A Global Leader in Combatting Climate Change

Despite its tiny size, Israel is home to hundreds of Climate Tech start-up companies – a broad segment covering technologies that help combat global warming and contribute to environmental sustainability. These include companies involved in energy production and storage, sustainable agriculture, FoodTech, water conservation, waste management, and more. Although Israel has an impressive track record developing innovative 'green' technologies, the country is still not sufficiently identified internationally as a global leader in Climate Tech – and the Israel Innovation Authority is committed to changing this.

"Out of 9,000 Israeli start-ups, 600 are Climate Tech companies. That is a lot, especially for such a small country. Our goal is to brand Israel as a leader in innovative climate solutions," asserts Shlomi Kofman, Vice President & Head of the International Collaborations Division at the Israel Innovation Authority. "Israeli innovation is well positioned to help solve the challenges facing our planet and humanity as a whole," he adds.

Kofman points out that Israel has in fact always been well-known for its advanced environmentally friendly technologies. After all, modern drip irrigation was invented in Israel in order to conserve water, and in its early days, Israel was a powerhouse of innovative agriculture. He explains that Israel's varied geographic landscape, with its large spectrum of climatic zones, is an ideal beta site for Climate Tech researchers and entrepreneurs. "It's amazing to see the fantastic ideas being developed in Israel," he says enthusiastically.

Supporting the best of the best
The Israel Innovation Authority is dedicated to supporting Israeli technology and creating the next wave of innovation by investing in the most promising local start-ups. The Authority funds entrepreneurs and small companies at different stages of development – from ideation through much more advanced pilot stages. "We support the best of the best and help expose them to the world," explains Shlomi Kofman.

The Israel Innovation Authority's many initiatives include forming bilateral agreements and establishing binational funds with other countries – such as India, Singapore, and South Korea – creating specific collaborative projects focused on Climate Tech. In Europe, the Authority is closely involved with Horizon Europe, the largest R&D program in the world, with a special focus on helping to fight climate change via its Green Deal Program.

"We invest heavily in efforts to reach out to Israeli entities who could benefit from Horizon Europe funding. We counsel them and support those who apply," says Kofman. "In addition, we organize matchmaking events and build opportunities for Israeli companies and researchers to join international consortia in partnership with other EU member countries via Horizon Europe."

Kofman emphasizes that the Israel Innovation Authority works closely with various local government agencies to remove barriers in heavily regulated industries. Removing these barriers enables Israeli start-ups to test their ideas locally and, eventually, to scale up to pilot phases and beyond while remaining in Israel.

Major international events
A large part of Kofman's role is to increase the global exposure of Israeli Climate Tech companies by supporting their participation in major international climate-related conferences and events, such as the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. In November 2024, 20 Israeli Climate Tech companies took part in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Their innovative solutions were showcased at the Israeli Pavilion, representing a wide range of disruptive technologies in the fields of energy, water, agriculture, sustainable manufacturing, FoodTech, transportation, waste management and carbon capture.

The Israeli companies at COP29 attracted a great deal of interest, says Kofman. "Israel was one of only two countries that actually had companies represented at the conference. The Israeli Pavilion hosted ministers and leaders from all over the world. The variety of solutions offered by our companies was a major attraction."

Israeli companies also attend the annual Hello Tomorrow Global Summit, an important international event focusing on Deep Tech that is held in France. "We help Israeli companies join the international community. We open doors for them," Kofman notes.

Partnering with multinationals
To further support Israel's Climate Tech companies, the Israel Innovation Authority established an International Climate Tech Program that aims to accelerate the development and scaleup of ground-breaking climate technologies by bridging between Israeli start-ups on the one hand and multinational corporations (MNCs) and international Climate Tech hubs on the other. "By providing funding for projects involving both Israeli start-ups that are close to the pilot stage and major international corporations, we are helping to build relationships while supporting Israeli companies with disruptive technologies," Kofman elaborates.

The Israel Innovation Authority's International Climate Tech Call for Proposals includes two programs: the MNC program and the Eureka FoodTech program. The MNC program invites interested Israeli companies to submit applications to co-develop or pilot innovative solutions with leading global corporations in the field of Climate Tech. The major corporations taking part in this program include the A2A Group, the largest Italian multi-utility company; Bayer, the global enterprise specializing in health care and nutrition; Enel, a leading player in the global power and renewables markets; Hyundai CRADLE, Hyundai Motor's venture capital and open innovation arm; ReNew, India's largest renewable energy company and one of the world's leading decarbonization companies; Shizen Energy, a major Japanese renewable energy company; and Snam, the leading European operator in natural gas transport.

Last year, four projects were approved for funding by the MNC program, at a total budget of NIS 17 million:

• Xfloat, an Israeli start-up that develops innovative FPV systems for all types of energy production facilities, and Shizen, the Japanese multinational corporation.

• Synvertec, a start-up that helps facilitate high levels of renewable energy sources and distributed energy resources within diverse electricity grids, also with Shizen.

• Natural Offset Farming (NOF), which developed a portable and cost-effective cooling technology for post-harvest treatment, and the MNC Bayer.

• Salicrop, whose innovative, non-GMO seed enhancement technology enables seeds to withstand heat, drought, and salinity, and Bayer.

Focus on FoodTech
The Israel Innovation Authority is especially committed to supporting Israel's promising FoodTech sector. As such, it helps fund Israeli companies taking part in the Eureka FoodTech program for Research, Development & Innovation Projects, whose members include Israel, Sweden, Switzerland and Singapore. As part of the program, consortia are formed involving companies from at least two of the four countries that are dedicated to advancing the field of alternative proteins, especially from living animals. Priority is given to plant-based and fermentation-derived alternative proteins, as well as cultivated meat and seafood. The Israel Innovation Authority supports 20% to 50% of their approved R&D budget for up to 24 months.

The Israel Innovation Authority also leads delegations of Israeli FoodTech companies around the world, in order to expose them to potential investors and customers. Last November, a delegation traveled to Singapore under the aegis of the Israel Innovation Authority and the Israel Export Institute, where they conducted a successful road show and attended a global conference.

The Israel Innovation Authority also serves as the Israeli Chapter of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) at the World Economic Forum. Together with GFI Israel, the Authority recently published a comprehensive report on the alternative protein sector in Israel, emphasizing Israel's leadership strategy in the field and examining the Israeli case study as a lever for building a national plan in other countries and for promoting international cooperation.

"We are highlighting the crucial role of the public sector and preemptively identifying obstacles and providing solutions. We are introducing a model of government initiatives aimed at providing targeted support, utilizing the local ecosystem, and proposing strategies for fostering international collaboration to bolster this global industry," says Kofman.

FoodTech and all the other fields that are part of the Climate Tech category are attracting growing numbers of Israeli researchers and entrepreneurs who depend on the Israel Innovation Authority to help their groundbreaking ideas become viable technologies. As a result, the world is starting to view Israel as a global leader in developing solutions to combat climate change.

ISRAELI START-UPS AT COP29
The following companies that took part in the Israeli Pavilion at COP29, the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, attracted a great deal of international attention:

• TextRe converts mixed synthetic textile waste compositions into sustainable recycled materials for use in the plastics industry.

• CarbonBlue enables water-using industries to use existing facilities and value chains to facilitate efficient, scalable and cost-effective CO2 removal.

• Senecio, an AI and robotics startup whose platform automates the Sterile Insect Technique, which is the gold standard for mosquito population suppression.

• Treetoscope, an AgTech company whose cutting-edge irrigation optimization technology reduces water waste and promotes efficient irrigation.

• BlueGreen restores the natural ecological balance in lakes and reservoirs through large-scale, permanent carbon removal and aquatic ecosystem rehabilitation.
  
• ANINA creates nutritious, ready-to-cook capsule meals using upcycled vegetables, thereby reducing food waste and contributing to global food security.
  
• Reep eliminates virgin fiber consumption in print operations to prevent deforestation, enhance carbon sinks and decarbonize the print and paper lifecycle.
  
• Envomed 80, whose sustainable, cost-effective on-site solution treats hazardous bio-medical waste in hospitals, converting infected waste into 100% sterilized water.
  
• Marine Edge optimizes efficiency for cargo ships using innovative regenerative technology, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
  
• Airovation Technologies, a carbon capture utilization and storage company that enables methane-based low-carbon hydrogen production in synergy with hard-to-abate industries.
  
• Rewind developed an innovative solution for locking away carbon safely and permanently by sinking surplus plant material deep into the sea.
  
• Momentick aims to provide a one-stop emissions intelligence platform to enable companies to comply with regulations, reduce GHG emissions and save money.
  
• SolCold developed a patented nano-technological coating that cools everything without any power consumption, and is expected to significantly reduce GHG emissions.
  
• EZPack provides off-grid clean water solutions for drinking water and agriculture in rural areas.
  
• NGV aims to commercialize a novel technology for converting syngas into sustainable fuels and chemicals via a catalytic process.
  
• Salicrop, an innovative AgriTech company that uses a proprietary non-GMO seed enhancement to enable field crops to thrive under abiotic stresses such as drought or extreme temperatures.
  
• H2OLL produces water out of air thanks to a patented absorption technology developed at the Technion, involving running the air through liquid salt.
  
• CI Sensing, which is revolutionizing GHG detection with a patented technology that uses advanced Optical Gas Imaging for swift detection of harmful gas leaks.
  
• Terrra enables farmers to manage and monetize carbon removal, focusing on premium carbon removal, biodiversity and social impact.
  
• CQM Water, in partnership with Mekorot, focuses on maintenance-free, on-site chlorine generation systems that can produce hypochlorite directly from any water source without requiring pretreatment or chemicals.

For more information, visit: innovationisrael.org.il/en/international-collaborations/

Partnered with the Israel Innovation Authority