The “RIKMA” platform, featuring virtual research rooms, is a joint initiative of the Accountant General’s Office at the Ministry of Finance and the National Digital Directorate.
The Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the National Digital Directorate, announced 1/27/26 that MDClone has won the “RIKMA” (Network for the Advancement of Data Science) tender. The project involves establishing a virtual research room platform over an inter-ministerial distributed data network.
The newly established platform will, for the first time, enable data sharing between public entities for research purposes. This will allow for extensive data cross-referencing between various government ministries and public bodies using advanced Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PET). This move, a significant milestone for researchers and data scientists, is designed to facilitate data-driven research on sensitive public information to enable informed decision-making and address complex national issues.
Until now, sensitive public data was stored in silos across different entities, often limiting the ability to conduct cross-system research and analysis within the government. Under the RIKMA project, a single collaborative network will be created. This will allow data-driven research on information from diverse sources while maintaining full public privacy through the use of synthetic data—de-identified data that prevents the identification of individuals.
Strategic Collaboration
The tender was born out of a strategic partnership formed in 2022 between the Accountant General, Mr. Yali Rothenberg, and the Director General of the National Digital Directorate, Ms. Shira Lev-Ami. Their goal was to remove historical barriers to information sharing between public bodies and promote data-based research in the public sector.
The tender was managed by a special committee chaired by Eviatar Peretz, Senior Deputy to the Accountant General and Head of the Data, Innovation, and Digital Division, alongside Shira Lev-Ami and Merav Peretz Belinsky, Deputy Director General of Data and AI at the National Digital Directorate. The committee selected the most advanced technology to establish a national infrastructure for data sharing in research, adhering to the strictest standards of privacy protection and information security.
Key Statements
Accountant General, Mr. Yali Rothenberg:
“The RIKMA project reflects a profound conceptual shift in how the government operates with data. The Accountant General’s Office, together with the Digital Directorate, is leading the establishment of a national infrastructure for information sharing. This will allow for research and decision-making based on a multi-system perspective, while fully safeguarding public privacy.”
Director General of the National Digital Directorate, Ms. Shira Lev-Ami:
“The ability of public bodies to share information for research is the key to a smarter and more efficient government. This important collaboration will allow us to turn data sharing into a core value in the public sector, while maintaining public trust and strictly protecting privacy.”
Senior Deputy to the Accountant General and Chairman of the Special Tender Committee, Mr. Eviatar Peretz:
“We have completed a very complex technological tender in which we chose the best current technology from among innovative edge solutions to meet the urgent business need presented to us. Innovation, particularly technological innovation, requires managing risks with the managerial courage to lead positive change. Now, following the win, we face a critical phase: implementing the solution across the government and examining its impact on research processes. Only the actual results will determine our success. I would like to thank the tender committee members, the legal advisor, and the professional team for their hard work and the many solutions developed on the go for every challenge that arose.”
