Collaboration between Western Region and Israel in research, health, agriculture or industry

The Western Region and Israel may collaborate in fields like research and innovation, health, agriculture and defense industry. The initiative of those collaboration belongs to the Western Regional Development Agency (ADR) which has two billion euros at its disposal from European funds in the next seven years.   A delegation of the state of Israel, headed by David Sarnga, the country's ambassador in Romania, joined by several experts in innovation, was in Timisoara, one of the meetings being with ADR West leaders and Timis County Council. “We could see the first results in setting up an ecosystem in the field of innovation. We are ready to share with the Western Region what we created in Israel. Our country does not have many natural resources, but the innovation spirit is an essential trait. In 2019, 5.4% of Israel's GDP was allocated for research and development and this year the percentage is 4.8, which makes our country the first in the world to grant this field the highest GDP percentage”, David Saranga said.   Another direction in which we will be able to see results in the next period is medicine. Representatives of Sheba Hospital in Israel agreed to support the development of the medical field in Timis county.   “We want to achieve a health hub around Timis County Hospital, but there are also other initiatives of the local public authorities (Timisoara City Hall, Lugoj City Hall) for the extension of services in the health field. Israel's world level experience will be very useful to diversify our health services. We considered tele-medicine and the performances Israel has in various medical specialties,” said Alin Nica, the president of Timis County Council.   In the agricultural field, talks have been already initiated with the University of Agricultural and Veterinarian Medicine Sciences of Banat about the components in which the Western Region could become competitive for water resources and more efficient with the aid of culture technology in the area.   The innovation component holds an important place in the future Regional Operational Program of the Western area, recently approved by the Romanian government. In fact, the Western Region will have a budget of 2 billion euros in the next seven years.   “Once the new POR is approved, adding the funds coming from the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience, and from the Fund for just transition allocated to Hunedoara county, we will have a region budget of 2 billion euros in the next 7 years. We have a strategy, we also have resources, we wish to have competence at the level we want to reach and that is why I think this collaboration with Israel is extremely important. I hope this fall we will have the first concrete results of our collaboration,”said Sorin Maxim, the director of ADR West. (Photo:https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=393066809515656&set=pcb.393067326182271)