JERUSALEM, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israel has put five areas of scientific and technological development on national priorities amid heightened global competition, Israel's Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology said in a statement on Sunday.
The areas are bio-convergence, oceanic resources, food-tech, the production and storage of renewable energies, as well as civil space industry, it said.
The fields were selected by a committee under the National Council for Civilian Research and Development of the ministry.
National plans will be formulated in these areas to promote research and development, and they will receive significant budget from the ministry's research fund over the next five years, according to the ministry.
These are strategic and essential areas for Israel to compete in the global research arena, and the continued promotion of Israel's hi-tech for the benefit of the country's economic future, the committee explained.
It also recommended more government support in the fields of quantum technology, artificial intelligence and data science. ■
