Previously held the position of chairman of the National Council for Civil Research and Development, among others: Prof. Dan Zaslevski, Prof. Oded Abramski, Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel and Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz
President Reuven Rivlin and Minister of Science and Technology Yizhar Shai today appointed Prof. Peretz Lavi to the position of Chairman of the National Council for Research and Development. Prof. Lavie, the former president of the Technion, a world-renowned expert in sleep research, will manage the National Council for Civil Research and Development. Prof. Lavi's appointment as chairman of the MOLMP is for four years, with an option for two more years. In the past, among others, Prof. Dan Zaslavsky, Prof. Oded Abramsky, Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel and Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz held the position.
Minister of Science and Technology, Yizhar Shai: "I am happy to announce this morning the appointment of Prof. Peretz Lavi to the position of Chairman of the National Research and Development Council (NRDC). The National Council for Research and Development is responsible for outlining national strategy and priorities in the fields of science and technology while examining global trends and preserving the strengths of the State of Israel in these fields. I thank Professor Peretz Lavi, the former president of the Technion, for taking on this task, in which he will leverage his connections and abilities to formulate a policy and strategy that will combine academic research, civic development and government support in the fields of science and technology. I am convinced that under the leadership of Professor Lavi, the MoLMOP will strengthen its important position as a body that advises the government of Israel and helps it strengthen its position as a nation of entrepreneurship and innovation."
Prof. Peretz Lavi, the new chairman of the MOLMOP: "At the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution, the National Council for Civil Research and Development - the National Research and Development Council - has a central place in delineating future research directions, both in academia and industry, which will ensure Israel's global status as a start-up nation."
The National R&D Council, which operates by virtue of law, serves as the strategic thinking arm of the government. The role of the council is to examine the existing research and development systems in Israel, to map their needs and their strengths and weaknesses. The council recommends to the government a national policy on research and development issues, produces reports and conducts surveys on the state of science and research in Israel as a tool for achieving national goals.
Among the topics the council deals with: government research and development, research and development in research institutes, research infrastructures, academia-industry relations, energy, space, cyber, life sciences and international research and development relations. The council consists of 15 members, who are elected to their public office based on their academic, research, economic and organizational background, and has a number of sub-committees.
Prof. Peretz Lavi established the first laboratory for the diagnosis of sleep disorders in the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion and won international awards for his contribution to sleep research, including the Technion's Herschel Rich Award for Excellence, the KKL-Junk Alkals Award for Medicine, the A.M.T Award in Medicine, University of Pisa medal for the outstanding sleep researcher in Europe and more. Prof. Lavi, in light of his expertise in the field, was involved in several public decisions including: the cancellation of the zero hour in elementary schools, the introduction of daylight saving time, the extension of the minimum sleep duration in the IDF and more.
In 2009 Prof. Lavi was appointed president of the Technion and was actually the first president in the history of the Technion to serve more than two terms.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- Chairman of the MOLMP Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel: Israel must build a supercomputer with a power of 200 teraflops
- Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia overtake Israel in the number of scientific articles in engineering
- The Ministry of R&D recommends formulating a multi-year master plan for R&D in the field of space and an appropriate budgetary framework
