Israel to increase nanotechnology matching funds

From Webwire, news of an increased commitment by Israel to keep pace in nanotech:

The Israeli government will increase funding for Israeli universities over the next 5 years to $82 million in order to strengthen their advanced research centers in nanoscience and nanotechnology, it was announced today…

“We found that multiple donation matching can work very well for an Israeli nanotechnology center,” Vilenski said. “By extending this model to the nanotech centers at other Israeli universities, we see the possibility of maintaining our recognized leadership in advanced nanotech research.”

The new program provides 3-to-1 matching funds for all private donations to nanotech centers, effectively producing over $230 million in new funding for Israeli nanotech centers through 2011. The program creates a ‘funding triangle’ consisting of the source donor, the university and the Israeli government, where each contributor has explicit input over how matched funding will be used.

Expect lots of high-quality nano research from Israel. —Christine