Scientific appendices, making science accessible and strengthening the space industry, these are some of the planned activities of the Ministry of Science for 2016

According to Science Minister Ofir Aquinas, the ministry's budget will increase by 20% to NIS 419 million. Yesterday (Tuesday) the Minister presented to the Knesset's Science Committee the Ministry's work plan for 2016 and the Ministry's vision for the coming years

Science Minister Ofir Akunis yesterday (Monday) presented the ministry's goals for 2016 before a meeting of the Knesset's Science Committee: strengthening research and encouraging innovation in the fields of science and technology at the forefront of global knowledge; Strengthening Israel's international position in science and technology; Strengthening Israel's position in the fields of civil space - in industry, academia and society; as well as exposure, accessibility and encouragement of excellence in the community in the fields of science, technology and research

According to Minister Akonis: "We prioritize three main goals for the ministry: making science and technology accessible to the periphery and reducing the digital gap and in the center, a central R&D budget in the periphery and a comprehensive reform of the Hebrew Bible; Establishing and deepening international ties in research and development and increasing the number of bilateral agreements; And establishing Israel's position as a pioneering country that many countries in the world look at with admiration and appreciation."

Akunis revealed that the budget of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space is expected to increase in the coming year by about 20% and stand at NIS 419 million compared to NIS 354 million, according to the budget proposal expected to be voted on next week. The minister also proposed to transfer relevant units that are currently distributed between all government ministries to the Ministry of Science, and first and foremost the Office of the Chief Scientist which is currently in the Ministry of Economy. "The Ministry of Science and Technology is the natural place of the Office of the Chief Scientist".
The minister added that as part of making science and technology accessible to the periphery, he wants to strengthen the regional R&D centers and is planning a reform of the Lehva Centers project, to make digital literacy accessible to the general public. "A good thing was done by the minister at the time, Jacob Perry, by moving the Lehva Center, which had been in the Ministry of Finance for years, to the right place - the Ministry of Science and Technology. Since the transfer, his budget has almost doubled - from NIS 24 million to NIS 46 million," he said. In addition, he promised to strengthen the computer project for every child and today he will distribute computers to about 200 XNUMXth graders in Migdal HaEmek as part of the joint project for the government and industry.
"It is important to strengthen digital literacy and also allow children whose parents cannot afford to buy them tablets to enter the digital age. Some of them will be the scientists and engineers of tomorrow."

He noted that the Ministry of Science has 21 international agreements with 14 countries, most of them in the field of space. In this framework, Israel carries out projects in the field with countries such as Italy, Germany, France and the United States. "The goal is to reach 30 agreements," he added.

Minister Akunis who recently visited South Korea and according to him the ministers and the deputy prime minister he met with expressed appreciation for Israeli science and technology. He proposes to implement an idea currently being tested in a pilot of placing scientific annexes in embassies in key countries, first in East Asia and India, and then also in Western countries.
Aconis referred to the initiatives for the international boycott of Israel led by the BDS movement centered in Great Britain. "Not of states, but of bodies that seek to influence the states. Those who have been or are in contact with Israeli scientists, or have made joint investments in the fields of science, research and technology, know that cooperation makes a tremendous contribution not only to our side. They also benefit from the cooperation." According to him, he recently spoke with the British ambassador and thanked him for British Prime Minister David Cameron's opposition to the boycott.

Akonis then mentioned the space conference that took place four weeks ago in Jerusalem and brought about 2,000 participants from 60 countries. "It was an expression of the world's confidence in Israeli innovation, in Israeli technology. The participants filled the nation's buildings, toured the country and showed them both its beauty and what we have to offer technologically." According to him, despite the security situation, the number of cancellations was small. According to him, after he proposed to omit the word space from the name of the office due to the memes that were running around on the Internet and the ridicule made to his predecessor Danny Danon, he was impressed by the employees of the office that Israel is among the ten leading countries in the world in the field of space, and that it is important to include it in the name of the office.

The chairman of the committee, MK Uri Makalev, says that he intends to enshrine in legislation a council for science and technology studies, to promote educational programs for science, and to include in this year's calendar the National Science Day, a national day that falls on March 14. Makleb also said that he intends to promote government research institutes through legislation.

The Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Ido Sharri, said, "One of the main areas in which the Ministry of Science operates is the strengthening of engineering and applied research, which has suffered in recent years from deterioration and damage to research. Through the National Fund for Applied and Engineering Research (MIA) that the Ministry recently established. The ministry will fund research and the awarding of scholarships on issues of national priority importance, as well as promote targeted scientific research to be carried out in the periphery with an emphasis on research in the Arab, ultra-Orthodox society and the advancement of women in the field. Sharri also said that his office will work to promote the capabilities of the space industry in Israel. Among other things, the completion of the development of the civil satellite "Venus", the development of a miniature electric propulsion system in cooperation with the European Space Agency and the "Shalom" project for the development of a hyperspectral satellite in cooperation with Italy and will work to implement a cooperation agreement on space with NASA.