The $1 million 2023 Breakthrough Climate Solutions Prize (CSP), a joint initiative of JNF-Canada, KKL-JNF was awarded today to three outstanding Israeli research projects in Tel Aviv.
The Breakthrough Research Prize, the largest incentive prize in Israel’s history, is an initiative designed to mobilize Israel in tackling the climate crisis. By awarding funding and recognition to the most exceptional non-for-profit researchers or organizations in Israel, the prize aims to encourage and support groundbreaking research and development for climate solutions which will minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
The Jewish National Fund of Canada with the support of Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (KKL-JNF), who contributed matching funds towards the prize, awarded the $US 1 million Climate Solutions Breakthrough Research Prize, in partnership with Startup Nation Central in Tel Aviv.
Next month, Startup Nation Central will be awarding over $1 million to the best and brightest Israeli Tech startups.
Dr. Doron Markel, Chief Scientist of KKL-JNF, led the selection process by top academic experts in relevant fields, in which many excellent proposals were reviewed in several stages until the three finalists were chosen. The winners of the Breakthrough Climate Solutions Research Prize, explains Markel, “have the potential to significantly impact the reduction of carbon concentration in the atmosphere either by enhancing the shift to renewable energies – hence reducing greenhouse gas emissions - or by carbon fixation—either through natural process or artificial one.”
The winners for the 2023 Breakthrough Research Prize are:
• Prof. Shanny Barath & Prof. Yechezkel Kashin from Technion
CyanoCementation: Utilizing Cyanobacteria Biocementation for Sustainable Architectural Production and GHG Reduction. An eco-friendly technique to enhance and improve the durability properties of building structures that absorb greenhouse gases rather than releasing them.
• Prof. Brian Rosen from Tel Aviv University
Green ammonia is a sustainable, cheap, safe emission-free energy alternative that can become a significant clean fuel source for generating electricity with a multitude of applications. This project catalyzes the ammonia quickly with low temperatures.
• Prof. Menny Shalom from Ben Gurion University
Rechargeable Zinc Air Batteries with remarkably high energy efficiency and durability are considered an alternative in the post lithium-ion era.
The awarding of these prizes during this time of war points to the resilience of the Israeli
R&D ecosystem which continues to move forward in its quest to develop new technologies that will improve people’s lives and the planet during these fast-changing times.
These research projects represent solutions for some of the most pressing climate related challenges the world is facing today. They, along with Israel’s advances in desalinization, agricultural technology, autonomous vehicles, waste management, green transportation, and renewable energy are moving the country to become a hub for research and development in a wide range of clean technologies.
The Breakthrough Climate Solutions Prize will help galvanize and solidify Israel’s global leadership while working to alleviate the significant impacts of climate change which directly disrupt lives and the national security interests of countries, said Galith Levy, Chief Climate Solutions Prize Officer at the Jewish National Fund of Canada.
Jeff Hart, the Executive Chair of the Climate Solutions Prize said, “Over the past few months, we received tens of submissions from Israel’s top research institutions that vied to be recognized by The Breakthrough Climate Solutions Prize presented by JNF Canada in collaboration with our partners - KKL-JNF and Start-Up Nation Central. Once again, we have been inspired by the vision and ingenuity of Israeli scientific community and the remarkable innovations in various Climate Tech fields and we congratulate our 3 winners for their exceptional vision.”
According to Startup Nation Central, there are more than 850 climate change startups in Israel, allowing the nation to contribute to the global conversation on climate action and it has positioned itself as a valuable ally in the fight against the environmental crisis.
With the world increasingly experiencing the negative impacts of climate change, billions of dollars of investment are being funnelled to Climate Tech. Israel’s leadership in this field will help develop its economy as well as its relations with other nations seeking solutions to this global issue.
The 2023 Israeli Climate Tech Landscape Map details leading companies with solutions addressing the climate crisis.
For information about the Climate Solutions Prize, www.climatesolutionsprize.com.