Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Israel Innovation Authority, has issued a major easement for the companies it supports, in the manner in which payroll expenses for companies in the midst of carrying out approved plans will be recognized.

In order to recognize payroll expenses, employees must physically report their working hours in a computerized reporting system. Reporting should be done at the beginning and end of each work day.

In light of the shift to telecommuting at this time, the IIA announced that it would also recognize the wages of employees working from home as a temporary relief due to the coronavirus crisis. For this purpose, an employee must report attendance on a daily basis through remote means approved by the IIA, in a reporting application or through the company portal. If there is no remote reporting option (even for companies with a computerized system authorized by the IIA), employees must report their working hours using the allocated file for IIA tasks.

In addition, the IIA has issued a series of open calls for technological developments that address the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Companies working on such developments may now apply to the IIA for support:

There are currently three open calls:

• The Mofet program encourages technological innovation in manufacturing processes. This includes support for industrial companies in a wide range of fields: medical equipment, therapeutic equipment, adhesion prevention equipment, remote medicine, measuring and control devices, textiles, chemical manufacturing, polymers and plastics, and more.
  The support is designated for development in the field of protective measures, isolation for business continuity, disinfection, monitoring, and treatment of disease. Support can also be given to innovation in the use of raw materials, enhancement and innovation in production processes, and adaptation of existing products to treat and deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus.
• This track is designed for technology companies or research institutions to submit research and development plans for early-stage technological ideas or applications (ideation). Support falls under the IIA’s Benefit Track 2 for digital health companies and Benefit Track 7 for academic researchers. There is also a track for the transfer of academic knowledge to an industrial corporation within Benefit Track 6, as well as a track for private entrepreneurs. In this open call, there is no limit on the areas for application.
• This track is designed for growing companies and is funded as part of the IIA’s Benefit Track 2. It calls on technology companies to submit a research and development plan for systems, products, or technology solutions, including development, execution, and demo projects (such as semi-commercial product installation and implementation, including extensive product assimilation in healthcare organizations). In this open call as well, there is no limit to the proposed research and development areas.

According to the IIA’s publications, the intention is to apply rapid review procedures for the applications and therefore the response periods for open calls are short.

We recommend that companies monitor the IIA’s publications for additional open calls.