The energy ministries of Israel and the United States Department of Energy will deepen their cooperation in research and development by tripling their budget threefold, according to a release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The governments will jointly invest an additional $8 million in energy research and development, in addition to the $4 million already invested through the BIRD Energy Fund since 2009.
With the U.S. Senate budget approval, the governments through the related ministries are set to publish a call for proposals for the establishment of a joint research and development center in the field of energy, which will include partners from both the business-technological side and the academic side in both countries.
“This is a significant strengthening of the energy cooperation between the countries that began in 2009, mainly in light of recent changes in priorities in the U.S. budget,” said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement on Tuesday.
The joint investment is a continuation of the implementation agreement signed by Energy Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, in 2016.
According to the release, as part of this agreement the two countries expanded their fields of cooperation between in the energy sector to include fuels and substitutes, smart grid and electricity grid in general, desalination and water treatment, and physical and cyber protection of energy and water infrastructure facilities.