First International Confab For Science Ministers Opens In Jerusalem This Week

May 27, 2018 | Thinking Out of the Box, the first international ministerial-level science conference will be held in Jerusalem from Monday, May 28  to Wednesday, May 30. The conference will deal with innovative ideas in science that have led to groundbreaking success and government science policy, the Science and Technology Ministry announced earlier this month. More than 20 countries around the world are expected to send delegations headed by ministers and deputy ministers of science to the conference, the Ministry said in a previous statement. “We will mark an unprecedented international event, with more than 20 international delegations – including science ministers from all the world – coming to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to salute science, innovation, and Israeli technology,” Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis had said at an earlier cabinet meeting. “Leading figures from the international world of science and technology will present their work alongside an exhibition of Israeli science and tech innovations.” Countries that will send delegations include India, Britain, Argentina, Poland, Thailand, Kenya, Uganda, Spain and the Czech Republic. The main topics of the conference include scientific intellectual innovations, from the birth of an idea until execution and global success, Israel’s effort to supply creative and innovative solutions to scientific challenges resulting in great importance to humanity, and the role of public policy and prioritization of resources while advancing innovative research and application in efforts of discovering solutions to future challenges. Renowned speakers at the conference include Uri Levine, co-founder of Israeli navigational app Waze, Adi Soffer-Teeni, general director of Facebook Israel, Professor Alexander Bligh, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Professor Eric R. Kandel, 2000 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, and Saul Singer, co-writer of the book Startup Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle. Besides three sessions at the conference, activities for distinguished guests include dinner at Israel’s governing body, the Knesset, a visit the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, touring Israel’s landmarks and scientific hubs, exploring Jerusalem nightlife at Machane Yehuda market, and a choice of receptions at Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, or the Weizmann Institute of Science.