State-to-State Cooperation:
California and Israel

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Jewish History of California

• Important Trade and Population Statistics
• Binational Foundation Grants
• Bilateral Institutions
• Cooperative Agreements
• Government Missions to Israel
• Partners for Change - Overview
  • Business & Industrial Advantages
  • Scientific Innovations
  • Agricultural Benefits
• Other Cooperative Programs
• California - Israel Sister Cities
• State Contacts

Trade and Population Statistics:

Exports to Israel in 2012:	$2,655,269,005.00
Percentage change from 2011:	-0.93%
Israel's rank as trade partner:	2
Total exports since 1996:	$22,062,689,455.00
Foreign Military Financing Contracts with Israel in 2012:	$82,384,380.96
Jewish Population in 2011:	1,219,740
Jewish Percentage of Total Population:	3.3

Binational foundation grants shared by California and Israel:

Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (1979-2010):	$21,256,365
Binational Science Foundation (1996-2009):	$35,872,577
Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (1977-2012):	$28,513,225

Grant recipients in California from U.S.-Israel binational foundations:

Bilateral Institutions

California-Israel Technology Collaborative:
Founded in the early 2000's by a group of physicians, students, alumni and faculty of UCLA, the "CAL-I-TC" is based on finding and encouraging opportunities for high technology transferi and innovation. It encourages partnerships between the major Israeli universities and the California business and investment communities. The CAL-I-TC strives to harness one of Israel's greatest assets, its capacity for innovation, nurturing it with teachable social and business networking skills, to accelerate the commercialization rate of Israeli technology. To find out more about CAL-I-TC, its goals and projects, please CLICK HERE.

California-Israel Chamber of Commerce:
The CICC is a not-for-profit, non-governmental membership-supported organization dedicated to strengthening business and trade relations between California and Israel. With its wide and dynamic network of over 9,000 companies, business executives and investors, CICC is positioned to serve as a facilitator and active supporter for joint venture programs between the two communities. Through networking events, mentorship programs, investment forums and educational seminars, CICC contributes to a stronger business and commercial alliance between California and Israel. Famous Israeli entrepenaur Shai Agassi, found and CEO of Better Place, as well as numerous other innovators headline the advisory board leadership of the CICC. Read more about the CICC on its website - CLICK HERE.

Southern California-Israel Chamber of Commerce:
The SCICC is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering bilateral business, trade and investment opportunities between Southern California- cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego- and Israel. It is an essential gateway for individuals and companies of all sizes who currently conduct business in Southern California and/or Israel; plan to initiate or expand into these areas; seek strategic trade and investment partners; or simply want to stay informed about their respective business and investment climates and opportunities. Learn more about the SCICC, CLICK HERE.

California-Israel Exchange:
In 1992, then-Gov. Pete Wilson signed an agreement to promote bilateral trade and tourism with Israel. The California Israel Exchange (CIX) was established to promote mutual business development in the areas of biomedicine, energy, telecommunications, high technology and agrotechnology. In May 1998, a new R&D cooperative agreement in the area of biotechnology was formed and, in October 1999, signed by Gov. Gray Davis when he visited Israel. See the agreement HERE.

Cooperative Agreements - "Memoranda of Understanding"

In November 2009, Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley) visited Israel and officially signed, together with prominent business leaders from California and Israel, a copy of his legislation, AB 1032, calling for an immediate implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding between California and Israel to foster technology development, business development and educational opportunities in solar energy and the environmental technology industries. In a Tel Aviv press conference Blumenfield spoke about the legislation which had been signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "As California takes on the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there is much we can learn from the experience and expertise of Israel," Blumenfield said. "In turn, Israel can benefit from improved communication with, and access to, California’s emerging green-technology sector.” Read Assemblyman Blumenfield's press release detailing the goals of the MOU- CLICK HERE.

In June 2008, the mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, and the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Herzliya, Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to tighten the existing relations between the ICT and the City of Los Angeles Homeland Security apparatuses and academic institutions, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Los Angeles World Airports. Under the agreement, the ICT will offer innovative homeland security training and education programs to Los Angeles decision makers and lay leaders, first responders and law enforcement; the ICT will give two 50% tuition scholarship to it’s homeland security executive studies for two homeland security practitioners, to be selected by the Mayor, in 2009; the ICT will accept up to 4 homeland security interns annually from Los Angeles universities and/or research centers; and the ICT will host LAPD officers at the 9/11 annual international conference.

In October 1999, Governor Gray Davis and Avishay Braverman of Ben Gurion University of the Negev signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the area of biotechnology, bio-informatics and bio-agriculture so as to create an increased commercial and research linkages. The MOU was officially for coopertion between the Israel Biotechnology Organization and the California Commission on Bioscience. The MOU is still in effect today and it has no known sunset. Read the MOU online - CLICK HERE.

In June 1998, Governor Pete Wilson and Israeli Minister of Trade and Industry Natan Sharansky signed a memorandum of intent to encourage the growth of trade and investment relations with the prospect of expanding the growing economic cooperation between California and Israel. Sharansky noted that California and Israel are "natural partners in high tech" and Governor Wilson added that the pact "encourages...investment, supports international industrial research and development, and encourages a free exchange of ideas and wisdom between businesses, trade associations and commercial institutions." Read the pact online HERE.

California Government Missions to Israel

February 2013 - Representative Mike Thomson (CA-05), a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), traveled to Israel and the Palestinian territories witht he HPSCI in order to gain perspective and assessment of the security environment from officials in the field. Thompson met with Israeli National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Salam Fayyad and Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Said Abu-Ali. Thompson also met with Israeli and Palestinian intelligence officers. Read more, CLICK HERE.

August 2011 - House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R) led the Republican delegation of 56 congressmen to Israel in the largest ever U.S. lawmaker visit to the country. Additionally, Congresswomen Janice Hahn, Loretta Sanchez and Congressmen Kevin McCarthy and John Garamendi went on the trip which gave politicians an opportunity to learn about the U.S.-Israel relationship and the U.S. role in Israel's national security. To read more, CLICK HERE.

November 2009 - Governor Schwarzenegger participated in a forum on Middle East policy in Jerusalem sponsored by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and the Brookings Institution. Former President Bill Clinton, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and various Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also included on the forum.

May 2008 - Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Israel as part of an official, bipartisan American congressional delegation which came to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state's founding. While in Israel, Rep. Pelosi took the opportunity to speak with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni with whom she discussed the various regional threats to Israel and ways that the United States could help combat these threats. Read more on this trip, CLICK HERE.

April 2008 - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom joined a mission organized by the Jewish Community Federation's Business Leadership Council (BLC) whose stated goal was to build ties between business leaders in the greater Bay Area and Israel and to provide first-hand exposure to Israel’s vast potential for investment, networking, and business partnerships. The mayor joined the mission with an eye towards fostering greater relationships between local entrepreneurs and business leaders in the high-tech, bio-tech and clean-tech industries, and their counterparts in Israel. Read more about the trip, CLICK HERE.

March 2007 - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi led a Congressional delegation on a "fact finding" mission to the Middle East that included stops in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Israel. Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim-American elected to Congress, joined the trip as well. The delegation met with numerous high ranking government leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and also discussed the viability of the proposed Saudi Peace Initiative for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rep. Pelosi also addressed the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, to explain the importance of the partnership between the US and Israel.

May 2004 - Governor Schwarzenegger visited Jerusalem as part of his trip around the Middle East and paid tribute to Holocaust victims while at a ceremony at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad VaShem. Gov. Schwartzenegger also met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Partners For Change

The U.S.-Israel relationship is based on the twin pillars of shared values and mutual interests. Given this commonality of interests and beliefs, it should not be surprising that support for Israel is one of the most pronounced and consistent foreign policy values of the American people.

It is more difficult to devise programs that capitalize on the two nations' shared values than their security interests; nevertheless, such programs do exist. In fact, these SHARED VALUE INITIATIVES cover a broad range of areas, including the environment, science and technology, education and health.

As analyst David Pollock noted, Israel is an advanced country with a population that surpassed eight million people in 2013 and a robust, dynamic economy that allowed it to join the  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Between 2005 and 2013, Israel has represented a larger market for U.S. exports than Saudi Arabia. Although Israel's citizenry make up just 3 percent of the total region's population, Israel accounts for 25 percent of American exports in the Middle East.

"It has also been one of the top 20 foreign direct investors in the United States since 2009," Pollock confirms. He adds that "$2.25 billion of the $3 billion in annual U.S. aid to Israel comes back via Israeli purchases of U.S. military equipment - and that is just 5 percent of the total bilateral trade each year."

Today's interdependent global economy requires that trade policy be developed at the national and state level.

Many states have recognized the opportunity for realizing significant benefits by seeking to increase trade with Israel. California is one of 33 states that have cooperative agreements with Israel.

In 2012, California exported over $2.65 billion worth of manufacturing goods to Israel. Since 1996, California exports to Israel have totaled more than $22 billion and Israel now ranks as California’s 2nd leading trade partner.

Additionally in 2012, California received more than $82 million in foreign military financing (FMF) for US military aid to Israel. Some of those companies that have received funding through FMF in 2012 or past years include: Marvin Land System, Inc, Check Point Software Tech, Inc based out of Redwood City, Spirent Federal Systems, Inc from Yorba Linda and the Boeing Company.

Israel is certainly a place where potential business and trade partners can be found. It can also be a source, however, for innovative programs and ideas for addressing problems facing the citizens of California.

Israel has developed a number of pioneering education programs. For example, AICE introduced an innovative Israeli peer tutoring program to North Carolina that educators adapted for use in the United States. Now known as Reading Together, the program is used in 28 states. The program is designed to help students achieve reading fluency and is mostly used for children in second grade. The hope is that with its implementation, increasing numbers of students will perform at grade level or above.

A range of other exciting approaches to social problems like unemployment, environmental protection and drug abuse have been successfully implemented in Israel and could be imported for the benefit of Americans.

The potential for greater cooperation with Israel for the benefit of California is limited only by the imagination.

California Firms Profit From Business With Israel

As the only country with free trade agreements with both the United States and the European community, Israel can act as a bridge for international trade between the U.S. and Europe. Moreover, because of its deep pool of talent, particularly in high-technology areas, Israel provides excellent investment opportunities. Some of the nation’s largest companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Intel and McDonald’s have found that it is indeed profitable to do business in Israel.

More than 1,500 California companies have discovered the benefits of doing business in Israel, including KLA, Hewlett Packard and Silicon Graphics. Israel is California’s 2nd largest export market.

Intel Corporation first established its design center in Haifa in 1974, then a sales office in Tel Aviv, a manufacturing facility in Jerusalem and, later, a $1.6 billion fabrication plan in Kiryat Gat to add to its semiconductor manufacturing capability there. Today, Intel operates four design centers and two production facilities in Israel. The Pentium MMX chip was designed in Israel, as were the 286 and 386 microprocessors and parts of the 486 and Pentium processors. The Israeli team has also worked on the new processors designed for netbooks (Cedarview) and Windows 8 machines (Cloverview). Former Intel President and CEO Andy Grove told the Israel California Trade Review that, "there were many highly talented engineers coming from Israel’s institutions."

In 2011, Intel announced it would invest roughly $19 million over a five-year period in the establishment of an institute to conduct research on computational intelligence. The institute is to be jointly managed by Intel and academic researchers in Israel.

In May 2012, Intel announced the establishment of the Collaborative Research Institute for Computational Intelligence in Israel, focusing on applying machine learning, brain-inspired computation and advanced computer architecture to software. "Within five years all of the human senses will be in computers, and in 10 years we will have more transistors in one chip than neurons in the human brain," Mooly Eden, president of Intel Israel told Tel Aviv Tech. "The expectations from the Institute for Computational Intelligence is that it will provide a leap forward in research and in ideas that will be translated into products and applications.

Intel is also working to help Israel retain its competitive edge in technology. Intel CEO Paul Otellini, visited Israel in November 2012 and announced a new $5 million program aimed at doubling the number of Israeli students with a scientific and technological matriculation certificate. Working in cooperation with the Education Ministry, the program will be launched in 25 schools in southern Israel.

Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer also visited Israel in November 2012 and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, to discuss the cooperation. The company is going to sign a series of memoranda of understanding in the areas of technological innovation; promoting open government policies; use of technology to reduce bureaucracy; dealing with large databases; information security and privacy protection; development of online government services; collaborative projects; and promoting Israeli technologies and start-ups, according to The Marker.

"This is my fourth visit to Israel and I am always excited and inspired by the sheer technological ingenuity of its people and entrepreneurs, a key reason why it’s such an important market for Microsoft," Balmer said.

Silicon Valley companies with subsidiaries in Israel include Harmonic Light Waves, a leader in wireless communication technology and DSP Communications. Companies with research and development facilities in Israel include BioRad, a leader in the field of biological radiation, Cisco Systems, a manufacturer of multi-protocol equipment and Hewlett Packard.

Another sign of Israel's high-tech prowess is the acquisition of Israeli companies by U.S. companies, such as Intel's purchase of Telmap, which develops navigation and location-based services.

One good way to break into the Israeli market is through a joint venture with an Israeli company. Funding for such projects is available from the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD). BIRD funds projects in 36 states and the District of Columbia and hundreds of companies including AOL, GE, BP Solar, Texas Instruments and Johnson & Johnson have benefitted from BIRD grants.

The United States and Israel established BIRD in 1977 to fund joint U.S.-Israeli teams in the development and subsequent commercialization of innovative, nondefense technological products from which both the Israeli and American company can expect to derive benefits commensurate with the investments and risks. Most grant recipients are small businesses involved with software, instrumentation, communications, medical devices and semiconductors.

Since its inception, BIRD has funded more than 800 joint high-tech R&D projects through conditional grants totaling more than $210 million. Products developed from these ventures have generated more than $8 billion in direct and indirect revenues for both countries and has helped to create an estimated 20,000 American jobs. Dr. Eli Opper, the former Israeli chair of BIRD, has said that BIRD is a strong pillar of US-Israel industrial cooperation and that the extreme success of BIRD has led Israel to adopt similar models of R&D with other countries.

Several California companies have taken advantage of the BIRD program, including Telkelec, Caere Corporation and Harris Corporation, and have received almost $27 million in grants since 1980.

In July 2011, two new California based companies were awarded BIRD grants to begin collaboration with Israeli companies. Access Systems America, from Sunnyvale, will team with Human Monitoring to develop a social e-publishing ecosystem for interactive content. In San Francisco, Affine Systems will start coordination with Ron Soferman to develop an online video ad targeting application using computer vision technology.

In December 2011, two California-based companies were awarded BIRD Foundation grants to partner with Israeli companies. San Ramon-based Mirion Technologies was awarded funding through the BIRD Foundation to partner with the Israeli-based company iFibers to develop a portable laser thermoluminescence radiation dosimeter. Also, Laguna Niguel-based company Daylight CIS was awarded funding through the BIRD Foundation to partner with Semantipedia to develop a web based, semantic platform for Life Sciences. These grants are part of over $8.1 million awarded by BIRD to nine new projects in December 2011 to companies throughout the US and Israel.

WaferScale Integration (WSI) in Fremont creates support chips called Programmable System Devices (PSD) that are used in telecommunication, industrial and consumer products worldwide. WSI opened a design center in Netanya, Israel and received several BIRD grants for new kinds of PSDs. They created Flash memory-based PSD products that enable product designers to speed up the design process, and allow manufacturing managers to insert final test and operating codes into a product as it goes down an assembly line. They also designed ZPSD devices that consume only microwatts of power and are used in cellular phones, 2-way pagers, medical instruments and other mobile products.

San Diego-based ComStream Communications used a BIRD grant to collaborate with the Israeli company Orckit Communications. They developed a Digital Satellite Modem that was a technological and commercial success.

Squaw Valley-based Harris Corporation joined CTP Systems in Israel. They developed the communication industry’s first Wireless PBX systems, thanks to a BIRD grant.

Mindsense Biosystems Ltd., an Israeli company targeting the discovery of biological markers for psychiatric disorders, has teamed with Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc., California-based developer and manufacturer of the ProteinChip System for protein discovery, characterization, and assay development. The Mindsense and Ciphergen collaborative plan includes the use of proteomics tools such as the ProteinChip for the discovery of major depression biomarkers in blood samples. Currently available methods for diagnosis and monitoring of psychiatric disorders are based on the use of formal questionnaires/interviews. The introduction of biochemical tools will add objectivity to the current process and will shorten the duration of assessment of therapeutic efficacy. This approach allows for the reliable comparison of clinical status over extended periods of time.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Systems (NESS) Ltd., an Israeli company using Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) for rehabilitation of the upper body extremity, has teamed with J&J Independence Technologies, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary whose mission is the development of products using innovative technologies to help meet the needs and desires of people with disabilities. The project focuses on the development of a system that assists in the rehabilitation and improves the quality of life of children suffering from cerebral palsy or from traumatic head injuries. The purpose of the system will be to activate the patient's neuromuscular system in order to improve the condition of the malfunctioning limbs, to normalize posture, and to restore functional movements. The system will stimulate the child, encourage maximum participation and acknowledge success at a self-adapting level.

IBM Israel in Haifa and Tensorcom Wireless (San Diego) will develop an ultra-low power 60GHz wireless capability for short distance applications through grants from BIRD.

BIRD Energy has provided a grant for Panoramic Power, Ltd, from Kidron, Israel and Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch (MNLB) from San Francisco to develop and pilot self-powered, wireless current sensor that will facilitate load management strategies in commercial buildings.

Scientific Innovations

California researchers are making scientific breakthroughs and developing cutting-edge technologies in joint projects with Israeli scientists thanks to support from the Binational Science Foundation (BSF). BSF was established in 1972 to promote scientific relations and cooperation between scientists from the United States and Israel. The fund supports collaborative research projects in a wide area of basic and applied scientific field for peaceful and non-profit purposes. Since its inception, BSF has awarded some $480 million through more than 4,000 grants in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

BSF-sponsored studies are highly successful in achieving their two main goals: strengthening the US-Israel partnership through science and promoting world-class scientific research for the benefit of the two countries and all mankind. The BSF grants help extend research resources to achieve milestones that might not otherwise be attainable; introduce novel approaches and techniques to lead American researchers in new directions; confirm, clarify and intensify research projects; and provide unmatched access to Israeli equipment, facilities and research results that help speed American scientific advances. BSF has documented no less than 75 new discoveries made possible by its research grants and counts 37 Nobel Prize and 19 Lasker Medical Award laureates among its joint partners.

Institutions in California have shared with their counterparts in Israel more than $35.8 million in BSF grants since 1996 alone.

Highly sophisticated infrared optical fibers are being developed and fabricated jointly by research teams headed by Prof. Avraham Katzir (Tel Aviv University) and Prof. Amnon Yariv (California Institute of Technology), with BSF support. These fibers are to be used by NASA in its search of habitable extra-solar planets. The effort to identify habitable planets concentrates on the identification of a pair of stars similar to the earth and the sun and the detection of oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide. Each of these has a characteristic "color" in the infrared, invisible to the human eye, but which can be detected by sensitive infrared equipment. Both NASA and the European Space Agency have programs aimed at identifying the presence of life outside our solar system, and BSF-supported research is likely to play a key role in this effort.

In 2010, research taking place at UC San Diego together with their counterpart Israeli institutions through BSF Grants include extremely diverse projects such as:
- The study of human embryonic stem cells aimed at developing therapies for heart failure;
- The calculation of magnetic fields to design electromagnetic devices;
- The development of the largest cosmological calculation ever created;
- The development of information processing in two-way communication methods.

Vice Chancellor for Research at UC San Diego, Art Ellis, spoke about his institution's ongoing collaborative work funded by BSF grants. "A BSF grant is highly presitigious in the scientific community", Ellis said. “There are many examples of successful projects conducted by collaborating U.S. and Israeli scholars that were facilitated by BSF funding, this partnership is path-breaking.”

In 2009, Professor Thomas Anders of the University of California, received a 4 year BSF grant to work with a team of scientists from North Carolina as well as Tel Aviv University in Israel on possible interventions for infant sleep problems. In early 2011 the project was just getting underway with the begining stages of research about to start. The possibilities for this research are incredibly important as infant sleep disorders have been known to cause major problems and even, in some cases, can result in death.

With funding help through the BSF, Professor Jonathan Leor of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv and his colleagues- Professor Robert A. Kloner and Professor Laurence H. Kedes of the University of Southern California (USC)- are starting to find new ways to solve heart failure.

Medivision Medical Imaging Ltd., an Israeli manufacturer of ophthalmic digital imaging systems, and Sacremento-based Ophthalmic Imaging Systems, Inc. (OIS), a U.S. manufacturer of ophthalmic digital imaging, image enhancement systems, and analysis software, are collaborating to develop Computerized Guided Laser Therapy (CGLT) for ophthalmologists. CGLT is a unique, non-invasive therapeutic device that allows manually guided or semi-automatic laser treatment, using diagnostic images. The system consists of an optical integration between a camera and a laser therapeutic system. The two optical channels of the imaging system and the laser are combined, so that the ophthalmologist is able to observe a real-time, processed image while carrying out the treatment intervention with the laser. The main advantage of CGLT is to provide the physician with an accurate, efficient, automatic and user-friendly tool to diagnose and immediately treat various retinal diseases using standard laser therapy techniques. It is expected to improve the quality of therapeutics, saving a significant portion of the physician's time and cost. In addition, using the new technique specifically in Macular procedures is also expected to eliminate the possibility of partial blinding due to misguided laser burns.

Micro Components Ltd. (MCS), an Israeli company, having rich experience in semiconductor packaging technologies, and California-based Flextronics, a leading electronics design and manufacturing service provider, will jointly develop an advanced Flip Chip (FC) Ball Grid Array (BGA) package and a flip chip module. The BGA package is for high density, fine pitch and high pin count packages. The flip chip module includes CSP, flip chip, 0201 on RF and Baseband module applications. The objective of the project is to develop the capability for design and manufacture and to start marketing a superior highly complex package for FC silicon dies and flip chip modules, for various applications. Flextronics has developed a system level interconnect solution that addresses the electronic industry's need for a high performance, more reliable and cost effective interconnect solution.

Agriculture Benefits

In 1978 the United States and Israel jointly created the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) to help fund programs between US and Israeli scientists for mutually beneficial, mission-oriented, strategic and applied research into agricultural problems. Since its inception, BARD has funded more than 1,000 projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia with a total investment of more than $250 million. In 2000, an independent and external economic review of 10 BARD projects conservatively projected more than $700 million in revenue by the end of 2010, a number which far outweighs the total investment in all BARD projects over its 33 year existence and helps to continually strengthen the foundation.

Most BARD projects focus on either increasing agricultural productivity, plant and animal health or food quality and safety and have been influential in creating new technologies in drip irrigation, pesticides, fish farming, livestock, poultry, disease control and farm equipment. BARD funds projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia and at present is beginning to administer collaborative efforts between Australia, Canada and Israel as well. It is difficult to break down the impact on a state-by-state basis, but overall, BARD-sponsored research has generated sales of more than $500 million, tax revenues of more than $100 million and created more than 5,000 American jobs.

California institutions have shared BARD grants worth more than $21 million since 1979.

Through a grant from BARD, Joseph Smilanick, a researcher with the US Department of Agriculture stationed in Califronia, collobarated with the research wing of Israel's Ministry of Agriculture to find more effective storage and treatment options for harvested grapes. The ethanol-based formula they created reduces the chance that the grapes will harbor diseases such as E.Coli that would affect its safety and possibly harm consumers.

This BARD-supported research is extremely important to the economies of both Israel and California, where the grape crop has a wholesale value of almost $1.5 billion. In both places farmers are already using these new techniques for harvesting and for keeping produce fresh. Mr. Smilanick was impressed with how successful the BARD collaboration and administration went and has already submitted a proposal for additional BARD grants. For more information on this project, CLICK HERE.

In a separate BARD funded program, Michael E. Adams, a professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside, collaborated with a group of scientists from Pennsylvania, Washington and Israel on a BARD sponsored project that examined the production of non-hazardous insecticides. The group's work is not yet completed, though they have made great strides toward developing a new class of insecticides that are highly effective, not harmful to animals and humans, and environmentally friendly; research that has generated much interest in the scientific community worldwide.

This research has been on-going for nearly two decades and, as this is very important to the farming industry in both the US and Israel, BARD continues to support the project today. With the increase in insecticides used by farmers across both countries, they are raising pollutant levels and, by sheer irony, also increasing incest resistance to these agents. The insecticide the scientists are making will nullify these ill effects. Read more about this important project, CLICK HERE.

Carol Lauzon, a professor at California State University, received a BARD grant to collaborate with a research team at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study the relationship between the Mediterranean fruit fly- a major agricultural pest- and the bacteria it carries in its gut. The fruit fly, and its destructive bacteria, are believed to be the cause of up to $1 billion in annual losses to the farming business worldwide. The BARD-funded researchers are hopeful to find an improved means of dealing with pests and of creating a technique for preventing their bacteria from harming fruit crops. Learn more about this incredibly important research project, CLICK HERE.

 

Other Cooperative Programs

Two California corporations, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and Silicon Graphics Inc., have received grants from the U.S.-Israel Science & Technology Commission. The former received $100,000 for a feasibility study conducted with the Weizman Institute/Yeda on developing high efficiency, modular solar central receiver. The latter involved a joint project with Elbit for the production of ultrasound imaging systems.

Researchers Naama Goren-Inbar from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Kenneth Verosub from the University of California at Davis uncovered the remains of a 1.4 million year-old prehistoric man at a site called Ubeidiya in the Jordan Rift Valley. Goren-Inbar was able to use the Paleomagnetic method with the help of Professor Verosub and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation to determine the age of the Benot Yaa'qov area. It is approximately 750,000 years old.

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