State-to-State Cooperation: Delaware and Israel

Delaware Jewish History Trade & Population Statistics Binational Foundation Grants Bilateral Institutions Cooperative Agreements Government Missions to Israel Partners for Change Business/Industry Science/Technology Agriculture/Farming Other Cooperative Programs Sister Cities & State Contacts

Trade and Population Statistics

Binational Foundation Grants

Grant Recipients in Delaware From U.S.-Israel Binational Foundations

CIBA Specialty Chemicals, Inc
du Pont de Nemours
DuPont Experimental Station
University of Delaware
Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Bilateral Institutions

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Cooperative Agreements

In August 2007, the U.S. and Israeli governments signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to provide $30 billion in American military aid to Israel over the next decade. Representative John Carney (D-DE) pledged his support for the monumental MOU which requires that Israel reinvest the majority of the military aid into American companies. “As the United States Congressman from Delaware,” Rep. Carney said, “I pledge to support the U.S. – Israel relationship and to work hard to improve and enhance our special bond with the State of Israel.” 

In 1999, on the heels of an economic mission to Israel led by then Governor John Carney, the Delaware Department of State established a trade office in Jerusalem with the help of Atid EDI, Ltd, an organization which excels at establishing and developing trade relations in the Middle East.

Delaware Government Missions to Israel

July 2013 - Delaware Governor Jack Markell traveled to Israel on a four-day trip to meet with high tech business incubators, companies and officials. The mission focused on “opportunities to create more partnerships between Delaware and the evolving and emerging hi-tech economy of Israel,” Markell said. Delaware Economic Development Israel Office’s director, Sherwin B. Pomerantz, hosted Markell’s delegation that included meetings with Israel’s President and Prime Minister, U.S. Ambassador and Tel Aviv Stock Exchange President, among others. 

January 2010 - Delaware Secretary of State Jeff Bullock led a trade mission organized by the state’s Middle East Trade Office the represented Delaware’s business, legal and academic communities. The mission targeted business appointments for the Delaware participants with potential Israeli partners. Delaware’s Middle East Trade Office provides assistance for Delaware companies interested in business opportunities in Israel among other Middle East countries. 

May 2006 - Two members of the Delaware Judiciary, Chief Justice Myron Steele and Vice Chancellor Stephen Lamb, went to Israel as part of a team from Delaware to meet with members of the Israeli legal community. The objectives of the trip were to: 1) enhance understanding of Delaware corporate law and Court of Chancery practice; 2) aid in establishing a specialized court for corporate law in Israel, and 3) strengthen international bar relations. 

Partners For Change

The U.S.-Israel relationship is based on the twin pillars of shared values and mutual interests. Given this commonality of interests and beliefs, it should not be surprising that support for Israel is one of the most pronounced and consistent foreign policy values of the American people.

It is more difficult to devise programs that capitalize on the two nations’ shared values than their security interests; nevertheless, such programs do exist. In fact, these SHARED VALUE INITIATIVES cover a broad range of areas, including the environment, science and technology, education and health.

Today’s interdependent global economy requires that trade policy be developed at the national and state level.

Many states have recognized the opportunity for realizing significant benefits by seeking to increase trade with Israel. 33 states have cooperative agreements with Israel.

In 2020, Delaware exported more than $14 million worth of manufacturing goods to Israel. Since 1996, Delaware exports to Israel have totaled more than $305 million and Israel now ranks as Delaware’s 33rd leading trade partner.

Additionally, in 2013, Delaware companies received nearly $100,000 in foreign military financing (FMF) for contracts to provide materiel for the Israeli Defense Forces. Since 1996, Delaware companies have received nearly $100 million in FMF. These include ILC Dover in Fredrica.

Israel is certainly a place where potential business and trade partners can be found. It can also be a source, however, for innovative programs and ideas for addressing problems facing the citizens of Delaware.

Israel has developed a number of pioneering education programs. For example, AICE introduced an innovative Israeli peer tutoring program to North Carolina that educators adapted for use in the United States. Now known as Reading Together, the program is used in 28 states. The program is designed to help students achieve reading fluency and is mostly used for children in second grade. The hope is that with its implementation, increasing numbers of students will perform at grade level or above.

Delaware has also received nearly $1.2 million worth of grants from binational U.S.-Israel foundations for joint research in science, agricultural and the promotion of commercial ventures.

A variety of other exciting approaches to social problems like unemployment, environmental protection and drug abuse have been successfully implemented in Israel and could be imported for the benefit of Americans.

The potential for greater cooperation with Israel for the benefit of Delaware is limited only by the imagination.

Delaware Firms Profit From Business With Israel

As the only country with free trade agreements with both the United States and the European community, Israel can act as a bridge for international trade between the U.S. and Europe. Moreover, because of its deep pool of talent, particularly in high-technology areas, Israel provides excellent investment opportunities. Some of the nation’s largest companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Intel and McDonald’s have found that it is indeed profitable to do business in Israel.

One good way to break into the Israeli market is through a joint venture with an Israeli company. Funding for such projects is available from the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD). BIRD funds projects in 36 states and the District of Columbia and hundreds of companies including AOL, GE, BP Solar, Texas Instruments and Johnson & Johnson have benefitted from BIRD grants.

The United States and Israel established BIRD in 1977 to fund joint U.S.-Israeli teams in the development and subsequent commercialization of innovative, nondefense technological products from which both the Israeli and American company can expect to derive benefits commensurate with the investments and risks. Most grant recipients are small businesses involved with software, instrumentation, communications, medical devices and semiconductors.

Since 1977, the Foundation has approved investments in more than 1,000 projects, which have yielded direct and indirect revenues of more than $10 billion. More than $125 million worth of grants have been approved for projects in 37 states and the District of Columbia.

Dr. Eli Opper, the former Israeli chair of BIRD, has said that BIRD is a strong pillar of U.S.-Israel industrial cooperation and that the extreme success of BIRD has led Israel to adopt similar models of R&D with other countries.

Several Delaware companies have taken advantage of the BIRD program including CIBA Specialty Chemicals, Inc.

With help from BIRD grants in 2007, CIBA Chemicals (Newport) and Israel’s Freshpoint Quality Assurance, Ltd jointly developed the Time Temperature Indicator (TTI) technology which is a packaging label that changes color when the contents- meat, medicines, blood or milk- spoil. The TTI is called “OnVu!” and is ready for sale and distribution in various grocery stores.¹

Scientific Innovations

Delaware researchers are making scientific breakthroughs and developing cutting-edge technologies in joint projects with Israeli scientists thanks to support from the Binational Science Foundation (BSF). BSF was established in 1972 to promote scientific relations and cooperation between scientists from the United States and Israel. The fund supports collaborative research projects in a wide area of basic and applied scientific field for peaceful and non-profit purposes. Since its inception, and in today’s value, BSF has awarded over $700 million to more than 5,000 research projects involving thousands of scientists from more than 400 U.S. institutions located in 46 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Many of these projects have led to important scientific, medical, and technological breakthroughs with wide-ranging practical applications.

BSF-sponsored studies are highly successful in achieving their two main goals: strengthening the US-Israel partnership through science and promoting world-class scientific research for the benefit of the two countries and all mankind. The BSF grants help extend research resources to achieve milestones that might not otherwise be attainable; introduce novel approaches and techniques to lead American researchers in new directions; confirm, clarify and intensify research projects; and provide unmatched access to Israeli equipment, facilities and research results that help speed American scientific advances. BSF has documented no less than 75 new discoveries made possible by its research grants and counts 37 Nobel Prize and 19 Lasker Medical Award laureates among its joint partners.

Delaware institutions have received 22 grants worth more than $400,000 from BSF.

An outstanding breakthrough in the field of material science, resulting from BSF- sponsored collaboration, was the discovery of inorganic nanotubes and fullerene-like nanoparticles, which paved the way to the development of superior solid lubricants with important and large-scale commercial applications in the automotive, machining, aerospace, electronics, medical, and numerous other industries. This research, conducted by Prof. Reshef Tenne, Prof. D.J. Srolovitz and Dr. Yishai Feldman (Weizmann), together with Dr. Edel Wasserman (DuPont Experimental Station, Delaware), is expected to lead in the future also to the fabrication of ultra-strong nanocomposites, and a host of other applications. It also led to the establishment of a new paradigm in the chemistry of nanomaterials and to the birth of an entirely new field of inorganic chemistry - the science and technology of hollow-closed structures.²

Agriculture Benefits

In 1978, the United States and Israel jointly created the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) to help fund programs between US and Israeli scientists for mutually beneficial, mission-oriented, strategic and applied research into agricultural problems. Since its inception, BARD has awarded more than $130 million to U.S. institutions for 1,352 joint projects. A 40-year review in 2019 involving 20 case studies estimated the foundation’s contribution to the U.S. economy at $2.7 billion. BARD research has resulted in the adoption of approximately 200 new agricultural practices, around 40 commercial engagements, and approximately 100 patents and breeding rights licenses.

Most BARD projects focus on either increasing agricultural productivity, plant and animal health or food quality and safety and have been influential in creating new technologies in drip irrigation, pesticides, fish farming, livestock, poultry, disease control and farm equipment. BARD funds projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia and at present is beginning to administer collaborative efforts between Australia, Canada and Israel as well. It is difficult to break down the impact on a state-by-state basis, but overall, BARD-sponsored research has generated sales of more than $500 million, tax revenues of more than $100 million and created more than 5,000 American jobs.

The University of Delaware has received five grants worth more than $600,000.

Other Cooperative Programs

Jerusalem American International School - The JAIS is an independent, coeducational day school that offers a secular educational program from preschool through grade 9 for students of all nationalities. The Jerusalem Branch of WBAIS was founded in 2001 and is governed by the Delaware-based non-profit group Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel, Inc. The schools curriculum is that of U.S. general academic, college-preparatory public schools.

Sister Cities

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UJA Partnership 2000 Communities

State Contacts

Hillel Campus Profiles

The America-Israel Chamber of Commerce
Central Atlantic Region
200 South Broad St., #700
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Tel. 215-790-3722
Fax. 215-790-3600
Email. aicc@gpcc.com

Jewish Federation Of Delaware
100 W 10th St #-301
Wilmington, DE 19801-1645
Tel. 302-478-6200
Fax. 302-427-2438
Email. delawarejfd@jon.cjfny.org
Web. http://www.shalomdel.org

Delaware Department of Economic Development
Sherwin Pomerantz, Israel Director
c/o Atid EDI Ltd.
Bldg. 2, Har Hotzvim, P.O. Box 45005
Jerusalem
Israel 91450
Tel. 2-571-0199
Fax. 2-571-0713
Email. atidedi@netvision.net.il
URL: www.atid-edi.com/delaware.htm

Jewish Historical Society of Delaware
505 Market Street Mall
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
JHSD Archives: (302) 655-6232
Website: http://www.hsd.org/jhsd.htm
E-mail: jhsdel@yahoo.com

NOTES

¹ “Time Temperature Indicator Technology,” OnVu.
² “Superior Solid Lubricants,” Scientific Achievements, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation.