Israel, Boeing Launch Sustainable Aviation Fuel Knowledge Center at Technion

The Israeli Sustainable Aviation Fuel Knowledge Center (iSAF) was inaugurated at the Technion, with support from the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, and in partnership with Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer.

The center was established as part of the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology’s efforts to promote applied research that bridges government, academia, and industry, aimed at developing economically viable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The ministry issued a call for proposals to establish a national knowledge center to consolidate expertise and research infrastructure accessible to all SAF researchers in Israel.

The new center marks a significant step towards producing sustainable fuels for the aviation sector, aiming to advance the Jewish State toward its 2030 goals, which focus on developing technologies for the local production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

By 2050, international regulations will mandate the exclusive use of SAF.

The center is led by experts from the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, including Center Director Dr. Alon Grinberg Dana and Center Manager Ido Lieberman and includes 14 researchers from the Technion, Bar-Ilan University, and Ben-Gurion University.

The Technion, which leads the initiative, will collaborate closely with Boeing’s global research center. Additionally, the center will contribute to training the next generation of scientists and engineers through a “Doctoral Network” and organize annual events, including national conferences, professional workshops, and hackathons.

Officials said the center is to operate with five primary goals:

1. Developing a national research strategy for alternative aviation fuels.
2. Creating world-class advanced research infrastructure.
3. Fostering scientific and engineering leadership while training the next generation of scientists in the field.
4. Encouraging Israeli and international collaborations between academia and industry.
5. Accumulating and disseminating knowledge to researchers, the public, and decision-makers.

The new center is guided by a steering committee comprising representatives from each participating university, chaired by Prof. Dan Major of Bar-Ilan University and includes Dr. Avi Raveh (representing the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology), Mr. Haggai Mazursky (Boeing), Prof. Gidi Grader (Technion), Prof. Idan Hod (Ben-Gurion University), and Dr. Alon Grinberg Dana (Technion), who will serve as the center’s director.

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