The University says that having no other technological platform like it in Israel, the Leopard will be a key resource for a new deep-sea research centre which opened recently.

The purchase was enabled thanks to the generous support of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to the University of Haifa. The ROV will serve the entire marine research community in Israel through the national consortium of universities, colleges and government research institutes called the “Mediterranean-Sea Research Center of Israel” (MERCI).