Benefits

An important mission of our forum is to increase the level of the current benefits given for returning scientists, we are promoting also the creation of new benefits.

Benefits for Returning Scientists and Employers

 

 Special Member's Benefits

General Benefits and Tax Related Issues


Benefits for the Industry

  • Financial encouragement is given to employers for employing returning scientists from master degree to post-doc. For post-doc scientists Misrad Haklita will finance 64,000 NIS over 2 years. These incentives are paid directly to the employer but many of the employers contribute these sums, fully or partially, to the scientist’s salary. You can find the details of this compensation here.
  • Reinforcing the North program - The program finance 50% of the returning scientists salary up to 150,000NIS (!!!) each year for 3 years. The program apply only for industrialists in the north of Israel including Haifa. In the coming weeks a tender will be published for the applying scientists. Priority will be given for scientist returning after more than 5 years. You can find more details here. 
  • Marie Curie International Integrational Grant is a research grant for scientists returning after at least 3 years. A sum of 100,000 EUR will be given to the employing company for financing the research over a period of 4 years. Eligibility should be checked with ISERD prior to signing a contract with the employer and the begining of the research. Click here.

Benefits for the Academy 

  • Academic faculties that recruit returning scientist will receive up to 31,000 NIS per year for 3 years. click here.  
  • Marie Curie International Integrational Grant is a research grant for scientists returning after at least 3 years. A sum of 100,000 EUR will be given to the employing research institute for financing the research over a period of 4 years. Applications should be submitted prior to the begining of the research.  Click here. 
  • Starting Independent Research Grant by the ERC, aiming to provide support to the independent careers of excellent researchers at the stage of establishing their first research team or pursuing independent research for the first time. Click here. 
  • For information about other programs and grants by the ERC - European Research Center click here.
  • Morasha grant from the ISF - for returning post-docs.  Includes up-to $800K laboratory start up grant and 3 years financial support.  Click here.


How to write your CV and other job hunting tips 

 

For the entrepreneur

About incubators in Israel
The incubators program nurtures novice entrepreneurs at the earliest stage of technological innovation, helps them implement their ideas by turning them into exportable commercial products and form productive business ventures in Israel. By absorbing a large portion of the risk in this early stage, where commercial money plays a minor role, the technological incubators provide entrepreneurs with physical premises, financial resources, tools, professional guidance and administrative assistance - so that, during their stay in the incubator, they may turn their abstract ideas into products of proven feasibility, novelty and advantages sought in the international marketplace.
During the 2-3 years project period a special attention is given on ways to enhance money raising, finding strategic partners and build an infrastructure for a business can stand on its own feets. Typical project stays in the incubator for 2-3 years until proof of principal is achieved (pre clinical and/or clinical studies for biotech and pilot or working prototype for a technical product). Typical available budget per project is $500,000 but substantially higher amounts can be secured for specific biotech projects. 

Today there are 24 incubators located throughout Israel managing around 200 projects, 39% of the projects are in medical device and 19% are in biotechnology.  Click here for more information about the incubators program.
 
What are the incubators looking for?
Skilled, proactive and committed entrepreneurs who would like to return to Israel with an idea for an innovative product or technology that addresses a substantial market need in a significant and growing market.  The idea should have a clear and defendable IP (intellectual property). Incubators may be willing to pay for the IP licensing of attractive projects that are related to research institutes, if the terms are not too commercialization-restrictive. 

About IP (intellectual property)
It is most probable that any investor including the incubators will need to have confident in your IP.  There are basically three stages in patenting your IP - idea, patent pending and established patent.  

In order to be eligible for patent protection, United States patent law requires that an invention be:

  1. New or Novel: The invention must be demonstrably different from publicly available ideas, inventions, or products (so-called "prior art"). This does not mean that every aspect of an invention must be novel. For example, new uses of known processes, machines, compositions of matter and materials are patentable. Incremental improvements on known processes may also be patentable.
  2. Useful: The invention must have some application or utility or be an improvement over existing products and/or techniques.
  3. Non-Obvious: The invention cannot be obvious to a person of "ordinary skill" in the field; non-obviousness usually is demonstrated by showing that practicing the invention yields surprising, unexpected results.

In order to insure the retention of maximum patent rights in your ongoing work it should be recorded throughout the whole research, here are some important tips.  

 
How do the incubators evaluate your idea for a new project?
In order to enable incubators and investors to evaluate your project they will give you forms to fill in. In many occasions incubators will be ready to receive only partial answers to the question in their form. You can find a typical assessment form here.

To what incubators I should apply with my idea?
Almost all of the incubators were privatized and have different requirements for project types according to their protfolio of investment and their experties.  It is better to "shop around" and offer your project to several incubators.  

How can I reach the incubators?
BioAbroad management team will be happy to help in introducing you to the relevant incubators.  Please contact us at info@BioAbroad.org.il