Biofuels set to benefit from large grant in Israel

Israeli scientists involved in the research of biofuels and solar energy are set to benefit from a multi-million pound grant.

Part of a $15 million (€11.5 million) gift given to the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology will be dispersed over the next three years and used to fund the research projects.

The money has come from the Leona and Harry Helmsley Charitable Trust, a married couple dedicated to science and health and who continue to do so since their passing.

Biofuels research will be conducted on the generation of effective methods for breaking down plant matter into useable resources, the development of algae as an economical fuel provider and the growth of plants that can sustainably provide materials for conversion to biofuels.

‘Alternative energy is one of the most important, as well as one of the most exciting, fields of research today,’ Weizmann professor David Cahen was quoted as saying. ‘With this grant from the Helmsley Trust, we hope to attract researchers and students to the field as we know that a whole array of energy options will be needed to replace today’s non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels.’

The Helmsley Trust will also reportedly help build state-of-the art facilities for biofuels development at the institute.