| Ten Israeli companies advanced to the second round of the Grand Challenges
(Israel) program, for creating technological solutions to health challenges
in developing countries. As part of the program, the Chief Scientist and the
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mashav) will provide 10 grants of up to
NIS 500,000 to each company.</p> Among the winning companies are Biofeed,
developing new methods of pesticide without spraying, and FIT, developing
prosthetic limbs for children who’ve lost their legs, prosthetics that
“grow” with the child and more. The Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry
of Economy: “Much of the world’s population is suffering from lack of food,
access to clean water and exposure to diseases. We call on Israeli
entrepreneurs to develop technologies that will improve the quality of life
for billions around the world.” Head of Mashav at the Israeli Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gil Haskel: “This unique program is at the
meeting point of diplomacy and Israeli technological innovation.”</p> The Grand Challenges program, an international
initiative operating in countries such as the US, Canada, India, Brazil,
China and others, has set as its goal promotion of innovative solutions to
global health and food safety challenges, with an emphasis on developing
countries. This week, ten companies and initiatives were announced as
winners in the Israeli segment of the program, also known as “Etgar” run
under the auspices of the Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy
in cooperation with Mashav (the Israeli Agency for International Aid and
Cooperation in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Each entrepreneur
will be given up to NIS 500,000 as a development grant to prove the
viability of a novel idea that would help solve problems in the fields of
global health and food security.
</p>One of the winning companies is Biofeed, specializing in the development and
production of green, environmentally-friendly solutions to replace poisonous
pesticides used in agriculture. The company achieved a technological
breakthrough in the field of exterminating agricultural pests and may now
help bring a solution in the fight against the Aedes Aegypti mosquito,
carrier of the Zika virus which is threatening Brazil and many other
countries.
According to CEO and founder Dr. Nimrod Israeli, the threat can be met: “We
have for many years recognized the great potential in harnessing the world
of insect smells for the benefit of humans. Evolution has given insects an
elaborate sense of smell, which they utilize to find mates, food, egg-laying
sites and more. The company has developed a secret liquid formula that
“knows” how to tie different kinds of smells to other materials, as the need
arises. The result is a special “decoy” that draws the target insect through
smell. The decoy is slow-released from a hanging device over the course of a
year. The insect is drawn to the decoy, feeds off it and is eliminated.
Thus, instead of repeatedly spraying chemicals on produce, we bring the pest
to the lethal substance and eliminate it, and the environment remains clean
and safe. In the same way, we can also draw and exterminate
disease-spreading pests like flies and mosquitoes, including the Aedes
Aegypti mosquito, carrier of the Zika virus.” Dr. Israeli added that “The
breakthrough we made and winning Grand Challenges Israel opens up markets of
hundreds of millions of dollars for us and has brought investors and
companies from around the world.”
</p>Another company that won funding is FIT, developing affordable, high-quality
prosthetics tailored to children in developing countries. According to
estimates, there are 14 million people with severed legs in developing
countries, half of them children. Amputations are the result of unmarked
landmines going off, accidents and subpar sanitary conditions. Most
prosthetic limbs in the world are very expensive and unsuited to developing
countries, their budgets and their existing health and social services
systems. FIT was planned and designed to be adaptable to the limited
conditions of countries in South East Asia and Africa and allows for the
distribution of prosthetics that can be fitted in a home environment. The
founders of the project are Dr. Chen Barak, an alumnus of the Technion in
electrical engineering and a doctor of bio-medical engineering, and Oz
Benderman, an industrial designer who graduated from the department of
industrial design at Hadassah College. They say that with the prosthetic,
young amputees will be able to return to their normal lives and their family
environment.
Chief Scientist Avi Hasson said: “International ‘Grand Challenges’ and
specifically Israel’s Etgar program bring to the fore Israel’s capabilities
in technological innovation together with the well-known Israeli
entrepreneurial spirit. A combination of doing good, contributing to global
challenges and penetrating new markets, while gaining experience with
initiatives aimed at atypical audiences with unusual challenges for Israeli
industry may bring Israeli entrepreneurs to vast new business
opportunities.”
Head of Mashav at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gil Haskel,
said: “This unique program reflects Israel’s determination to continue
helping developing countries with relevant problems and constitutes the
meeting point between diplomacy and Israeli technological innovation.”
There is a large community of developers and entrepreneurs in Israel
focusing mainly on the Western European and North American markets. The
program aims at directing Israeli entrepreneurs to also seek solutions for
markets in developing countries — markets where there is an urgent need for
solutions on the one hand and great unrealized potential for the Israeli
industrialist and investor on the other. The fact that developing countries
suffer from complex challenges of underdevelopment, lack of resources,
technologies, skilled manpower and advanced infrastructure is fertile ground
for Israeli innovation.
The winning companies:
Ocon Medical — developer of an advanced intrauterine device called the IUB.
This device is especially suited for use in developing countries due to its
high level of safety, small insertion diameter and lower bleeding and pain
compared to existing copper devices.
VascoDemHealth — developer of a platform allowing interaction from any
mobile device, without the need for installation and no need for mobile
data, at low cost and without the need for internet access.
Cassit Splints — developer of special orthopedic hand slings for people
with disabilities in Kenya. The slings restore hand use and preserve
existing capabilities, which is critical for the motor development of
children.
DiaCardio — a software company that modifies and improves the way vital
heart functions in echocardiogram examinations are checked quickly,
precisely and automatically, greatly improving diagnosis.
AseptoRay MGT industries — developer of a system using UV radiation to
exterminate germs in milk. This company’s products will allow poor
populations to enjoy healthy, quality milk and will increase the economic
capabilities of smaller milk farmers across Africa.
Semorex Technologies Ltd. — seeking a cure for the IFD fungus, an invasive,
sometimes fatal fungal disease in developing countries.
Biofeed — developer of Fruit Fly India, improving health in India by using
novel extermination without spraying.
FIT — developer of high quality, affordable prosthetics adapted to children
in developing countries.
Art HealthCare — develops innovative solutions for a wide range of needs
and advanced medical services, including the ARTVision system – an
endoscopic system tailored for use through specific orifices, allowing
access to several areas of the body.
Amaizz — producing solutions for post-harvest losses. Developer of Assufa,
a facility for drying and storing corn intended to minimize the loss of
produce in the stage of post-harvest processing and to allow long-term
storage. The device is adapted to the markets of small holder farmers in
Africa. |
