Investment in National Bio-Convergence Program Surges

Nearly NIS 1 Billion Invested as Israel Establishes a New Global Advantage with Approximately 200 Groundbreaking Technology Companies

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, April 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Israel Innovation Authority today released a new report on the National Bio-Convergence Program, highlighting accelerated growth in the field. Over the past three years, approximately NIS 900 million has been invested by the government and private sector, while Israel’s bio-convergence ecosystem has expanded to 186 active companies.

Advanced research and development (R&D) infrastructures have been established, groundbreaking research consortia have been launched, and Israel’s bio-convergence ecosystem has expanded to 186 active companies, an increase of several dozen percent during the years of the national program and double the number recorded five years ago. Bio-convergence is rapidly emerging as a new growth engine for Israeli high-tech.

At the core of this momentum is Israel’s decision, for the first time, to lead a future technological field end-to-end through a coordinated, multi-year national strategy. The program includes significant public investment and close collaboration among academia, industry, and key government entities, including the Ministry of Finance (Budgets Department), the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, MAFAT (DDR&D – Directorate of Defense, Research & Development), the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the Council for Higher Education, and the Israel Innovation Authority.

The integration of biology, engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence is establishing a unique Israeli infrastructure for the development of pharmaceuticals, food technologies, energy solutions, renewable materials, and advanced industrial applications.

Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, stated: “The current report tells a clear and compelling story. Israel is entering a decade in which biology, engineering, and computational sciences will form the foundation of entire industries. When a country succeeds in integrating such broad knowledge systems into a single national program, a rare opportunity emerges.

We are already seeing how the joint efforts of government, academia, and industry are translating into tangible results. The companies being established, the infrastructures that have been built, the new research capabilities, and the enabling regulation we are advancing all have a direct impact on the future of Israeli high-tech. Bio-convergence represents an opportunity to create a new growth engine for the Israeli economy.”

Dr. Shai Melcer, Director of the National Bio-Convergence Program, added: “Israel is blessed with outstanding researchers, exceptional engineers, and an environment that naturally encourages experimentation and creativity. The true achievement of recent years lies in bringing all of these together to build a multidisciplinary community working collaboratively. We are already witnessing collaborations between labs, industry and academia that generate breakthroughs at a pace that was previously unheard of.

New infrastructures now enable us to address scientific questions that previously required complex international collaborations. Regulatory advancements allow startups to reach the market faster. Israel is building a new industry grounded in deep science, advanced engineering, and world-class computational capabilities. This is a national mission and we are only at the beginning.”

Key findings from the report:
The National Bio-Convergence R&D Infrastructure program, operating under the Telem Forum, demonstrates substantial progress across all components, with cumulative investments of NIS 276 million between 2023 and 2025. In parallel with these infrastructure investments, the Israel Innovation Authority has directly invested approximately NIS 350 million in startups developing products based on bio-convergence technologies. As of 2025, the Authority has mapped 186 active bio-convergence companies operating in Israel across healthcare, food, agriculture, industry, and energy, compared to approximately 90 companies in 2019.

At the center of this progress is the establishment of new national R&D infrastructures, reflecting the understanding that Israel must develop an independent research and development base in order to remain at the forefront of advanced nations. Significant milestones have been recorded in the establishment of two major national projects. The Bio-Devices Center, led by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), currently under construction, is being established with a budget of up to NIS 113 million, of which NIS 75 million is funded by the Israel Innovation Authority. In addition, the Multi-Omics Center was established at the Technion in partnership with Ben-Gurion University and the University of Haifa, supported by the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) with NIS 15 million. For the first time in Israel, the center provides integrative capabilities spanning genomics, proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and microbiome research. The PBC has also procured advanced research equipment for academia totaling NIS 47 million.

In the field of multidisciplinary research, seven research consortia are currently active, with approximately NIS 179 million invested over the past three years by the Authority together with industry partners. These include initiatives such as CRISPRIL, focused on artificial intelligence-based gene editing, IGBTC, focused on advanced biochips incorporating high-resolution optical, chemical, and electrochemical sensors, cultivated meat technologies demonstrating high-rate cell growth and the development of cost-effective growth factors, the LIQUIDBX liquid biopsy infrastructure for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease detection, the OrganoSpheres Consortium for organospheroid development, and circular agriculture models including full genetic sequencing of the Black Soldier Fly consortium.

The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology has funded 99 applied research projects in the field totaling approximately NIS 50 million. MAFAT (DDR&D) and the Authority operate a dedicated challenges program with a total budget of NIS 25 million and also support defense-oriented R&D groups with NIS 10 million.

On the regulatory front, the National Food Service, in collaboration with the Israel Innovation Authority, conducted a pilot that enabled first regulatory approvals for cultivated dairy products developed by Imagindairy and Remilk, as well as cultivated beef produced by Aleph Farms. In parallel, a dedicated disruptive initiative, with a budget of NIS 20.9 million, supports three companies addressing complex regulatory challenges, including the development of printed corneas (Precise Bio), cancer detection systems based on canine scent responses (SpotItEarly), and engineered cell platforms designed to deliver therapeutic payloads (Edity Therapeutics).

In the field of human capital, the Israel Innovation Authority has funded 11 training programs totaling NIS 11.7 million. These programs include professional training for life sciences personnel in the cultivated meat industry, 3D tissue printing, the integration of engineers into hospital settings, medical regulation and computational biology training, as well as a CEO training program for deep-tech companies with a focus on bio-convergence. MAFAT (DDR&D) has implemented four cohorts of the bio program for training computational biology cadets, and the Planning and Budgeting Committee is currently operating doctoral and postdoctoral scholarship programs totaling approximately NIS 12 million.

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Raoul Wootliff
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