JERUSALEM, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched on Monday a plan for the set up of R&D infrastructure in hospitals on health tech innovation, the Israeli Health Ministry said in a statement.

       The 100-million-shekel (30-million-U.S.-dollar) plan, led by the ministry, the Israel Innovation Authority and the National Digital Israel Initiative, includes cooperation between industry, research and hospitals.

       The plan encourages collaborations based on the use of health data for R&D purposes, in order to promote innovative public health services, and help hi-tech startup companies to grow, the ministry said.

       It includes 19 selected R&D projects, of which five include the set up of digital infrastructure for clinical trials in five leading hospitals.

       Other projects include R&D accessibility to health data at hospitals in pathology, genetic sequencing, midwifery, endoscopy and other fields.

       Another project focuses on smart hospitalization in the ward and at home.

       The program is expected to significantly expand the scope and quality of collaborations between hospitals and hi-tech companies while adapting to the need for innovative R&D in the health fields, the ministry concluded.