly appropriate and effective for preparation of future pandemics. The cooperation MoU between CSIR-IICT and M/s 101 Therapeutics was also signed during the meeting.
In his remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh said that it is a very important year in the S&T sphere of India under the leadership of PM of India as India is holding G20 presidency, celebrating the International year of Millets, as also India and Israel completed 30 years of successful diplomatic relations.
He apprised that CSIR has specialized laboratories in almost all the identified priority sectors therefore assured appropriate competence for this cooperation. For e.g. indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell bus by CSIR-NCL, purple revolution (Lavender cultivation) by CSIR-IIIM. He welcomed technology partnership with Israel and congratulated both sides for their efforts to strengthen the India-Israel relationship.
2022
11-May-2022: Union Agriculture and Farmers welfare Minister of India meets with Agriculture and Rural Development Minister of Israel at Jerusalem
A Round Table meeting between Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Narender Singh Tomar and Agriculture & Rural Development Minister of Israel, Mr. Oded Forer was held on 11-05-2022 in Parliament House, Jerusalem during the visit of Indian delegation to Israel. The Minister discussed various issues related to modern agro techniques, capacity building, transfer of knowledge know-how and support in the fields of agriculture, water management, environment and rural development with the Minister of Agriculture, Israel and other stakeholders, keeping in view the scope and potential of agriculture development in both the countries.
During the interaction, MASHAV’s agricultural cooperation programmes and other stakeholders professional training activities in India were appreciated. The Minister stated that Indian Government has to explore the possibilities to adopt MASHAV’s activities in India focusing on capacity building and transfer of knowledge for which Centres of Excellence will be established in each State.
The deliberations during the meeting of Indian delegation with Agriculture & Rural Development Minister of Israel were extremely beneficial for agriculture development in India.
6-Apr-2022: Indo-Israel bilateral workshop on Quantum Technologies concludes
A two-day Indo-Israel Bilateral workshop on Quantum Technologies (I2QT-2022), organised by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE), IIT Delhi has concluded in New Delhi on April 06, 2022. The objective of the workshop was to deliberate on quantum technologies, evolve a joint quantum technology roadmap and plan for developing technologies by collaboration between both the countries.
The concluding session, chaired by Dr VK Saraswat, Member Niti Aayog, was held as the brainstorming session to evolve further roadmap and specific areas of collaboration. This workshop is a crucial step towards bringing together the research fraternity for increasing the pace of research in the field of quantum technologies.
The workshop was the next step of the Bilateral Innovation Agreement (BIA) signed between DRDO, India and Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), Israel in November 2021 to promote innovation and accelerated R&D in startups and MSMEs of both countries. The MoU was to promote the development efforts on various technologies including quantum technology by joint funding by DRDO, India and Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), Israel. The technologies developed under BIA will be available to both countries for their domestic applications.
The workshop was attended by Indian and Israeli delegations consisting of academic experts, R&D professionals and Industry partners. Total 175 experts and scientists from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Tirupati, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (JPIT) Noida, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Centre for Development of Telematics (CDoT) and Department of Space participated in this workshop.
Many startups and MSMEs from Indian industry participated and presented their work. From Israel, representatives of Israel's Ministry of Defense and delegates from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) also participated in the workshop discussions. Many technical sessions in the identified technology areas were held in this two-day workshop. The areas of discussions were around photonics-based quantum computing, sensing, encryption, quantum magnetometry, atomic clocks and free space quantum communication. The collaborative research proposals discussed during the workshop will help in evolving technological solutions for various applications. The quantum technology has multiple applications ranging from scientific exploration to secured communication, gravimetry and navigation, etc.
The two-day workshop was inaugurated by Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO and Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director IIT Delhi on April 05, 2022.
28-Jan-2022: India-Israel agree to further enhance cooperation in the agricultural sector
Israeli Ambassador to India Shri Naor Gilon called on the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan on 27th January 2022. Welcoming the Ambassador, Shri Tomar congratulated him on taking over as the Ambassador of Israel to India. Shri Tomar expressed happiness on the completion of 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel. The Minister expressed satisfaction at the functioning of 29 Centers of Excellence in 12 States which are producing more than 25 million vegetable plants, over 387 thousand quality fruit plants and can train more than 1.2 lakh farmers per year.
Union Minister Shri Tomar informed that it has been decided to convert 150 villages around the Centers of Excellence into Villages of Excellence with technical assistance from Israel, out of which 75 villages are being taken up in the first year to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence where India and Israel will work together. Shri Tomar also highlighted the various schemes that have been launched by the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the welfare of farmers, including PM-Kisan, Agri-Infrastructure Fund, formation of 10 thousand FPOs, Schemes for promotion of organic farming, natural farming and soil health cards etc.
The Ambassador of Israel Shri Gilon expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the Centers of Excellence, stating that these CoEs are a great example of cooperation between the two countries. The Ambassador appreciated the working of ICAR institutes and showed interest in further collaboration with ICAR and making available the latest technologies available with Israel. He proposed the certification of CoEs to further enhance the standards and quality of services being provided to the farmers. He also invited Union Minister Shri Tomar to visit Israel. Shri Tomar appreciated the Ambassador's proposals, agreed to work on them and thanked the Ambassador and the officers from the Embassy of Israel for their cooperation.
19-Jan-2022: Experts from India and Israel suggested expanding scope of India-Israel Industrial R&D & Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)
Experts from India and Israel deliberated on widening the scope of India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) at its 8th Governing Body meeting. They approved 3 joint R&D projects worth 5.5 million $ and suggested measures to create a broader India-Israel collaborative ecosystem.
The I4F programme has a lot of potentials. This board meeting will give us new thoughts, new directions on how to go forward,” said Dr. S Chandrasekhar, Secretary, DST & India Co-Chair, acknowledging the contribution made by Israel to S&T.
“So far, the priority areas have been Agriculture, Security and other important areas. There is further scope of increasing the quantum of projects received, which calls for the need to conduct more online meetings amongst the startup eco-system of Israel and India.”
He mentioned that 16th January has been announced as ‘Innovation Startup Day’ by Honourable PM of India, which is a big beginning for India. “Given that this is the 50th year of operations of DST, it will be a great year with more and more Industries coming forward,” he added.
The discussions took place in virtual mode on 18th January 2022 in the presence of officials from the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt of India, Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), GITA and various Industries partners.
Dr. Amiram Appelbaum, Co-Chair, Israel and Chairman of the Board, IIA, said that despite the difficult times of the pandemic, it is critical to continue the efforts of collaboration. “I4F is one of the examples of collaborations which we want to carry forward. We look forward to go through interesting applications of projects submitted in this programme,” he stressed.
The governing body ratified the Minutes of Seventh Governing Board Meeting, which was followed by approval to 3 joint R&D projects with an overall budget of 5.4 million $. The projects were ‘Centrally Monitored IoT Nanosensors for Molecular Diagnostics in Healthcare and Screening Applications’, ‘NoMoreMos- a mosquito control biological solution’ and ‘IoT enabled satellite communication for real-time collection of agriculture and environment data across India’.
The members further discussed the status of ongoing projects under the I4F since 2018. Israel side introduced the new I4F website and matchmaking platform developed as a measure to increase the popularity of the joint programme and presented a list of programmes planned for 2022. The members mutually decided on a strategy for the new phase of I4F 2.0, which included widening the scope of the fund by determining technical feasibility and market acceptability of new products or technologies, co-developing products or technologies for commercialization, co-testbed products or technologies for commercialization in R&D and pilot areas. It also included co-developing disruptive technologies in strategic sectors together with research performers involving academia as well. The members also suggested the need to focus on Partnership Development Activities like more business activities with Indian and Israeli companies and startups through series of online events, follow up B2B meetings.
Mr. Vishwajit Sahay Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser DST, Mr. S Gopalakrishnan Chairman, Axilor Ventures & Co-Founder, Infosys Mr. R. Ramanan Former Mission Director & Additional Secretary, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India, Mr. Dror Bin, CEO, Israel Innovation Authority, Israel, Mr. S K Varshney Adviser & Head, International Cooperation (Bilateral) Division, DST were among the members present in the meeting.
India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) fund is a cooperation between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Israel Innovation Authority, Government of Israel to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D projects between companies from India and Israel to address the challenges in the agreed ‘Focus Sectors’. I4F is aimed to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D between India & Israel, which would lead to the co-development and commercialization of innovative technologies benefiting both countries. Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA) is appointed to implement the I4F program in India, while Israel Innovation Authority is the implementing agency in Israel.
2021
2-Nov-2021: Prime Minister's Meeting with Prime Minister of Israel on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow, UK
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met H.E. Mr. Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow on November 2, 2021. This was the first meeting between the two Prime Ministers.
The two leaders reviewed bilateral strategic partnership and expressed satisfaction over the progress made in diverse sectors. They agreed on further expanding cooperation, especially in the areas of high-technology and innovation.
Recalling that next year would mark 30 years of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel, Prime Minister extended invitation to Mr. Bennett to visit India.
29-Oct-2021: 15th India-Israel Joint Working Group meeting in Tel Aviv
India-Israel Joint Working Group (JWG) on Bilateral Defence Cooperation has agreed to form a Task Force to formulate a comprehensive Ten-Year Roadmap to identify new areas of cooperation.
This was decided at the 15th JWG meeting held on October 27, 2021 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and the Director General of the Israel’s Ministry of Defence, Maj Gen (Retd) Amir Eshel.
The JWG is the apex body between the Ministry of Defence of India and Israel’s Ministry of Defence to comprehensively review and guide all aspects of Bilateral Defence Cooperation.
The two sides reviewed the progress made in Military to Military engagements including exercises and industry cooperation. The Co-chairs were also appraised on the progress made by the Sub Working Groups (SWG) on Defence Procurement & Production and Research & Development.
It was also decided to form a SWG on Defence Industry Cooperation and in this regard a Terms of Reference was signed between the two sides. The formation of this SWG would enable efficient utilisation of bilateral resources, effective flow of technologies and sharing industrial capabilities. It was also decided to schedule the Service level Staff talks in a specific time frame.
It was agreed to hold the next JWG in India on mutually convenient dates.
24-May-2021: India and Israel sign a three-year work program for cooperation in Agriculture
Taking forward the ever-growing partnership in agriculture between Israel and India, the two governments have agreed to enhance their cooperation in agriculture and signed a three-year work program agreement for development in Agriculture cooperation, while affirming the ever-growing bilateral partnership and recognizing the centrality of agriculture and water sectors in the bilateral relationship.
India and Israel are implementing the “INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”.
MIDH, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India, and MASHAV - Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation - are leading Israel’s largest G2G cooperation, with 29 operational Centres of Excellence (COEs) across India in 12 States, implementing Advanced-Intensive agriculture farms with Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions. The Centres of Excellence generate knowledge, demonstrate best practices and train farmers. Every year, these COEs produce more than 25 million quality vegetable seedlings, more than 387 thousand quality fruit plants and train more than 1.2 lakh farmers about latest technology in the field of horticulture.
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said that the agriculture sector always remains a priority for India. Due to the agrarian policies of the Government of India, there is a definite change in the lives of the farmers and the agriculture sector. Increasing the farmers' income is the determination of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The minister said that India and Israel have had bilateral relations since 1993 in the agricultural sector. This is the 5th IIAP. “So far, we have successfully completed 4 action plans. This new work programme will further strengthen the bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture for the benefit of the farming community. The COEs established under these Israeli-based action plans are playing an important role in doubling farmers’ income. The exchange of technology between India and Israel will greatly improve the productivity and quality of horticulture, thereby increasing the income of farmers”, he added.
Shri Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare said, “These Centers of Excellence established under Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan (IIAP) have become epicentres of transformation in horticulture sector. Our focus during the new work programme will be to convert the villages surrounding these COEs into Villages of Excellence through massive outreach programmes”.
Ambassador Dr. Ron Malka said, “The three-year work program (2021-2023) reflects the strength of our growing partnership and will benefit local farmers both through the Centers of Excellence and the Villages of Excellence”.
The work program will aim to grow existing Centres of Excellence, establish new centers, increase CoE’s value chain, bring the Centres of Excellence into the self-sufficient mode, and encourage private sector companies and collaboration.
As for the “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”, this is a new concept aimed at creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across eight states, alongside 13 Centers of Excellence within 75 villages. The program will promote the increase of net income and better the livelihood of the individual farmer, transforming traditional farms into modern-intensive farms based on IIAP standards. Large-scale and complete value chain approach with economic sustainability, embedded with Israeli novel technologies and methodologies will be tailored to local conditions. The IIVOE program will focus on: (1) Modern Agriculture infrastructure, (2) Capacity Building, (3) Market linkage.
The work program signing ceremony was also attended by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala and Shri Kailash Choudhary along with Senior officers of Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India.
1-Feb-2021: PM speaks to His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke to His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel on telephone today.
Prime Minister conveyed his strong condemnation of the terror attack near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi on 29 January 2021. He assured Prime Minister Netanyahu that India accords the highest importance to the safety and security of Israeli diplomats and premises, and would deploy all its resources to find and punish the perpetrators. Both leaders expressed satisfaction about the close coordination between Indian and Israeli security agencies in this context.
The two leaders also briefed each other about the progress of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in their respective countries, and discussed possibilities of further collaboration in this area.
2020
4-Nov-2020: Cabinet approves the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine.
The MoU covers the following areas of cooperation:
- Exchange and training of medical doctors and other health professionals;
- Assistance in development of human resources and setting up of health care facilities;
- Exchange of information regarding regulation of pharmaceutical, medical devices and cosmetics;
- Sharing expertise for vulnerability assessment for health of citizens against climate risk and public health actions targeted towards mitigation and adaptation;
- Sharing of expertise for facilitating climate resilient infrastructure as well as providing support for development of 'Green Healthcare' (climate resilient hospitals);
- Promote mutual research in various relevant areas; and
- Any other area of cooperation as may be mutually decided upon.
Each Party shall encourage the participation of the representatives of their countries in round tables, seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences on issues of cooperation, organized by the other Party's relevant bodies.
24-Jul-2020: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Israeli Defence Minister telephonically discuss further strengthening defence ties
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh had a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister of Israel Lt Gen Benjamin Gantz here today. Both the Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening the defence engagements.
They also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing collaboration in research and development in fighting pandemic COVID-19 which will not only benefit the two countries but also aid the larger humanitarian cause. Raksha Mantri invited greater participation of Israeli defence companies under new liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in defence manufacturing. The two Ministers exchanged views on regional developments. Defence Minister of Israel responded positively to an invitation from Shri Rajnath Singh to visit India at the earliest opportunity.
2017
30-Aug-2017: Cabinet approves MoU on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund"
The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)". The MoU was concluded in July, 2017
India and Israel will make a contribution of 4 million US Dollars each for the Fund, both equivalent amount, annually for five years. The Innovation Fund will be governed by a joint Board which will consist of four members from each country.
The MoU envisages promotion of bilateral Industrial R&D and Innovation cooperation in the fields of science and technology by extending support to joint projects for innovative or technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes. Such projects will lead to affordable technological innovations in focus areas of mutual interest such as water, agriculture, energy and digital technologies. Institutional support in building up consortia including private industry, enterprises and R&D institutions from India and Israel will be enabled through these collaborative projects.
The activities supported by the Joint Fund would increase the techno-economic collaboration between the two countries by investing in jointly developed technology projects and collaborations based on technological innovation. It would leverage the complementary strengths of Israel and India to encourage Israel-Indian joint projects that capitalize on both the national and global marketplace. It would provide a comprehensive set of support tools to encourage joint projects that convert "know-how" into "show-how". It is expected that this will foster and strengthen the eco-system of innovation and techno-entrepreneurship in India and will contribute directly to the Start-up India programme.
24-Feb-2017: India, Israel to jointly develop MR-SAM missile system
India has approved a deal with Israel to jointly develop a medium range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) system for the Army in a ₹17,000-crore deal. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Mr. Modi, at a meeting on Wednesday, gave the go-ahead for the deal to be executed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries. (IAI).
This is the latest in a series of other variants of SAM systems for the Navy and the Air Force being jointly developed with Israeli help under deals estimated at billions of dollars.
The deal is for 200 missiles for five regiments, each getting 40 units. The missile has a range of 50-70 km. The system will be based on the older Barak system of Israel, which is in use in India. It is being changed as per requirements.
The systems will be manufactured in India and would have an 80% indigenous content. The DRDO would play a crucial role in developing the target homing system. Deliveries would begin in 2023.
The two countries are also in an advanced stage of negotiations for the purchase of two more long-range Phalcon Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS). The CCS had approved the deal for additional AWACS last year that is expected to cost ₹7,500 crore.