Ilana Shtotland, Ma’ariv, September 7, 2024
Read article in Hebrew here
From growing vegetables at high altitudes using robot-accessible "vertical agriculture” to research on cancer and diabetes, the projects of the MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, located in Kiryat Shmona, are solving sustainability and food challenges in Israel and throughout the world. But since October 7th, MIGAL’s researchers have been evacuated from their laboratories, and are now working dispersed throughout the country. David Zigdon, MIGAL’s Director, reports on the efforts and ingenuity that have enabled the Institute’s important initiatives to continue, despite the war.
Five years ago, David Zigdon left Tel Aviv and moved north, to Kiryat Shmona, to take over as CEO of the MIGAL Galilee Research Institute. Eleven months ago, he was evacuated from Kiryat Shmona, but still goes North at least three days a week, with the reminder of his time spent traveling between the various institutions throughout the country who are now hosting MIGAL’s laboratories.
David Zigdon: “Our researchers have been evacuated to different places throughout the country. For one of our projects, the researchers are now based in Eilat, Tel Aviv and the Jordan Valley.”
"We’re trying, somehow, to maintain a routine in this crazy, unpredictable environment,” Zigdon explained. “Just to secure the lab space, equipment and materials our researchers need: it’s a huge challenge. During Corona, the whole country – actually the whole scientific world - shut down, so it was acceptable to have a slowdown in our projects. But today, research institutes throughout Israel – and obviously in other countries – continue to push ahead, and we refuse – we cannot afford - to be left behind."
The MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, located in Kiryat Shmona, was established in 1979 by the Galilee Development Company, and is part of the Israel-wide R&D platform supported by Israel’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology. The institute works in conjunction with Tel Hai College, where many of its researchers also serve as lecturers. Currently, MIGAL has some 320 employees, including 105 PhDs who participate in ~50 research initiatives. The work carried out at MIGAL seeks to provide innovative solutions to 21 st century challenges in the fields of agriculture, climate change, food security, chronic diseases, nutrition and biotechnology. Until the war, MIGAL’s laboratories were all located in Kiryat Shmona, and its two experimental/demonstration farms were in the Hula Valley and near Kibbutz Bar'am.
With the outbreak of the war, MIGAL’s management realized that its research must continue, despite the evacuation from Kiryat Shmona. "Most of our researchers and staff had to move immediately from their homes, already on October 8th," continued Mr. Zigdon. "Understanding that a quick return was unlikely, we turned to academic institutions and hospitals throughout Israel to host our projects temporarily. There was a wonderful response. From the third week of the war, all of our research groups had found new ‘homes’ in the Ziv Medical Centers in Safed and Afula, the Technion in Haifa, the Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot and in the Tel Hai College campus in Katzrin, before Katzrin became a battlefield. A small number of MIGAL researchers continued coming to their laboratories in Kiryat Shmona and Tel Hai despite the continued rocket fire, because of the unique equipment they have there. But the great majority relocated."
MIGAL’s laboratory in Katzrin: “Despite the war, our researchers have actually been awarded prestigious grants”
The challenge, Zigdon pointed out, went far beyond finding the alternative locations. "A huge problem was the fact that our research groups had to deal with their members scattered all over Israel. For example, Dr. Hadas Weinstein, who lives in Kibbutz Dafna, was able to move her project to the Emek Hospital in the Jezreel Valley, but her researchers had relocated to Tel Aviv and Eilat."
So what did you do?
"We rented housing - at MIGAL’s expense - for research assistants too far to commute to their new lab locations. We rented apartments in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Afula,” continued Mr. Zigdon. “There was no alternative: with research institutions in other regions continuing, we simply couldn’t afford to be left behind. We also knew that we wanted to be at ‘full power’ from the instant we were allowed to return to Kiryat Shmona, without having to restart our projects again. We wanted to give our researchers and students a sense of continuity, and to show them that we won’t abandon them.
“Our research team has responded incredibly, overcoming all the challenges and hardships. We have actually recruited six new researchers since the beginning of the war, including five who returned to Israel from abroad from a feeling of the need to contribute. Our experience as a country shows that times of crisis are followed by intense periods of growth, and we are seeing that before our eyes. We are confident that MIGAL’s greatest achievements yet will come in the aftermath of this war.”
Growing tomatoes at altitude
MIGAL’s research is not only carried out in laboratories: some of it also in the field. "But many of our fields continue to operate, but they’re operating under fire," continued Zigdon. “For example, we haven’t been able to access most of the Matityahu farm near Kibbutz Bar'am, where we have projects in the development of apples, grapevines and cherries. And near Kibbutz Neot Mordechai, where we planted broccoli about three weeks ago, our staff has had to spend more time in the shelters than in the fields.
MIGAL’s laboratory in Katzrin: “Despite the war, our researchers have actually been awarded prestigious grants”
“But we don’t have the luxury of stopping our work. Research is a process: if you stop in the middle, you risk throwing away a whole year of work. For our projects supported by funds and partners, slips in the schedule can snowball, ruining the reputation for excellence that we’ve been working to build for years. If you want to continue winning grants, it’s critical to project stability, even in this crazy time.”
At MIGAL, collaborations between researchers from different fields has always been an important factor. "But today, while our researchers are still able to work together via Zoom, it's not the same as meeting in person, day after day, sharing coffee, exchanging opinions," continued Mr. Zigdon. "We have been able to hold physical meetings of department heads once a quarter, and we continue experimenting with communication tools to improve our long- distance cooperation. Given these challenges, we are especially proud that our researchers continued to win prestigious grants: for example, from the ISF - the National Science Foundation, the BARD Foundation and more."
“Since some of our research is carried out in partnership with groups throughout the world, it’s crucial to project the impression – which is true - that our work continues unabated despite the war, and that we are able, despite all, to deliver on our promises and deadlines,” continued Mr. Zigdon. “To this end, we’ve also been careful to attend all relevant international forums and conventions, no matter how difficult it is to secure plane tickets etc. We continue working together, to project stability and growth.”
Tell us about a few projects that you’re focused on recently.
“An important project relates to food stability in Israel and throughout the world. There’s always a shortage of vegetables in Israel in the summer because of the impact of global warming on the growing season in the Jordan Valley and the Gaza Envelope, where most of the country’s produce is grown. We are experimenting with cultivation in the Golan at its higher altitudes, where the summer climate is more temperate. We began this during the war, and so far have seen encouraging results for tomatoes at 700 meters at Kela, cucumbers at 500 meters, and cabbage and broccoli at a variety of altitudes. This will have international applications and will be important for Israeli farmers.”
Additional research at MIGAL is being carried out in the energy field. “Everyone talks about what would happen if our power stations were attacked, wondering how we can prevent a power shortage in Israel. One line of thought is to build solar fields throughout the country, but this requires a lot of land. Given the small amount of land we have here in Israel, it’s only logical to look for ways to create dual-usage of land: to use the land available for both agriculture and solar power generation,” continued Zigdon. “We realized that plants require sunlight, and solar power generation requires sunlight. So we began addressing the scientific question of how best to set up solar power panels in agricultural fields in ways that enable the light to be used simultaneously – effectively - for both purposes.”
Another project that MIGAL is focused on is the global scarcity of field workers. “There’s a need to bring more automation to agriculture: to enable harvesting to be carried out mechanically rather than manually. One solution is to grow fruit according to the ‘vertical agriculture’ paradigm, training/developing trees in ways that bring its branches into a vertical position, like a wall. Then all the fruit is exposed, enabling harvesting by robot. We are looking at how best to build these ‘fruit walls’, how to design them. They exist in the world, but you can’t just take a seedling from Europe and plant it locally: you have to adapt it to the climatic conditions in
Israel."
“At MIGAL, there are also many developments related to the medical world,” continued Zigdon. "For example, we do studies dealing with the effect of nutrition on diseases typical of the Galilee region, such as diabetes and hypertension. We have groundbreaking studies in the field of cancer and chronic diseases through T-cell treatments.”
MIGAL also has a business development department that seeks out cooperations with industry and other partners.
What does your Business Development department focus on?
"First, we commercialize knowledge developed at MIGAL, establishing start-up companies in the fields of alternative protein, cancer treatments, hypertension treatments, special varieties of plants, and more. On average, we launch 4-5 companies a year together with partners. For example, with Kibbutz Al-Rom and Kibbutz Beit Zera, we have founded a company that deals in tissue culture for growing avocado trees, and with the Fresh Start incubator, we founded a company that produces alternative proteins to eggs. We also started a company with seed- funding from OurCrowd is developing vaccines-in-a-tablet.
A house that was hit by a rocket in Kiryat Shmona. “We look forward to the launch of the University of Kiryat Shmona as soon as possible.”
“The Business Development department also works with specific large companies to provide them with targeted solutions for their unique needs: for example, in the areas of water desalination, developing disease-resistant varieties of bananas, and more."
From high-tech to agriculture
David Zigdon himself comes from the high-tech world. For ~30 years, he worked for the RAD- Bynet Group in various positions, with his last position being CEO of RADBiomed, the Zisapel family's medtech startup.
“During my years with the RAD Group, we founded some 25 companies with truly extraordinary success rates," continued Mr. Zigdon. "When I left it five and a half years ago to move north, it was for zionism, simple as that. I was originally a resident of Ramat Hasharon, and then my partner, Dr. Hagit Kahana, and I moved our residence to Kiryat Shmona. I wasn't looking for a job, I was headhunted, but MIGAL fits my dreams like a glove.”
One of the problems in the development of Israel’s outlying regions, Zigdon claims, is “survival thinking.” "The big challenge is to switch from a survival mentality to a focus on growth. For decades, these regions have relied almost entirely on the central government to conceive of and fund their initiatives, and this has been far from successful. For the past five years, we’ve been shifting the focus to growth, in partnership with the region’s other major players, including the Tel Hai College, the Galilee Development Company, Margalit Startup City, the Fresh Start incubator, the Municipality of Kiryat Shmona and the Eastern Galilee Cluster. We started pursuing a vision of growing the area, transforming it into an agrifood tech center. We recruited the support of major philanthropic funds such as Keren B’Yahad and the JNF, and established dozens of start-up companies. This kicked off a positive migration of quality personnel to the North, which began to create a ripple-effect of other benefits."
Is there a fear that this quality manpower will not return to the north due to the situation? "There is always a fear: even at the national level, there is talk about a wave of quality personnel leaving Israel due to the war. But just as there are people who leave, there are people who come. For example, at MIGAL, we have had one researcher leave, but six new researchers have joined us. In the end, if we manage the situation correctly, I am confident that there will be even greater growth after the war. With the backing of the government, philanthropic funds and partnership with business entities, we will make the North bloom again. We also look forward to the launch of Kiryat Shmona University: we will be joining MIGAL with today’s Tel Hai College to form the basis for the North’s first true university, and this will renew the flow of quality human capital - students and lecturers – to the region. This will be an important element of the ripple effect that I believe will build the Galilee and Golan to its true potential."
Mr. Zigdon concluded, “The beauty of the North is that you are part of a community. Our researchers are people who want to contribute to society: to make an impact that goes beyond their specific focus areas. We are working together to strengthen the north, to contribute to the community, to strengthen economic life, to create a quality society, and to expand Israel’s borders. There is so much that the North has to offer, so much more that we can do.”