New York State is looking for Israeli startups to help it meet Covid-19 challenges

The Covid-19 pandemic is not stopping the State of New York from seeking ways to promote innovation in its borders. The state government, together with the Israel Innovation Authority and the Head of the Ministry of Economy and Industry’s Mission to the East Coast are launching a pilot program offering Israeli tech companies the opportunity to try their technological solutions out in seven cities and 10 different sites around the state as part of the NY Smart City Innovation Partnership Program.

The plan’s budget stands at NIS 10 million (nearly $3 million) with each company eligible for participation of up to half of its investment.

The pilot program gives Israeli companies the opportunity to enjoy collaborations with leading sites in the State of New York and receive grants for conducting feasibility tests of innovative technologies.

The aims of the program are to accelerate the development of technologies for smart cities and expedite public access to them, to help Israeli companies enter the U.S. market, and of course, to promote international collaborations.

Israeli companies may apply to have their technologies, services, and devices tested and adapted in several cities in New York State, including Syracuse, Southampton, Glens Falls, Schenectady, Jamestown, Saratoga Springs and of course, New York City Itself.

Each city defines the fields of technology that are relevant to it and the needs it is trying to meet. Examples for the types of solutions the cities are looking for include: water monitoring, scheduling and securing of virtually held trials, automated transportation data gathering, real-time flood monitoring, street light energy savings, pollution tracking, urban agriculture, and identifying abandoned buildings.

Companies that are accepted into one of the pilot programs, will receive support of up to 50% of the approved R&D budget from the Israel Innovation Authority and access to the target site’s data and resources.

The program, IIA CEO Aharon Aharon said, “represents a tremendous opportunity for Israeli companies and entrepreneurs, which once again highlights the importance of the Israeli technology and innovation ecosystem not only here in our home, but also around the world. We are looking for Israeli companies that are developing technologies that can help New York deal with the technological challenges of managing smart cities during the Covid-19 crisis.”