Science and technology for national development: The case of Israel's space program

In the last 25 years Israel developed highly advanced space industry and capable indigenous infrastructure of space technology. The special interconnections between the academia, the industry and different government agencies had a valuable influence on this successful process. This paper identifies and analyzes the characteristics of this partnership. It addresses the issue of sustaining this partnership and maintain it as a major driving force of the Israeli space program in order to provide some conclusions for similar actors, seeking to enhance their space activities and capabilities. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.