Volume 2.4

Maryland/Israel Development Center's Trade eNews - December 2004

MIDC/General Interest News

Maryland and Israel Launch Joint Fund to Invest in High Tech Ventures

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. and Israelís Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced the formation of the Maryland/Israel Development Fund (MIDF) to support new product development joint ventures between their companies at their meeting in Annapolis on November 29th.

Governor Ehrlich and Vice Prime Minister Olmert first discussed the fund during the Governorís trade mission to Israel in November 2003. It is modeled on several bi-national research and development funds Israel maintains with other countries including the U.S., Canada and Britain. This is the first such fund Israel is establishing with an American state.

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and Israelís Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor will each earmark $500,000 for the grants. Pairings of Maryland and Israeli companies will be eligible for conditional grants to jointly develop new commercial high tech products. The grants will be repaid from royalties on sales of the products.

ìIn our discussion last year Minister Olmert and I realized that Maryland and Israel share strengthens in the bioscience, information technology and homeland security sectors. We decided to form the Maryland/Israel Development Fund to bring our companies together for joint development of new high tech products that will help companies expand and create jobs in Maryland and in Israel.î

For further info see:
The Baltimore Business Journal
The Daily Record
Globes

MarketReach America Homeland Security 2005

Homeland Security 2005 Graphic We are pleased to announce that MarketReach America is now accepting applications to its third program: Homeland Security 2005.
MarketReach America Homeland Security 2005 targets innovative Israeli companies developing homeland security technologies, products, or services that are ready ó or soon to be ready ó for launch into the American market.

The MarketReach America program offers expert advice and support on business strategy formation, market intelligence, investment recruitment, key industry contacts, and business development. The program helps homeland security companies introduce their products into the American market. Selected participants attend a five-day strategy and planning conference in Baltimore, Maryland; receive professional consulting in order to determine their optimal American market strategy and action plan; and prepare for and organize and a U.S. road show to meet targeted companies.

MarketReach America is a subsidized consulting program established by the Maryland/Israel Development Center and The Trendlines Group of Israel. The program was launched with the support of the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation. For more information please visit our website, www.marketreachamerica.com.

MIDC-Trendlines Conference:
Raising Money for Homeland Security Companies

The Maryland/Israel Development Center and The Trendlines Group co-sponsored a conference in Tel Aviv on raising money for Israeli homeland security companies on Dec. 1, 2005. One hundred fifty executives and entrepreneurs of Israeli homeland security technology companies came to learn how to raise funds and break into the American homeland security market. MIDC Executive Director spoke about the new Maryland/Israel Development Fund and opportunities for Israeli companies to partner with Maryland firms on new product development and commercialization. Leading Washington, DC based homeland security consultant, Chris Cushing of The Commonwealth Group spoke about segmenting government and commercial markets to identify optimal entry points for new technology.

Profile of an Israeli Company in Maryland: Israel Military Industries

IMI Logo Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) is a leader in the design, development and manufacture of innovative, high performance defense and military systems. The company maintains a U.S. business development office located in Bethesda, MD.

Founded in 1933, IMI has also formed a strong presence in the commercial sector utilizing its leading edge technologies and marketing network, from satellite rocket launchers to advanced pay phones.

With over 60 percent of its production destined for world markets, IMI is a recognized supplier to armed forces, law enforcement and homeland security agencies and defense manufacturers on five continents.

Agreement Between Israel and Maryland
on Collaborative Research Relationships

Stemming from Governor Robert Ehrlichís trade mission to Israel in November 2003, the Collaborative Maryland/Israel Marine Biotechnology Research and Development Program has announced a partnership between the University of Maryland Biotechnology Instituteís (UMBI) Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB) and several Israeli research institutions. The collaboration will study and develop new environmentally sustainable and economically feasible aquaculture technologies and explore new avenues for the production of marine natural compounds with pharmaceutical potential.

This program was initiated by the Maryland/Israel Development Center and the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture. Each government will provide $250,000 annually for three years to fund the research. The program will be administered by UMBI in Maryland and by BARD, the US Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, in Israel.

ETView
After gaining invaluable market feedback from top physicians at the University of Marylandís Shock Trauma Center during the MarketReach America Life Sciences program in April, 2004, ETView adapted their emergency airway management technology which is an endotracheal tube affixed with a CCD camera for the medical education market. The new product allows medical students to see the tubeís insertion into the lungs, whereas current intubation practice relies on feeling whether the tube is being inserted in the correct place, often resulting in the tube entering the stomach instead of the lungs. The new product, ET Trainer, has received an overwhelmingly positive response at several major medical trade shows. Sales of ET Trainer have already begun.

Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Guardium Project
A participant in MarketReach Americaís July, 2004 ICET (information, communication and electronics technology) program, IAI has developed autonomous unmanned security vehicles to enhance ìfirst responderî capabilities for perimeter security. The company representative recently spent a week in Maryland meeting with security officials in government and industry. The companyís goal is to establish a beta test site in Maryland for the U.S. market.

ShareManage
ShareManage, also an ICET participant and developer of Namigo software for the automatic updating of contact information in large databases, has began successful sales activities in Israel and the U.S. They are installing the software in the alumni office of a major Israeli university and other locations.

Jetro Platforms
This ICET 2004 participating company announced a new version of its flagship product: Jetro CockpITô Enterprise Version 3.5. This version is targeted toward large enterprises.

SLP Ltd.
Another Life Sciences participant, SLP made the first shipment on a multi-year contract of its at-home test for sleep apnea, SleepStrip, to a major American distributor. The company also hired a sleep industry executive to run U.S. operations.

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Upcoming Events

Follow the links under each listing to find out more
or to register for an event.

IN ISRAEL:

February 1-3, 2005
BioAnaliza 2005
www.stier.co.il/SG_ENG/Analiza/main_ana.htm
February 1-3, 2005
Israchem 2005
www.stier.co.il/SG_ENG/Israchem/main_israc.htm
March 22-24, 2005
High Technologies 2005
April 4-7, 2005
Building 2005
May 24-26, 2005
Biotech Israel 2005 - 4th National Biotechnology Week
www.kenes.com/biotech†
June 20-23, 2005
Technology ñ The 18th International Exhibition for Technology Developments
June 22-24, 2005
Security Israel
September 3-8, 2006
International Federation Information Processing - IFIP

IN THE MARYLAND REGION:

December 1-2, 2004
Bio-Med 2004
Baltimore Convention Center
www.biomedexpo.com
December 4-8, 2004
American Society for Cell Biology's Annual Convention
Washington Convention Center
www.ascb.org
March 23-25, 2005
Satellite 2005
Washington Convention Center
www.pbimedia.com, attendance: 6,000
April 5-7, 2005
FOSE ñ Federal Office Systems Expo
www.FOSE.com, attendance: 30,000
May 17-19, 2005
Technet International 2005
Washington Convention Center
www.afcea.org, attendance: 10,000
For more information on any of these events,
please contact the Maryland/Israel Development Center.
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Israeli Office ï Trendlines ï Shorashim ï D.N. Misgav ï 20164 ï ISRAEL
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