Newsroom 2007 | ||
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11th December 2007: The core group of CELTIC, a EUREKA cluster that is the only European research and development programme dedicated to end-to-end telecommunications solutions, has concluded its first ever visit to Israel in search of new innovative Israeli technologies. Created as an intergovernmental initiative in 1985, EUREKA aims to enhance European competitiveness through its support to businesses, research centres and universities engaging in pan-European projects to develop innovative products, processes and services. By encouraging and assisting businesses to innovate, EUREKA complements the European Union's Framework Programme in working actively towards the common European objective of raising investment in R&D to three percent of GDP by 2010. CELTIC was hosted in Tel Aviv by RAD Data Communications, the only member of its core group headquartered in Israel, together with the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in Israel's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour and MATIMOP, its Industry Centre for Research and Development. While at RAD, the core group met with Zohar Zisapel, RAD Data Communications Chairman and co-founder of the RAD Group of companies, to exchange insights on Israel's rise as a centre of global telecommunications research and the future of the European telecommunications industry. They also heard presentations from Efraim Wachtel, RAD's President and CEO, and Effi Bergida, the OCS official responsible for the telecoms sector. High Israeli Investment in Scientific R&DJosé Jiménez, the chairman of CELTIC, noted that Israel's investment in scientific R&D measured as a percentage of its GDP is almost twice that of Europe's, and he and his colleagues welcomed increased Israeli involvement in the programme's many projects. "Participation of Israeli companies is an important factor in facilitating innovation in European projects," he added. Israeli companies have been involved in fourteen CELTIC projects, which accounts for approximately 30 percent of the total. "The visit helped spotlight not only Israeli technology but also the Israeli spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship," stated Dr. Yuri Gittik, Chief Strategy Officer of RAD Data Communications and the Israeli member of the CELTIC core group. "Technology and entrepreneurship are co-equal, critical components in our success in moving from research to implementation." The CELTIC core group members at the meeting represented eight leading European carriers and manufacturers and eight public authorities covering twelve countries. Apart from RAD Data Communications, corporate participants included Alcatel-Lucent (France), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Ericsson (Sweden), France Télécom-Orange (France), Nokia Siemens Networks (Finland), Telefónica (Spain), and Thomson (France). The core group is responsible for CELTIC's general policy and research activities. CELTIC, which is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, initiates and runs privately and publicly funded telecommunications R&D projects. Supported by most major European players in communication technologies, CELTIC has a budget of approximately €1 billion that is invested in research on telecoms networks, applications, and services.
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