This project is operating under the auspices of the S. Neaman Institute and the Economics of National Security (ENS) Research Program. Its goal is to map out the interconnections between Israel's academy, national defense system and industry in light of the country's growth in space industry and in space technology R&D. In the framework of this project, an attempt is made to evaluate the impact of the space industry on the Israeli economy by collecting, analyzing and presenting data on the industry, human resources training and R&D in this field. The aim is to collect the key data on this industry and on the factors that influence its development and impact, in order to examine the rationale for government support for this industry.
The project is divided into two phases:
The first phase (which began in 2006 and was completed in 2007) dealt with instrumental design and collecting existing data on the space industry. Based on collected data, reports were drawn up on:
- The scientific position of Israel in relation to other countries in space-related fields of science, according to bibliometric data
- Data on the space industry in Israel and worldwide
- Indicators of space-related activities in Israel
- A review of possible business models in the space industry
The second phase of the project (2008) is attempting to use this data, as well as additional data that will be assembled by interviewing space industry leaders and other experts in this field, in order to perform analyses that focus on space activity development and on factors of the space industry's impact on the national economy.
Analyses that will be performed will relate, among others, to major changes and trends in the space industry, the importance of R&D and innovation in the space sector, knowledge and technology transfer processes, market research, and policies in the space sector.
