EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Science is our compass, guiding us past the serious challenges facing humanity to a better future. In the past two years, we have had to overcome tall hurdles as the COVID-19 pandemic has questioned our very way of life. But we have prevailed, maintained our vitality and activities and even expanded our productive and innovative community of scientists. We set out on our way, aiming toward several milestones. First, we augmented the fixed annual budget from Bar-Ilan University (BIU) by increasing the revenue of our equipment center and obtaining grants from research and education programs. This strategy proved effective. It increased our exposure to Israeli industry and enhanced our ability to establish new connections with international consortia in order to submit joint grants. In 2020–2021 we emphasized equipment renewal: We purchased state-of-the-art machinery, including a Thermo Fisher Helios 5 UC DualBeam microscope, an Elionix ELS-BODEN 100 kV Electron Beam Lithography system, a High-resolution Laser Lithography system and an Ion Assist Sputter Deposition system. We have continued investing in our most important resource—the heart and engine of the institute— BINA’s unique team. We have increased the number of technical research and administrative personnel to 27 team members. We have absorbed Dr. Joseph E. Kantorovitsch, a new immigrant who is a world-class expert in the optical field and a highly experienced researcher with unique expertise in translating optical innovations into industrial applications. Having him on board has enabled us to expand our services to the design of optical components, which has increased the number of companies now working with us. BINA remains faithful to its commitment, under the Israeli National Initiative for Nanotechnology (INNI), to open the equipment center to industry and has become home to many startups. We mention, just for example, Zero EC SA, a German-Israeli-Swiss company that won the 2021 German Innovation Award for work carried out jointly with the BINA fabrication team. Today more than 150 companies receive services at BINA. BINA’s proactive policy of locating grant application opportunities is evident in our daily work. • With new recruit Ms. Anna Madar, we have broadened the services offered to BINA’s researchers and staff so as to include grantwriting assistance. • We are encouraging our professional team to initiate collaborations with the industry. • We are also applying for new types of grants. This year, for the first time, we submitted an application for the Teaming for Excellence European Union program that strives to support and build centers of excellence in Widening countries as role models to stimulate excellence, new investments and reforms of national research and innovation systems. Our Teaming submission’s leading group is the Czech Republic’s Advanced Technology and Research 6
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