Incentive Program for R&D of Assistive Technologies for People with Disabilities – Call for Proposals

Open Date:

19/03/2019

Deadline for Submission:

20/05/2019

Time zone:

Israel

Summary:

Assistive technologies for people with disabilities have the potential to dramatically improve their quality of life and enhance their ability to lead a healthy, independent and dignified lifestyle, while taking part and contributing to all spheres of society: work, education and leisure.
This incentive program encourages and supports R&D of technological solutions for people with disabilities in order to improve their ability to integrate into society and the labor market.
This program is managed in collaboration between the Israel Innovation Authority and the National Insurance Social Funds.

The National Insurance Social Funds are governmental funds designed to reduce social gaps and foster, empower and improve the quality of life of populations at risk. The Innovation Authority is responsible for developing, strengthening and leading Israeli innovation to drive economic prosperity.

Relevant Technologies

All technologies

Participating Agencies

Israel Innovation Authority
Israel's National Insurance Institute's Fundsd

Program Description

For the purpose of this incentive program, “technological solutions” can mean any of the following: a new product, improvement of an existing product, or the addition of different technologies to existing products.
For the purposes of this program, people with disabilities include those who have physical, mental, brain or cognitive disabilities, permanent or temporary, which limit functioning in a significant way in one or several major spheres of life, and which as a group represent up to 5% of the population in Israel.

Funding

Up to 900,000 NIS for 12 month period

  • NGOs: 85% of the approved budget
  • Companies under 5 years: 65% of the approved budget
  • Companies above 5 years: 30%, 40% or 50% according to the committee’s decision

Criteria

Projects will be selected according to the following criterias:

  • Degree of contribution to the target population
  • Technological depth of the proposed application
  • Company’s experience and familiarity with the needs of the target population
  • Background of the entrepreneur and of the development team
  • Quality of the business model presented (including price accessibility for the target audience in Israel)
  • Market size

Relevant technology sectors:

Applications can be submitted in various areas as long as they meet the provisions of the incentive program, including the following areas:

Visual

  • Solutions for the visually impaired
  • Tools for navigating public spaces
  • Reading and writing tools for home and workplace adaptations
  • Virtual navigation systems

 

Mobility, dexterity and postural

  • Mobility aids
  • Drive and support systems
  • Sitting and positioning systems
  • Home/workplace adaptations and other environmental adaptations
  • Solutions for transportation
  • Navigation in public spaces for those with visual or cognitive impairment

Cognition, learning and education

  • Solutions to facilitate cognitive accessibility (for people with either developmental or acquired disabilities)
  • Early and precise detection of learning disabilities
  • Fostering inclusion in classroom/academia; building resilience, independence, persistence, self-control and interest

Communications

  • Speech and augmentative communication
  • Writing and typing aids
  • Speech and hearing aids
  • Alternative emergency alert systems for hard of hearing
  • Optimization of speech recognition and speech generating systems
  • Tools to ease the expression of ideas, feelings, emotions and abstract concepts for different disabilities
  • Non-invasive brain-to-computer interfaces

Recreation, Sports and Leisure

  • Accessibility to recreational activities in public venues
  • Equipment for fitness and wellbeing purposes
  • Solutions for facilitated social interaction
  • Solutions for general entertainment and improving performance in existing sports
  • Solutions for navigating foreign environments/traveling

Healthcare

  • Solutions to provide independence in receiving medical treatment
  • Technologies to ease the treatment of persons with challenging behavior
  • Solutions for gradual function decline prevention

Application Process

For more information about the program and how to apply in Hebrew, click here

For additional information, please contact:

Name: Societal Challenges Division
Position: Societal Challenges Division
Organization: Israel Innovation Authority