The Council for Higher Education reports ahead of the opening of the academic school year that after a jump of 24,000 in the number of students in the higher education system in Israel, the forecast for a more moderate increase in the number of students in the academic year Israel

In preparation for the opening of the academic school year, this morning the Higher Education Council (HEC) issued a report describing the new year's data.

In Israel, the number of students in higher education institutions jumped by almost 24,000, most of them in the bachelor's degree - about 17,800.

The continued significant increase in the number of students in the hi-tech fields, including women.

Allocation of resources to student aid programs in the amount of half a billion NIS per year, including additional dedicated aid for the Corona crisis in the amount of 100 million NIS.

An addition of NIS 70 million for the promotion of digital teaching in favor of the development of technological means and the training of techno-pedagogical teams.

Learning combines experience - an investment of approximately NIS 24 million in employment-oriented academic courses for the years 30-XNUMX and a one-time addition of XNUMX million NIS for the years XNUMX-XNUMX.

The launch of the quantum project in the amount of NIS 1.2 billion in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, the Innovation Authority, the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Finance.

A total of 38,010 students studying engineering in the year 18, the largest study track in Israel (about 20,060% of all undergraduate students). In addition, another 58,070 students studied mathematics, statistics and computer science for a bachelor's degree. A total of about XNUMX students in the technological subjects.

In the last decade, the number of first-year nursing students doubled from 1,000 to 2,200.

Increasing the proportion of women in academia

• Women make up about 60% of the number of students at the academy. In a multi-year perspective, this is a significant increase in the participation rate of women in all degrees - 58% in the first degree, 64% in the second degree and 53% in the third degree.
• An increase in the number of women studying high-tech studies - in the years 2.6-2,622 the number of female students studying a bachelor's degree in computer science (including mathematics and statistics) increased 6,784 times from 40 to 8,581 in the 12,008, and increased by XNUMX% the number of female students in Engineering: from XNUMX female students in XNUMX to XNUMX female students in XNUMX.
• The "Equation Line" index was launched to promote gender fairness in the institutions budgeted by the OT with the aim of increasing the representation of women in the senior staff and in the administration of higher education institutions.

Making higher education accessible to diverse populations

• The accessibility of higher education in the periphery: in the year 58,000, almost 30 students, who make up about 4% of those studying for a bachelor's degree, came from communities located in low socio-economic clusters (clusters 1-XNUMX). The share of students from these settlements is particularly noticeable in the academic colleges budgeted by the Ministry of Education and Culture, where their share was 35% of those studying for a bachelor's degree, which is similar to the share of the population living in these clusters, which was 36%.
• The accessibility of higher education to the Arab society: about 58,000 students from the Arab society, which make up about 17% of all students in Israel, compared to 21% of their share in the population. This is an increase of 122% since the beginning of the past decade.
• Program for excellence among Ethiopians: a 45% increase in the number of Ethiopian students for a bachelor's degree in the last six years - from 2,608 in 3,782 to 1.5 in 1.7. Their rate among the students is XNUMX%, compared to their rate in the population - XNUMX%.
• Increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox students: about 15,350 ultra-orthodox students - an increase of about 2,000, which is a 15% increase in the number of students compared to 4.6, 13% of all students in Israel, compared to about XNUMX% of their share in the population.

Internationalization in higher education

• rating of OECD: Israel is among the first places in the world in the proportion of academics with post-secondary and academic education among the 64-25 age group.
• Continuing to promote internationalism in higher education: an increase in the number of postdoctoral students and international graduate students.

The budget of the higher education system

• A significant increase in the budget of the higher education system: from 7.3 billion NIS in 12.5 to XNUMX billion NIS in XNUMX
• Increasing the budget of the research funds by 2.4 times - within a decade the annual budget of the research funds in Israel has doubled from 2.4 million NIS to 536 million NIS
• Significant increase in winnings in competitive research funds (two-year average) - From approximately 157 million dollars in 331 to 90 million dollars in XNUMX (XNUMX%+)
• extension of about NIS 620 million in the research infrastructure within the framework of the multi-year plan

Minister of Education, Dr. Yifat Shasha Biton:

"I congratulate the 350,000 male and female students entering the gates of higher education institutions this year.
As a system that prepares its graduates for the labor market, the Academy strives to be attentive and relevant to the employment needs in the State of Israel so that its graduates integrate into every field and strengthen national resilience.

As someone who sees the narrowing of the gaps in Israeli society as a goal of great importance, we will continue to work to make academics accessible to all strata of the population while maintaining academic quality. In the meantime, we will work even harder for the establishment of the university in the Galilee.

The academic system grows the best researchers and brings great honor to the State of Israel. We will continue to strengthen the field of research in the coming year as well and grow new researchers.

Prof. Yaffe Zilbreschatz, the outgoing chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education: "The current decade was characterized by the excellence and tremendous flourishing of the academic system. The additional budget allowed the system to develop and expand the accessibility programs and open the gates of the academy to all groups in the population. In addition, there is a significant increase in investments in research, funds and infrastructure in general and in flagship subjects in particular: data science and artificial intelligence, personalized medicine, quantum science and technology and the humanities. Also, the number of academic publications increased, and thanks to the national program to strengthen high-tech professions, many students in these fields were added to the system and engineering studies became the most sought-after course of study in Israel. The digital academic learning revolution that we led made it possible for the system to have full teaching in the Corona era. In addition, the system promotes entrepreneurship and innovation studies and the expansion of collaborations between academia and industry."

The year of Corona - a revolutionary transition of the higher education system to online teaching   

The 59 academic year is expected to open in XNUMX institutions of higher education, and this within the routine of the corona virus that has been accompanying the system since the second semester of the past year.

During the second semester of the academic year XNUMX following the Corona epidemic, the institutions of higher education and the students were required to switch to an online learning format. Here it is appropriate to point out that the fact that the basics of online learning were embedded in the institutions within the framework of the current multi-year plan, allowed the revolution to take place successfully. Special efforts were made by the institutions, students, OT and MLG, which led to the rapid organization of the system, and within a few days to providing a response to the new reality.

Studies continued mainly through online learning, while making the necessary adjustments. The institutions held the semester tests in which tens of thousands of students were tested, and in practice the school year ended successfully beyond expectations.

4.                Research activity in institutions of higher education has also continued and will continue to exist within the mandatory health restrictions, including reducing attendance on campuses. The universities have responded to the need to open dedicated laboratories for the study of the corona virus, and they are working with great vigor to research the issue and find solutions to deal with it.

5.                Despite the challenges faced by the institutions, the students and the faculty, following the corona crisis, the number of students in higher education institutions in Israel increased by about 8% and the expectation in Israel is for an increase of about 4%.

6.                In response to the financial difficulties facing the students these days, the institutions of higher education increased their aid system, within the framework of which grants and loans were given in significant amounts to enable the continuation of studies.

7. In addition, an additional aid program of 100 million NIS was formulated that helped students through three main channels: increasing the budget of the student aid fund in the amount of 40 million NIS while awarding 10,000 additional scholarships of 4,000 NIS each. In addition, a dedicated scholarship fund was established by the Lottery for all students in Israel who were financially affected by the crisis in the amount of NIS 50 million to award scholarships to thousands of students who will volunteer in the community as part of the "School of the Great Freedom" program. Assistance is also provided to students through the academic institutions to prevent dropouts and required financial assistance.

8.                Over the past few months, the institutions have invested resources to improve the technological infrastructure that will enable the distance teaching mechanism, as well as to train the faculty in the field of digital teaching through pedagogical training workshops with the aim of providing the faculty members with tools to improve and optimize the lesson plans and teaching method, so that they are adapted to the new teaching reality.

9.                In favor of this move, an additional budget of NIS 70 million was allocated.

 

• A jump in the number of students in the Faculty of Science - mainly in the first degree

In the TPFA there was a jump in the number of students in general by almost 24,000 compared to the TPFA, 17,780 of them in the bachelor's degree. According to the forecast of the institutions for higher education, the expected increase of 14,000 students - about 4% compared to the XNUMX-XNUMX.

In Israel, 59 students studied at the 336,330 academic institutions in Israel[1], including: 254,630 bachelor's degree students, 68,885 master's degree students, 11,855 PhD students and 960 certificate students[2]. After the stability that characterized the higher education system during the last decade, in recent years there has been an increase in the number of students in general, which reached its peak, as mentioned, in Israel. The majority of the increase in the number of students for a bachelor's degree - approximately 17,780, although there was also an impressive increase in the number of students for a master's degree - 5,665 and the number of students for a third degree also increased by 211.

multi-year vision - Students by degrees

	Total	BA	Master's degree	Ph.D	diploma
XNUMX	89,060	68,250	16,100	3,910	800
XNUMX	199,240	159,560	31,340	6,650	1,690
nine	283,850	221,810	50,270	10,570	1,200
XNUMX	307,300	235,300	59,700	10,890	1,410
XNUMX	308,340	232,365	63,200	11,720	1,055
XNUMX	312,660	236,850	63,220	11,645	945
Tashfa	336,330	254,630	68,885	11,855	960

Numbers of undergraduate students in the years XNUMX-XNUMX

area of ​​study	XNUMX	nine	XNUMX	Tashfa
	Numbers	percentage	Numbers	percentage	Numbers	percentage	Numbers	percentage
Total	126,899	100.0	178,739	100.0	194,273	100.0	208,461	100.0
Engineering studies	18,378	14.5	31,918	17.9	35,699	18.4	38,011	18.2
Social Sciences	24,793	19.5	41,171	23.0	34,358	17.7	37,144	17.8
Education and training for teaching	22,842	18.0	22,502	12.6	30,885	15.9	31,364	15.0
Business and Management Sciences	6,762	5.3	19,463	11.1	20,105	10.3	22,822	10.9
Mathematics, statistics and computer science	10,849	8.5	9,122	5.1	18,302	9.4	20,062	9.6
Auxiliary medical professions	5,406	4.3	8,185	4.6	13,418	6.9	14,106	6.8
laws	9,932	7.8	15,790	8.8	12,410	6.4	14,575	7.0
Humanities	16,718	13.2	13,849	7.9	10,431	5.4	10,351	5.0
The professions of art and design	2,595	2.0	5,530	3.1	5,932	3.1	6,126	2.9
the biological sciences	3,119	2.5	4,675	2.6	5,187	2.7	6,048	2.9
the physical sciences	2,110	1.7	2,484	1.4	2,704	1.4	2,818	1.4
medicine	1,214	1.0	1,457	0.8	2,035	1.0	2,040	1.0
architecture	1,399	1.1	1,623	0.9	1,782	0.9	1,823	0.9
agriculture	782	0.6	970	0.5	1,025	0.5	1,171	0.6

Comments:

1. The data do not include the OP.

2. Engineering studies include the following fields: electrical and electronic engineering, computer and software engineering, information systems engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical and materials engineering, industrial and management engineering and other engineering.

3. The subjects of art and design refer to subjects studied in academic colleges only.

An impressive achievement for the national program to strengthen the engineering and high-tech professions: Tashpa data shows that this is the fourth year in a row that engineering studies is the most studied course of study in Israel for a bachelor's degree (38,011 students representing 18.2% of all bachelor's degree students). Engineering studies overtook the social sciences, which for years were considered the largest field of study in Israel. The strengthening of the high-tech professions is also reflected in a more than two-fold increase in the number of students studying programs in mathematics, statistics and computer science (20,062 students in the 9,122 academic year compared to 1,760 students in the 26 academic year). In the last year alone, the number of students in this field increased by 58,070. The weighting of the data shows that one out of every four students (about 208,461%) in Israel studies the subjects of engineering and computer science, mathematics and statistics (about XNUMX students out of XNUMX undergraduate students).

After a decrease in the number of law students in the last decade from 15,790 in 12,410 to 14,575 in 23,232, their number increased to 18,711 in 20,105, with the increase in all students this year. Business administration studies dropped from a record of 22,822 students in XNUMX to only XNUMX students in XNUMX, in XNUMX their number increased to XNUMX and in XNUMX it jumped to XNUMX.

A significant increase of about 72% also applies to the data of undergraduate students who studied programs in the field of medical assistants from 8,185 in 14,106 to 3,000 in 7,330 - this increase was mainly due to the increase in students who studied nursing from about XNUMX to XNUMX in the same period.

The Plan of the Century - Humanities: Following the downward trend in the humanities in recent years, which also continued in Israel, the steering committee for humanities, headed by Prof. Habiva Pedia, MLA company, renewed its work and submitted its recommendations to the Ministry of Education in March 2021. The committee's recommendations defined The overarching goals for promoting the humanities, including strengthening the various fields in the humanities, raising the prestige of the humanities, advancing the humanities to an interdisciplinary dialogue with all sciences, making courses in the humanities accessible also through online means, and expanding humanities studies and sharing disciplines, including nature, technology and law.

The recommendations of the committee, which were unanimously adopted by the VOT and the MLA, refer to the creation of coherent and structured humanities course clusters (bundles) with a focus rationale at the specialization level, creating new connections between fields of knowledge, to the extent of at least 20 credits, aimed at enriching the various faculties. The purpose of the clusters is to strengthen the humanities among students who are not from the humanities in order to open a window for them to all those areas of knowledge and "soft skills" that are not opened to them in their degree studies in their field.

Also, the recommendations refer to the establishment of extramurals (sciences, law, humanities, social sciences) which are new frameworks that will combine research and teaching in advanced degrees and will feed back on the creation of updated first degrees. The centers will be established in the humanities faculties and will be a focal point for interdisciplinary activity between researchers and research colleagues, fellows. The spaces will be a focal point for meeting and discussion as well as a focal point for inter-institutional and international online learning. The spaces will reflect academic pluralism, multidisciplinarity, diversity and heterogeneity, by meeting with other disciplines that together contribute to the development of new fields at the forefront of science. Each such center will have at least three interdisciplinary study programs, and will be a magnet for researchers and graduate students. It was decided to enable the establishment of the centers in one of two possible ways: 1. A supercenter within the Faculty of Humanities around a central topic in the humanities that shares with it other fields in the humanities. 2. An inter-faculty supercenter that enables the integration of disciplines from different and diverse faculties.

Further to the decision of the OT of 18.3.2021 and the decision of the Legislative Council of 6.4.2021 "The plan of the century for the promotion of the field of humanities in the multi-year plan 12.5.2021-20", the OT at its meeting held on 4 approved the publication of the Calling Voice For institutions of higher education budgeted by the Ministry of Education and Culture to create collections of courses for the acquisition of humanistic literacy and to establish spaces for the promotion of the humanities. More than XNUMX magedim and another XNUMX merhavim won the reader's vote.

Large investments in the field of high-tech - VT met the goal of increasing the number of students: following the government's decision 2292 of 15.1.2017 on the subject of "a national plan to increase manpower for the high-tech industry" VT and MLG are investing a lot of resources in order to strengthen the fields of high-tech, among The permit, by increasing the number of students in the following fields: computer science, electrical and electronics engineering, computer engineering and information systems engineering. In the first phase, Vat allocated about 700 million NIS for the purpose of realizing this goal in the universities, and today it can be said that the program was a great success and Vat exceeded the target set by the government - a 40% increase in the number of undergraduate students in high-tech fields - by tens of percent and according to the forecast The increase will be about 80% in the XNUMX school year.

In the second phase, the OT allocated another 150 million NIS for the purpose of consolidating quality personnel in advanced degrees in the fields of high-tech that will serve as a reserve for the future faculty, adjusting the number of senior and junior faculty members and teaching assistants, as a result of the increase in the number of students, and creating an infrastructure for a further increase in the number of undergraduate students in the future .

As a complementary step to increase the number of students in the high-tech fields, the Ministry of Education and Culture gave additional quotas to the academic colleges that teach these fields. The significant increase in quotas resulted in meeting the growth targets requested for the high-tech professions already during the previous multi-year plan and they continued into the current multi-year plan as well, when in the last two years (the 6 budget and the XNUMX budget) additional quotas worth NIS XNUMX million were given each year for the purpose of continuing The support for the growth of students in the field.

The technological changes oblige the academic world to make the necessary adjustments, and instead of the traditional division into different faculties, the academy is working to break down barriers and create interdisciplinary study tracks that will give its graduates diverse tools. For example, students of high-tech, exact sciences, economics and business administration will be able to combine their degree studies as well Philosophy, literature and art, history, cultural studies and more.

Medicine: the number of students in the first year of medical studies in the four faculties of medicine in the universities was only 530 students in 810. In the last decade, special efforts were made to meet the significant shortage of doctors and therefore in XNUMX the additional Faculty of Medicine was opened in Safed of Bar Ilan University, and in XNUMX the Faculty of Medicine at Ariel University was also opened. The increase in the faculties that exist in the six-year programs and the opening of the four-year tracks for medical studies resulted in the fact that about XNUMX students began their medical studies in the Israel Medical University and will join the medical system after graduation. These moves naturally required the allocation of additional resources that were directed to the benefit of the national mission and there is no doubt that in the years to come we will also need to continue the increase in order to meet the needs of the health system, with the participation of the ministries of health and finance and all relevant factors for the success of the mission.

Nursing: Since the beginning of the last decade, the number of those starting to study nursing has doubled from about 1,000 in 2,200 to about 7,300 in 13, and today about XNUMX students are studying for a bachelor's degree in nursing in XNUMX programs operating in both universities and colleges. This significant increase is an expression of the special efforts made by the higher education system through the allocation of additional resources and the opening of additional study programs aimed at reducing the existing shortage in the nursing system.

• Record number of candidates for bachelor's degree studies in universities and academic colleges

The number of candidates for bachelor's degree studies in universities increased quite continuously until the mid-39,400s when their number reached about 43,910. After a downward trend that ended in the middle of the previous decade, the number of students in recent years began to increase moderately, until the number of candidates in the Israel Defense Forces jumped to a record of 9,300 - an increase of over 25,930 students compared to the Israel Defense Forces. 60 of the bachelor's degree candidates were accepted and studied, a rate of about XNUMX%.

In the academic colleges as well, the number of candidates for a bachelor's degree in Israel reached a peak of 51,809, an increase of almost 4,000 compared to Israel. The ratio between the number of candidates who were accepted and are studying to the total number of candidates is on the rise and reached about 68% in the TPFA. The most sought-after fields of study offered in academic colleges are social sciences, engineering subjects, business administration, law and computer science. Law and business administration are studied in the large majority in the non-budgetary colleges, and most of the programs in social sciences, computer science and engineering are studied in the budgeted colleges. The share of candidates in universities in Israel in fields of engineering - 22%, and medical assistant professions - 10%, is quite similar to the share of candidates for a bachelor's degree in academic colleges: 19% and 8% respectively. On the other hand, in the fields of business and management sciences and law, the share of applicants to academic colleges is higher compared to their share in universities: business and management sciences - 17% compared to 5% and in law - 10% compared to 5%.

The data regarding the fields of study that were in demand for bachelor's degree studies at universities in Israel give a certain expression to the professions that are in demand in the market. An index that reflects the excess demand in a certain field is the ratio between the number of applicants and the number of those starting to study that field. In this section, we will list the most sought-after fields of study in universities in Israel according to these indicators. The data is presented in the following table:

Candidates for bachelor's degree studies in universities and the ratio of candidates to those who are accepted and studying, TPFA (according to selected study subjects in first priority)
	Candidates	Received first priority	Ratio of applicants to accepted and studying
First priority profession - total	43,910	23,942	1.8
from this:	General Medicine	2,476	526	4.7
	Architecture and city planning	818	286	2.9
	laws	2,334	992	2.4
	Auxiliary medical professions	4,470	1,984	2.3
	Industrial Engineering and Management	1,554	801	1.9
	Computer Science	4,373	2,280	1.9
	Electrical Engineering	2,912	1,599	1.8
	social work	1,153	626	1.8
	כלכלה	1,370	749	1.8
	psychology	2,249	1,376	1.6
	Business Administration	579	416	1.4
	General humanities	1,521	1,100	1.4

Along with the general increase in the number of candidates, in the year 7,219 there was an increase in the number of candidates in most fields of study. The highest increases in candidates for bachelor's degrees in universities were recorded in the fields of engineering and architecture and social sciences. In the field of engineering and architecture, the number of candidates increased from 9,478 in 582 to 502 in 2,259, with the main increase occurring in electrical and electronics engineering and industrial and management engineering (6,757 and 8,942 out of an increase of 802 candidates respectively). In the social sciences, the number of candidates increased from 2,185 in 3,369 to 4,470 in 540, with the majority of the increase (1,101 out of an increase of 1,469 candidates) recorded in psychology. Also, there was an increase in the field of auxiliary medical professions from 2,334 in XNUMX to XNUMX in XNUMX, with the main increase being in nursing (XNUMX out of an increase of XNUMX candidates). Also in the field of law, the number of candidates increased from XNUMX in XNUMX to XNUMX in XNUMX.

Even in the academic colleges, the highest increases in bachelor's degree candidates were registered in the fields of engineering and architecture and social sciences. In the field of engineering and architecture, the number of candidates increased from 8,271 in 9,701 to 464 in 328, while also in the academic colleges the main increase was in electrical and electronics engineering and industrial and management engineering (1,430 and 10,716 out of an increase of 11,597 candidates respectively). In the social sciences, the number of candidates increased from 528 in 881 to 4,368 in 4,950, with the majority of the increase (3,490 out of 4,011 candidates) recorded in economics. In addition, there was an increase in the number of candidates in the field of law from XNUMX in XNUMX to XNUMX in XNUMX and in the field of auxiliary medical professions from XNUMX in XNUMX to XNUMX in XNUMX.

• Women - fields of study for a bachelor's degree
• In a multi-year perspective - the continued increase in the share of women in all degrees
• Doubling the number of female students studying computer science (including mathematics and statistics)
• A significant increase in the number of female students studying engineering

The impressive increase in high-tech subjects is also reflected in the data of women studying these subjects: since the beginning of the decade, the number of female students studying for a bachelor's degree in computer science (including mathematics and statistics) has more than doubled from 2,622 to 6,784 in Israel. A significant increase of about 40% was also recorded in the engineering studies: from 8,581 female students in the 12,008s to 24 female students in the 29s. These increases are also the result of the general program to strengthen the high-tech professions of the OT and MLG, within the framework of which financial incentives are invested for the institutions for the benefit of distributing scholarships and grants to female students, exposure workshops to high-tech professions, as well as providing a support package that includes reinforcement classes and personal guidance. Overall, the share of female students studying high-tech subjects only among students (in the fields of mathematics, statistics and computer science, electrical and electronics engineering, and information systems engineering) increased from XNUMX% to XNUMX% in XNUMX-XNUMX.

Similar to the general population, the past decade was characterized by a decline in the social sciences and law subjects, although in Israel, with the jump in the number of general students in most fields of study, the number of female students in these fields also increased significantly: in the social sciences there was an increase of about 2,000 and in law studies - an increase of about -1,000 female students. It should also be noted that in the past decade there has been a significant increase in the number of female students in education and training for teaching and auxiliary medical professions.

Female bachelor's degree students by field of study - throughout the decade XNUMX-XNUMX

	nine	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	Tashfa
Total	97,955	106,596	110,354	111,257	113,002	121,051
Education and training for teaching	17,793	21,292	25,680	25,074	24,282	24,381
Social Sciences	27,222	27,544	23,501	23,759	23,705	25,627
Business and Management Sciences	9,180	11,809	11,044	11,182	11,730	13,482
Engineering studies	8,581	8,152	9,820	10,389	10,984	12,008
Humanities and the art and design professions	11,910	12,066	10,751	10,660	10,572	10,642
Auxiliary medical professions	6,756	8,038	10,171	10,650	11,063	11,651
laws	7,695	7,949	6,914	6,585	6,775	7,893
Mathematics, statistics and computer science	2,622	3,154	5,127	5,602	6,144	6,784
the biological sciences	2,985	3,091	3,258	3,335	3,613	4,223
architecture	926	1,054	1,225	1,245	1,257	1,281
medicine	804	980	1,302	1,205	1,211	1,246
the physical sciences	899	886	1,039	1,054	1,107	1,189
agriculture	582	581	522	517	559	644

     * The data do not include the OP.

• Women make up about 60% of the number of students at the academy

The share of women among the students was 59% in the FSA, after a significant increase in their participation in academic studies, especially in the 58s. Women currently constitute a majority in each of the degrees: in the first degree - 64%, in the second degree - 53% and in the third degree - 50%. Over the years, there has been an impressive increase in the participation of women in graduate studies: in 64, the proportion of women among those studying for a master's degree crossed 66% and, as mentioned, at the University of Jerusalem, their proportion reached 82%. The increase in the proportion of women is due, among other things, to the expansion of master's degree programs in the general academic colleges and the academic colleges of education, where the proportion of women reached 50% and 53% respectively. The percentage of women among PhD students crossed XNUMX% for the first time in the late XNUMXs and increased in recent years until it reached XNUMX% in Israel.

A multi-year vision - an increase in the proportion of women in academia

	XNUMX	XNUMX	nine	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	Tashfa
BA	53.6	57.4	54.8	58.1	58.4	58.2	58.1
Master's degree	50.3	57.8	58.4	62.7	63.1	62.9	63.9
Ph.D	41.3	51.1	52.7	52.8	53.2	53.8	53.3

The plan for gender fairness to increase the representation of women among the academic staff

At the same time as actions to encourage women to study high-tech, VTA and MLG work to increase the representation of women also among the senior academic staff and the senior academic director in institutions of higher education. To this end, a series of decisions were made to advance the issue in accordance with the recommendations of steering committees headed by Prof. Rivka Karmi, former president of Ben-Gurion University, and headed by Prof. Ruth Arnon, former president of the Israel National Academy of Sciences.

In 2019, she was appointed to chair the Steering and Judging Committee for the Promotion of Gender Fairness of the MLA Prof. Yonina Elder from the Weizmann Institute. The "Gender Fairness" program drawn up by the committee and recently accepted conforms to the principles established for the promotion of women to senior faculty positions and is based on the recommendations of the steering committees, the main of which is to raise awareness of gender fairness in higher education institutions and the recruitment and promotion of women in the academic faculty in general, and in particular in areas where the representation of women is particularly low. Like the exact sciences and the various fields of engineering.

Below are the main points of the program:

• An output-based index for the promotion of gender fairness in the institutions budgeted by OT for the years 15-XNUMX was published - the "equal line" index - compiled by a team from the Steering and Judging Committee of the Ministry of Education and Culture: Prof. Ruth Halperin Kadri, Prof. Naama Shafi and Prof. Michal Bar-Asher Siegel. The aim of the index is to incentivize the institutions to examine the challenges they face in the field and to work to increase the representation of women in the senior academic staff, in decision-making centers and among the holders of senior academic positions and members of the promotion and recruitment committees in the institutions, while in the long term the goal is to achieve partial gender equality between women and men in the senior staff and in the senior positions in the institutions . The institutions that will participate in the program will be budgeted according to the extent of their success in meeting the annual goals defined in advance by them and approved by the Steering and Judging Committee for the Promotion of Gender Fairness of the Ministry of Education and Culture. All universities and XNUMX budgeted academic colleges submitted strategic plans within the framework of the index, and the plans are currently being reviewed by the steering and judging committee of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
• Establishing criteria for the position of advisers to the president for gender fairness - powers, profile, term of office, remuneration for the position, subordination, etc. - as a threshold condition for participation in the "equator line" index, and starting from XNUMX, the institutions' compliance with the established criteria will be a condition for receiving budgeting for the adviser's activity.
• Scholarships for outstanding postdoctoral fellows amount to $40-30 per year for two years, with the amount of the scholarship being determined according to the candidate's family status. As part of the program, which has been operated since the Israel Defense Forces in cooperation with the Zuckerman Foundation, up to 30 new scholarships are distributed every year. It should also be noted that for this program it is also possible to submit applications received for a post-doctorate in the integrated track, some of which take place in Israel and some abroad, with the aim of enabling outstanding candidates to have a high-quality post-doctoral training while reducing the difficulties involved in moving the family abroad for the training period and the like.  
• Scholarships for female doctoral students and outstanding female students for a research master's degree in the fields of high-tech - the amount of the scholarship for doctoral students is about 60 thousand NIS per year for three years, and the amount of the scholarship for female master's students is also 60 thousand NIS per year for two years. In both programs, up to 10 new scholarships are awarded per year.
• A competitive budget to support transversal projects to promote gender fairness in academia, including a focus on encouraging women to leave for postdoctoral studies and their return and absorption in Israel.
• Updating procedures and guidelines - scholarships (Alon, Meuf, etc.); instructions for opening a new study program; Self-quality evaluation reports, etc.; The procedures of the higher committees for the appointment of professors.
• Continuing to raise awareness of gender fairness in the higher education system, including continuing to submit annual gender reports by the institutions.

• The accessibility of higher education in the periphery
• In the year 57,260, about XNUMX students came from settlements located in low socio-economic clusters (including Arab and ultra-Orthodox settlements).
• Within 5 years, an increase of about 14,000 students who came from settlements located in low socio-economic clusters (clusters 4-1).
• ·       35% of the bachelor's degree students in the colleges funded by the OT come from clusters 4-1, similar to the share of the entire population living in these clusters.

         Bachelor's degree students by type of institution and socio-economic cluster, Tashfa

	Total	Socio-economic cluster (percentages)
Numbers Absolute	percentage	2-1	4-3	6-5	8-7	10-9
The total number of students	191,555	100.0	7.9	22.0	16.3	24.7	20.7
Universities	81,630	100.0	5.6	19.6	15.0	26.0	26.2
Colleges are budgeted by the Ministry of Education and Culture by V.T[3]	68,904	100.0	9.5	25.2	18.8	23.5	14.9
Off-budget colleges	41,021	100.0	9.6	21.5	14.6	24.0	19.5

               Comments:

1. The figures do not include the Open University and the Colleges of Education which are not in the OT budget.
2. Total data includes the students who were not linked to a socio-economic cluster.

The sharp increase in the number of students in recent decades is mainly reflected in significant achievements in expanding access to higher education among the population living in the periphery and among weaker population groups. A special processing by the Central Bureau of Statistics examines the socio-economic cluster of the student's place of residence while he was studying in the twelfth grade.

The data shows that between the years 14,260-4 there was an increase of about 1 students coming from low socio-economic clusters 57,260-30 (including Arab and Orthodox communities), so that in the year XNUMX there were about XNUMX students, about XNUMX% of the total The undergraduate students came from localities located in these clusters.

The accessibility of higher education to the geographical periphery is mainly reflected in the proportion of bachelor's degree students in colleges funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, where about 35% of the bachelor's degree students came from settlements located in clusters 4-1. This figure is similar to the share of the population living in these clusters which was 36%.

The development of the colleges resulted in a significant increase in the number of students in academic institutions in the southern and northern districts. In Israel, about a quarter of the undergraduate students studied in the existing educational institutions in the northern and southern districts (9.1% in the northern district and 14.3% in the southern district). The number of students in the northern district has increased almost threefold compared to the early 2000s, mainly as a result of the expansion of the existing programs in the academic colleges in the north and the opening of new study programs. This significant change in the map of Israel's higher education, which took place in the last two decades, would not have been possible if it had not been for the significant budgetary resources required for this to be directed to the two peripheral districts.

multi-year vision - Bachelor's degree students according to the district of the institution

district	XNUMX	XNUMX	nine	Tashfa
Absolute numbers - total	55,250	126,900	178,740	208,461
Percentages - total	100	100	100	100
north	..	5.3	9.2	9.1
Haifa	21.7	17.9	13.8	12.1
Tel Aviv	42.8	31.5	30.9	30.2
coordinator	4.1	15.9	17.4	18.7
Jerusalem	22.7	15.5	13.4	15.6
South	8.7	13.9	15.3	14.3

                                                         The data does not include the OP

• The accessibility of higher education to the Arab society

About 58,000 students from Arab society, which is 17% of all students in Israel, compared to about 21% of their share in the population.

• Within a decade, an increase of about 122% in the number of students from the Arab society (from XNUMX to XNUMX)
• Bachelor's degree - 106% increase in the number of students
• Master's degree - 228% increase in the number of students
• Third degree - 133% increase in the number of students

Perennial evidence over a decade: the number of students from the Arab society has doubled and more

In Israel, the increase in the number of Arab students in higher education institutions continued, which for the first time crossed the threshold of 50,000 in 58,000, reaching approximately 122 students in Israel. This is an increase of about XNUMX% between the years XNUMX-XNUMX.

In 22,268, the number of Arab bachelor's degree students was only 10, and they made up about 45,856% of the bachelor's degree students in Israel. In 18, XNUMX Arab undergraduate students studied in Israel and they made up XNUMX% of all undergraduate students.

In the master's degree, there was a 228% increase in the number of Arab students between the years 3,270-6.5. If in 10,735 only 16 Arab master's degree students studied in Israel, which constituted only 1,500% of the total number of master's degree students in Israel, by 900 their number had increased to 10 and their share among all master's degree students had risen to approximately 600%. In the last year, there has been a particularly significant increase in the number of Arab master's degree students. In XNUMX, about XNUMX more students studied than in XNUMX (about XNUMX of them in non-budgetary institutions), when the average increase from year to year in the previous XNUMX years is about XNUMX students.

From the year 133 to 961 there was a significant increase of 8% among those studying for a PhD, so that in 413 XNUMX Arab doctoral students studied in Israel - XNUMX% of all doctoral students in Israel, compared to only XNUMX students in XNUMX.

A multi-year view - the segmentation of the Arab students according to degrees

	BA	Master's degree	Ph.D	Total
nine	22,268	3,270	413	25,951
XNUMX	24,346	4,243	457	29,046
XNUMX	25,843	4,847	467	31,157
XNUMX	28,481	5,233	511	34,225
Nine d	30,969	5,692	556	37,217
XNUMX	33,571	6,165	615	40,351
XNUMX	35,758	6,929	624	43,311
XNUMX	37,441	8,197	694	46,332
XNUMX	39,160	8,708	759	48,627
XNUMX	41,087	9,251	828	51,166
XNUMX	43,454	9,252	855	53,561
Tashfa	45,856	10,735	961	57,552

The increase in the integration of students from the Arab society is the result of a comprehensive holistic program that operates from the high school level to graduate studies.

The number of students from the Arab community at the academy has more than doubled over the past decade and currently stands at approximately 58,000 students. This significant increase is, among other things, the result of a holistic and wide-ranging program that has been implemented by the OT and the MLA over the past nine years. The program begins at the high school level with exposure to the academy and continues with motivation and reinforcements over the sequence of stages within the academy, starting with the pre-academic preparatory courses, through the first degree, continuing with support for the advanced degrees - master's degree, third degree and post-doctorate until the appointment of academic staff members in the institutions.

During the high school education phase, the MLA's "Road Program" operates in 72 settlements and provides exposure, information, and assistance in choosing a field of study for the academy to students from 173 high schools in the Arab society, including support in relevant courses (such as: psychometrics, preparation for Yael tests in Hebrew and tests Amir in English), tours of the academy and a higher education fair in collaboration with the institutions within the settlements.  

As part of the studies in the pre-academic preparatory courses and the first degree studies, dedicated support programs are implemented for the Arab society in order to reduce dropouts and improve academic achievements, which include reinforcements in the language (Hebrew and English) as well as broad academic supports, alongside economic and social supports.

The significant support for the first degree is given mainly in the first year of the degree since it is a year full of challenges, success in which reduces the dropout rates and significantly increases the chance of succeeding in the entire degree. Even in the first degree, in the budgeting of the Ministry of Education and Culture and in cooperation with the Ministry for Social Equality, the 'Iratka' scholarship (operated by Parah) is awarded. The scholarship is awarded to 2,200 students per year, of which 800 are new students starting their first year in each cycle, while in the last 872, the Ministry of Education and Culture approved a one-time increase in the number of new scholarships to XNUMX. The scholarship accompanies the students throughout the degree. The students are selected on the basis of socioeconomic status and preferred fields of study, in order to bring about diversity in the fields of study required in the Israeli employment market and they have an underrepresentation of the Arab society, among others the fields of high tech, psychology and even in the fields of art. The diversification of the fields of study is carried out through a variety of programs of VT, such as ROAD, the dedicated tracks for engineering in preparatory schools, as well as a high-tech achievement program, which brings young people from the periphery, including from the Arab society on a wide scale, to the high-tech fields.

In addition, dedicated career centers for the Arab society in the institutions were established in the academic institutions under the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which help in preparing for the job market. Vat also supports the encouragement of excellence and grants merit scholarships for advanced degrees on a wide scale among the Arab society, including the research master's degree, the third degree and the post-doctorate, as well as supports the admission of outstanding academic faculty members from among the Arab society.

Ma'uf scholarships for the admission of outstanding academic faculty members from the Arab society: In the last decade (55-37), the Ministry of Education and Culture allocated about XNUMX Ma'uf scholarships in the amount of about XNUMX million NIS to outstanding academic faculty members from the Arab society. "Flight" scholarships are intended for outstanding young scientists, members of Arab society. Their purpose is to allow the winners to be admitted to higher education institutions budgeted by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Israel, universities and academic colleges, beyond the existing tracks, through a dedicated addition of standards. The institutions undertake to accept the scholars as full-time faculty members at the end of the scholarship period.

 Integration of Bedouin students in academia in Israel: Regarding the Bedouin society, and further to Government Decision No. 2397 of February 12.2.2017, 2017 on the subject of "A plan for social economic development among the Bedouin population in the Negev 2021-75", the Ministry of Education decided to encourage the institutions of higher education to increase the number of Bedouin students in the Negev that are accepted In the first year of the bachelor's degree until the end of the multi-year program at a rate of 1,500% in relation to their number in the year 1,270. In accordance with this, the target number of students for the first year until the 4,000 academic year is at least XNUMX students, with an emphasis on quality absorption in the degree and employment-oriented professions. XNUMX Bedouin students started studying in the XNUMXst year of the XNUMX academic year, and about XNUMX students studied for a bachelor's degree in all institutions of higher education.

Further to the government's decision, a joint professional team of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and representatives of the relevant government ministries: the budget division in the Treasury, the Ministry of Agriculture (the Bedouin Directorate) and the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister's Office worked to formulate a policy on the matter. After a comprehensive learning and thinking process, the team recommended the integration of the Bedouin students in the existing budgeted academic system and in the regular programs with all students while providing a holistic response to the unique needs of the students from the Bedouin society in the Negev.

A dedicated program for the Bedouin society in the Negev - Gate to the Academy: Several models were examined, including the pilot program "Gate to the Academy" that began in XNUMX at Sapir Academic College, which allows separate preparation for integration into the academy along with the creation of meeting points with all students, in order to reduce concerns and alienation among both parties and in order to to enable optimal integration in the future. The program provides practical experience in academic studies as well as preparation for quality integration in undergraduate studies in a variety of fields of study through a broad and tailored assistance envelope that includes academic assistance, linguistic reinforcement, social and personal mentoring, financial assistance and summer programs. Accordingly, the OT/MLG decided to expand the "Gateway to the Academy" pilot to a number of leading academic institutions in the Negev that are budgeted by the OT beginning in XNUMX, while maintaining the principles that emerged as necessary from the accompanying research and the knowledge accumulated during the pilot years. In addition to the Shaar program for the academy, it is of course possible to integrate into the academic studies also through the normal admission methods, like the other students.

In the year 500, about 1,100 new students are expected to start the program and a total of about 225 students from the four cycles will study in it. Originally, a budget of approximately 130 million NIS was allocated for the benefit of the program for three cycles (2021-18), of which XNUMX million NIS was part of the XNUMX budget and the remainder was a dedicated budget addition by the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Education. In August XNUMX, VT decided to extend the plan to the year XNUMX with an additional budget of about XNUMX million NIS from the surpluses accumulated in the general plan for the Arab society.

• The program for excellence among Ethiopians

Within 6 years, a 45% increase in the number of Ethiopian students for a bachelor's degree

	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	XNUMX	Tashfa
Total students from Ethiopia	2,937	3,287	3,591	3,800	3,996	4,092	4,316
BA	2,608	2,903	3,194	3,377	3,567	3,604	3,782

The multi-year program has set a goal of increasing the number of students of Ethiopian origin in the bachelor's degree, so that their proportion among the students will stand until the end of the multi-year program, 1.7, at approximately 3,782%, similar to their proportion in the population. In 1.5, the number of students from Ethiopia for a bachelor's degree was 45, which is 2,608% of all students, close to achieving the goal. This, after a significant increase of about 3,782% in the last six years in the number of students from Ethiopia for bachelor's degrees, from XNUMX students in XNUMX to XNUMX in XNUMX.

From XNUMX, VT began for the first time in formulating a comprehensive accessibility plan to make higher education accessible to Ethiopian expatriates. Until this year, handling the issue was the responsibility of the student director in the admissions office. In favor of the issue, a steering committee for the accessibility of higher education to Ethiopian expatriates works in the Ministry of Education, headed by the MLAG company, Prof. Shafra Sagi. The committee is made up of public representatives and academics, mostly Ethiopians.

In the course of its work, the steering committee mapped the main barriers to the integration of Ethiopians into the higher education system and recommended a series of steps from the perspective of holistic accessibility, starting with the pre-academic stages. The program includes information and direction for higher education in the settlements, assistance in removing barriers to meeting the admission conditions, an educational and financial envelope for the students of the pre-academic preparatory schools, as well as academic and financial reinforcements during the first degree studies, all for the benefit of increasing the rate of those admitted and the rate of graduates in the first degree. In addition, following the government's decision regarding the transfer of responsibility from the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Department of Immigration and Refugees, starting from 10,000 15, grants for financial aid of XNUMX NIS for bachelor's and master's degrees (Marom scholarships) for students of Ethiopian origin who are Over XNUMX years in Israel. Starting from the XNUMX academic year, students from all academic colleges of education will join this scholarship system.

At the same time as all of these and as a central element, the steering committee leads a concept of excellence and leadership, which includes support and encouragement of outstanding students, throughout the sequence of degrees, from the bachelor's degree, through the research master's degree, the doctorate and up to programs for the admission of academic staff members of Ethiopian origin in higher education institutions. The program makes it possible to illuminate the Ethiopian community from an angle of excellence in order to realize the academic and social potential inherent in students.

The committee's decisions are in the spirit of the cornerstones defined in government decisions number 1300 and number 324 on "Government policy to promote the integration of Israeli citizens of Ethiopian origin in Israeli society" dated July 31.7.2015, XNUMX, in everything related to reducing gaps, excellence and leadership in Israeli society.

Making higher education accessible to ultra-Orthodox society

MLA and OT devote a lot of effort and resources to make higher education accessible to the ultra-Orthodox population and to integrate it into employment and society in Israel. These efforts are based on two guiding principles: 1. The inclusion in the academy of ultra-Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox who wish to do so, while respecting their way of life and providing an adequate response to their academic and cultural needs. 2. Maintaining academic excellence.

The Mecharim program to expand the accessibility of higher education to the ultra-Orthodox population was established in 2011. As part of the program, about 15 dedicated academic frameworks were established for the ultra-orthodox population nationwide and in a wide variety of fields of study. In 2017, the MLA approved a multi-year plan for the years XNUMX-XNUMX on expanding the accessibility of higher education to the ultra-Orthodox population. This program continues the development of the dedicated frameworks for the ultra-Orthodox alongside the integration of the ultra-Orthodox who are interested in it in the general campuses. In the program, emphasis is given to the areas required for the economy in general and the ultra-orthodox sector in particular, including the high-tech areas, the paramedical areas and teacher training in particular in core subjects (mathematics, English and sciences).

The total number of ultra-Orthodox students who studied at higher education institutions in Israel was about 15,350 students: about 12,850 for bachelor's degrees, and about 2,500 for advanced degrees, an increase of about 15% of the number of ultra-Orthodox students in Israel and an increase of about 150% within a decade (In 6,000, about XNUMX ultra-orthodox students studied for all degrees).

Along with the increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox students, there is still a greater dropout rate of ultra-Orthodox students compared to students in the general population. In the year XNUMX, a comprehensive dropout prevention program will be launched by the MLA-VAT, which will include accompaniment and assistance to ultra-Orthodox students from the pre-academic stages to success in studies and integration into quality employment.

The Council for Higher Education and the Committee for Planning and Budgeting have placed the promotion of internationality in higher education in general and in teaching in particular, as a central goal in the multi-year plan for the years XNUMX-XNUMX. The promotion of internationalism is of great importance in raising the level and competitiveness of the Israeli academy, mainly by outstanding graduate students and research faculty, strengthening the international reputation, as well as creating diversity among the students and faculty who are exposed to different cultures and perspectives, acquire language skills, and more. Beyond that, the promotion of internationalism also has a great contribution to the State of Israel, at the diplomatic, social, and economic level. Many studies show that innovation grows in international and multicultural environments, therefore internationality is essential both for academia and for a strong Israeli economy.

For the past five years, the Ministry of Education and Culture has been running a program to promote internationality in the higher education system. As part of the program, two models have been operating for the past three years for the budgeting of the institutions for the promotion of internationalization based on institutional strategies: the first model was an output-based model for the institutions where there was an infrastructure to promote internationalization and a growth model for the institutions that were at the beginning of their journey in the field when the multi-year program began. The program places emphasis on the admission of graduate students and outstanding postdoctoral students as a central tool for achieving the above goals, as well as on the admission of international students for short periods. In order to monitor the achievements of the program, in 11,500, an organized collection of data regarding international students in Israel began with the help of the CBS. About 1,966 international students studied in Israel in 2,066, of which 992 for a bachelor's degree, 1,614 for a master's degree, XNUMX for a third degree and XNUMX for a post-doctoral program (the rest studied programs that were not part of an academic degree or other short programs). It should be noted that despite the corona virus, the academic institutions and the scholarship programs for outstanding international postdoctoral students report an increase in the number of candidates and registrants for advanced degrees in Israel.

Tens of thousands study academic courses in the field of high-tech and data science on the national platform Campus IL

MLA/VOT considers it very important to promote digital learning in higher education institutions in Israel, as a tool to develop innovation in teaching and learning, to make higher education widely accessible and to strengthen the position of the Israeli academy in the world. Accordingly, the subject is included in the multi-year plan for the development of higher education for the years XNUMX-XNUMX.

For the purpose of starting digital learning in institutions, the Ministry of Education and Culture, in cooperation with the headquarters of the National Digital Israel Initiative, published in the National Digital System five voices calling for the budgeted institutions (between the years 2020-2016) to produce digital academic courses. As of today, 26 academic institutions have won the readers' votes. Since the beginning, about 60 courses have been launched as part of the national platform Campus IL in a variety of languages ​​(Hebrew, Arabic and English). In addition, there are about 25 courses in English on the international platform (edX.org), under the headingIsraelX . During the coming academic year, they are expected to go live on the campus platform IL About 25 more courses.

It should be emphasized that, the fourth call for digital learning focused on courses in the fields of high-tech and data science, and within its framework 22 academic courses were budgeted for about 90 credits. As of today, 10 courses have gone live on the Campus platform IL, of which three appeared simultaneously on the international platform IsraelX, and two were also produced in Arabic. During the 10st semester of 70, about 40 additional courses in the field are expected to be launched and to complete a total of about 2020 credits. The number of students in the above-mentioned courses today stands at about 3 thousand (as of XNUMX), some of them as part of the academic studies for the degree and some as "lifelong learning". In addition, as part of previous readers' votes, XNUMX additional courses in the fields of high-tech were added to the Campus platform IL About 50 thousand students studied in them from 2018.

In order to prepare for the challenges arising from the increased use of digital learning in the higher education system in light of the corona epidemic, and at the same time to take advantage of the potential inherent in the new opportunities, the Ministry of Education allocated NIS 70 million to the encouragement, establishment and establishment of infrastructures for the promotion and strategic development of digital learning in institutions of higher education. These infrastructures include: technological infrastructures, technological and techno-pedagogical human capital infrastructures (training, support, development, integration of innovative tools for digital learning and more) and monitoring, control, and data collection and analysis mechanisms for the benefit of optimal evaluation and development of digital learning.

The National Program for Quantum Science and Technology is a joint program of the National Institute of Quantum Science and Technology, the Ministry of Innovation, the Innovation Authority, the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Finance, which aims to promote research and industry in the field in Israel. The program was launched in 2018 when VAT approved the recommendations of the steering committee it established in favor of allocating a dedicated budget of approximately NIS 200 million reserved for the development of the field as part of the multi-year plan. These recommendations included: the establishment of programs to increase human capital in the field, including a program to absorb faculty and scholarship programs for outstanding doctoral and post-doctoral students, as well as a program to establish and upgrade institutional research infrastructures. At the same time as carrying out the above recommendations, Vat submitted an outline for an expanded plan to the TLM forum (national infrastructures for research, in which the government ministries mentioned above and Vat are partners).

Following the recommendation of the inspection committee of the Talm Forum on the subject, the program was further expanded and currently stands at approximately 1.25 billion NIS over 6 years. The extensive plan, which was fully approved by the government as part of the acceleration plan for the economy in the summer of 2020, includes additional investments in the development of academic research, including leveraging human capital in the field and upgrading the research infrastructure, as well as encouraging international cooperation in R&D and encouraging industry development in the field.

150 million NIS to promote the field of data science and artificial intelligence

The field of data science refers to the principles and development of methods for the collection, storage and analysis of data, which are associated with a wide range of academic disciplines and commercial applications, for inference, sorting, prediction, and the creation of knowledge from them, as well as the development of tools that rely on the collected data and their analysis, all while referring to human and social aspects in process. In recent years, the field has experienced increased and accelerated growth and corresponding financial investments, both on the part of the industry and on the part of universities and private research institutes. Although the approach that puts the data at the center of research is not new, in recent years there has been a revolution in the field in the world resulting from developments in dedicated hardware for communication, storage and data processing, as a result of a significant increase in the amount and availability of data (big data)  and continuous development of methods and algorithms. These developments also led to the current revolution in the field of artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence-AI)  So much so that certain areas of data science, such as machine learning   (machine learning),  are identified as artificial intelligence and vice versa.

In 2018, VT approved the recommendations of the steering committee appointed for the allocation of the dedicated budget reserved for the development of the field, in the amount of NIS 150 million, primarily supporting the establishment and establishment of research centers for data science and artificial intelligence in universities (a total of NIS 120 million). Today, such centers operate, with the support of OT, in seven research universities in Israel. In March 2020, a competitive call for additional support to the research centers was published, the results of which were sent to the centers in May 2021. In addition, for the past three years, the scholarship programs for outstanding doctoral students and post-doctoral students in the field have been operated, with great success, which will continue. At the same time, as part of the multi-year plan for the years 30-XNUMX, the MLA approved over XNUMX programs in the field, two-thirds of them for a bachelor's degree and the rest for a master's degree.

In July 2020, a national system for synchronizing the activity of the institutional research centers began to operate – IDSI (Israel Data Science Initiative) The executive committee of the – IDSI which consists of the heads of the research centers in the universities and is headed by a CEO who was selected through a competitive process. The purpose of the – IDSI To leverage inter-institutional cooperation and with public bodies, industry and foreign bodies, as well as to hold an annual international conference in the field, with the first conference planned for January 2022 in the Dead Sea.

Practical experience - a bridge between academia and the job market

Vat sees great importance in strengthening the continuum of a busy academy and encouraging innovation in teaching and learning, which was even defined as a central goal in the multi-year plan of Vat-Malaj. The innovation in teaching includes, among other things, an understanding that the student must finish his studies with a toolbox that will help him integrate into the employment market and deal with the many challenges he faces. In light of this, VT budgets the institutions for the purpose of developing institutional systems that will be responsible for promoting the continuum of the academy and the job market, including the development of courses that combine academic content and practical experience in organizations outside the campus, and award the student with academic credits for the degree. In the years 24-29.1, the program operates as a joint venture of VT with the Aloma association and in cooperation with the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation. The project's budget is XNUMX million NIS over three years. In addition, VT decided to extend the project for two additional years (XNUMX-XNUMX) with a total budget of NIS XNUMX million. The supplement is intended for the expansion of the program in the institutions and the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for its implementation, for the promotion and strategic development of learning that combines experience in the employment market, including investment in the institutional set-up to manage and lead the issue, human capital infrastructure and the establishment of monitoring, control and data collection systems.

The annual budget of Vat for investment in the research funds between the years XNUMX-XNUMX:

• The research funds budget was doubled almost 2.5 times: from 536 million NIS to 1,297 million NIS
• The budget of the National Science Foundation was almost doubled: from 2 million NIS to 311 million NIS
• The budget of the European R&D program was almost tripled: from NIS 3 million  to 594 million NIS[1]

Unprecedented investment in research: in the last decade, the annual budget of research funds in Israel has increased almost 2.5 times. The budget increase is the result of a research and development policy that sees research funds as the backbone of competitive basic research, the strengthening of which is essential and necessary for the preservation of Israel's international status. The budget additions allow for increasing the number of grants to researchers, increasing the amount of research grants and improving their quality.

• The most significant increase in the budget of the local research funds was reflected in the increase of the budget of the National Science Foundation from 311 million shekels in 589 to XNUMX million shekels in XNUMX. The National Science Foundation is incorporated as an association whose purpose is to "evaluate, select and support proposals for basic research in the fields of the humanities and social sciences, the life sciences and medicine and the exact sciences and technology, by way of awarding research grants to proposals for basic research, which will be selected through a competitive process and on the basis of excellence and scientific quality."
•  for NIS 594 million in XNUMX. It should also be noted that the significant activity in the new European program is expected to begin in XNUMX Horizon europe. The details of the program and the participation of the State of Israel in it have not yet been agreed upon, and accordingly, the participation of the OT in the program in the XNUMX-XNUMX period has not yet been agreed upon and may certainly increase in the future. Israel's share in the first two years of the program  will determine according to The ratio of the Israeli GDP to the total European GDP, but in the future the accounting mechanism is expected to change and be based on the extent of the actual winnings of the Israeli parties in the program.

• Since 2013, Vat has also been budgeting for the research grant program NSF-BSF: This is a prestigious program of scientific cooperation between Israeli and American researchers. The program distributes research grants to a number of research fields, including: exact sciences, engineering and computer sciences (the subjects ofSTEM), natural and life sciences, earth and environmental sciences, economics, psychology and more. In the year 38.3, the program was budgeted in the amount of NIS XNUMX million. For the Israeli researchers, this is a very important program that significantly expands the research possibilities in cooperation with American science, which is considered the leader in the world.

In the 620-XNUMX multi-year plan, special emphasis was placed on the issue of research infrastructures in the system at the various levels: national and systemic research infrastructures, institutional research infrastructures and individual research infrastructures. This special emphasis is reflected in the addition of approximately NIS XNUMX million in the multi-year program of the OT, intended for the subject and in particular for the following programs: quantum science and technologies, personalized medicine, data science and artificial intelligence and strengthening and upgrading research equipment (including personal research equipment for new researchers and established researchers and institutional research equipment) and more.

In the last decade, a sharp increase can be seen in the rate of 2 times the amount of winnings in competitive research grants, the absolute majority of which (about 80%) is due to winnings in the grants of the National Science Foundation and the European R&D Fund. The highest total number of wins is in the fields of medicine and life sciences (about 40% of all wins), and it has been maintained over time, relatively speaking, but the most significant increase in percentages has occurred in the fields of engineering and mathematics and computer science, in which the total number of wins has increased 2.5 times since XNUMX .

1. rating of OECD: Israel is among the first places in the world in the proportion of academics with a secondary and higher education among those aged 64-25

Doha-OECD recently published[4] (September 2021) ranked Israel among the first places in the world, after Canada and Luxembourg, in the proportion of citizens aged 64-25 with post-secondary and academic education (50%). In this way, Israel maintains its high position, for several years in a row.

Doha-OECD 2021: Half of the 64-25 year olds in Israel have a secondary or higher education

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[1] The student data appearing in this report were obtained from the Central Bureau of Statistics in coordination and under the guidance of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Higher Education Council.

[2] The data includes those studying at the Open University. The data of the Open University do not include theses writers: 3,203 in the first degree and 209 in the master's degree. These data were first reported by the OP to the CBS in XNUMX.

The data of students studying teaching certificates refers to the certificate studies at universities.

 

[1] Participation of VAT only, which is 50% of the membership fees of the State of Israel in the program, as detailed below.

[4] EDUCATION AT A GLANCE, 2021