JERUSALEM, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel will set up a technology innovation laboratory which will focus on computational biology at a cost of 32 million new shekels (about 9.18 million U.S. dollars), the Israel Innovation Authority (IAA) said on Monday.
Computational biology is a relatively new scientific field that deals with the connection between biological systems and computer science and mathematics.
Computational biology research focuses on bioinformatics, which is the information contained in biological sequences such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, and on mathematical biology, which is the use of mathematical models to understand the complex behavior of biological systems.
In recent years, the recognition of the importance of computational biology has been strengthened worldwide, mainly because of the human genome sequencing project and the computational challenges it poses.
Bioinformatics became the core of many biotechnology companies, and therefore the demand for manpower in this field is increasing.
The lab will be set up and run for 5 years by Israeli of foreign corporations which will win a governmental tender.
The corporations chosen will be funded for the establishment of the technological infrastructure and for operating the lab, as well as for the proof of the feasibility of projects to be taken in the laboratory.
Alongside the computational laboratory, another laboratory will be operated, with comprehensive equipment for research and development of biotechnological solutions.
The labs are a part of an Israeli national plan to promote the digital health sector as a growth engine and a way to improve the health system, with an investment of 898 million new shekels (257.7 million U.S. dollars).
According to the IAA, Israel has a disproportionate number of computational biology researchers with impressive academic and research knowledge, which has not yet been translated into an industrial establishment.
