Israel To Invest $124M In Research Universities Over Next 5 Years

The Israeli Council for Higher Education announced that it would invest NIS 458 million ($124 million) over the next five years to boost research programs in Israeli universities, CTech by Calcalist reported this week.

The funds will go toward (Hebrew link) new lap equipment for new and mid-career researchers, a recruitment program for lab researchers including incentives for Israeli scientists abroad to move back to Israel for professional advancement, and new equipment for participating research institutes. According to CTech, the institutes must match between 25-50 percent of the investment.

Prof. Yaffa Zilbershats, who currently serves as chair of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Israeli Council of Higher Education, said in a statement that the plan “is a significant announcement for the Israeli science sector in general and for scientific researchers in particular.”

“The upgrade of the research infrastructure will allow for continued development of high-quality research, and positions Israel on the front lines of world science,” she added.