More than half of those admitted to the senior faculty at universities are returning scientists

It appears from the segmentation of the 6-year data of the program for the return of scientists that were brought up in the committee's discussion, a tiny percentage was absorbed by the colleges. Only 34 percent of senior academic faculty recruits in universities in the years XNUMX - XNUMX were women. MK Manuel Trachtenberg: "Faced with a big world with big possibilities, we are producing enormous talent, if we don't work hard all the time it might slip out of our hands." The chairman of the committee, MK Uri Makleb: "This is an issue that transcends political affiliations, it is forbidden to rely on past achievements."

The Science and Technology Committee held a discussion today (Sunday) on the subject of 'returning academics and scientists to Israel'.

During the discussion, the data of the plan for the return of academics and scientists to Israel of the Higher Education Council were presented.

As part of the main goal - recruitment of new senior academic staff, where the desire was to reach 5,000 senior academic staff members, it was shown that after 6 years of activity, the number reached 4,900 senior academic staff members in 500. Among the colleges where the desire was to grow by 600 to XNUMX faculty members, the program met the goal and slightly above it.

Half of those admitted are between the ages of 30 and 40, which helps to lower the average age among the senior staff. Along with this, only 34 percent of the senior academic faculty recruits in universities in the years 45 - XNUMX were women, while in colleges the percentage of women recruited was XNUMX percent.

More than half of those admitted to the universities came directly from abroad, 35 percent of them after a post-doctorate, while in the colleges the vast majority of those admitted came after a position in Israel.

MK Manuel Trachtenberg: "The numbers should also be examined based on the number of students, the number of research fields and other data. Compared to the past numbers we are still in a worse place. The gender figure worries me a lot, especially when the number of women doctoral students exceeds the number of men. In addition, returning faculty from abroad must also be integrated into the colleges."

The members of the Knesset in the committee emphasized the cooperation between the members of the coalition and the opposition on the issue. The chairman of the committee, MK Uri Makalev said: "We see this issue as an issue beyond political affiliation, an issue at the heart of the State of Israel. If we want to continue to lead in the fields of science and advanced technology, we must continue to push forward, not rely on the achievements of the past. In view of this, I asked MK Trachtenberg to conduct several meetings on the subject in order to make sure that everything was done in a serious and professional manner."

MK Manuel Trachtenberg: "It is not a familiar sight that an MK allows another MK, certainly not from the opposition, to conduct meetings. It's a trite truth, but it's the truth - Israel's main resource is the fertile mind in the scientific and technological field. We have this resource in a size and quality that are disproportionate to the country and its economic situation. The state and governments of Israel have not always done what is necessary to cultivate and preserve this resource. In the lost decade, the ranks of senior faculty in universities were depleted, in contrast to the situation in the world where the ranks grew. This resource is not in your pocket, you have to work every day so that it exists."

MK Oded Forer: "Here we enjoy showing off the concept of the Start Nation and the successes, but the scientists are the core of this success. We need a comprehensive plan and I want to submit a proposal to settle the issue, we need to look overseas, at those who left and those who left, we need to build a plan for them that, even before they leave, will build a return route for them, so that we also know where everyone is. We will indicate to them in advance the possibility of work, a grant or research, and then there is a higher chance that we will see them return to Israel."

MK Haim Yelin: "It's our great luck that we don't have oil and gas. We discovered only recently, because a country invests in what it has. I said from the moment they discovered the gas that one third or half should be invested in bringing the brains back to Israel, they are Israel's future gas. The problem is the treasury's thinking, it doesn't think in terms of future revenues but here and now."

Dr. Shmuel Hess, chairman of the Science-Aboard Scienceboard association that works to maintain contact with Israeli scientists abroad: "For over 2,500 researchers who are members of the association, we have 22 centers on campuses around the world that are managed by volunteer scientists. 644 of the organization's members returned to Israel - 60 percent returned to academia, 29 percent to industry and entrepreneurship. In the survey we conducted, over 500 answered that they are interested in returning in the coming year. The academy is not the solution, very little should be absorbed there, everything else should be absorbed in the industry, this is the solution to the brain drain."

Dr. Neta Kele Madar, a scientist, returns: "When I finished my post-doctorate, I decided together with my husband, who is also a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford, to return to Israel with a purely emotional thought, that I want our children to be educated here. Finding a job in the academy is almost impossible, and to return and integrate into the industry after 12 years in the academy you don't know how, what and where. I was lucky to integrate into the industry, I founded a venture in the paramedical field. All our members want to return, their big question is how to return and integrate into the industry."

Dr. Nurit Eyal, head of the program for the repatriation of former academics: "This is the only plan from the government for this issue and it is going to disappear. The program has suffered closures and openings over the years, and as part of a government decision at the beginning of 2017, we recommended that the program be reduced and focused on the industry sector, because the Ministry of Absorption and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to stop supporting it. We are going back 6 years, when several entities will deal with the issue at the same time without the holistic treatment that the program developed".

Shlomo Peskus, coordinator of R&D and higher education, Ministry of Finance: "Everyone who works with us knows that we see investment in research and development, especially in academia, as a top goal. Higher education is prioritized over other fields. On the other hand, the academy should put emphasis on which fields produce doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. For example, in the field of biology, we don't have a pharma industry and we produce a surplus of scientists and many have nowhere to return to. We need to find a way to better manage the fields where there are doctoral students, to think in which fields researchers are developing."

MK Trachtenberg summarized the discussion: "I would like to suggest that from now on we will not talk about brain drain, that is behind us, but about the flow, circulation of minds. This flow needs to be managed in an intelligent manner for the benefit of the State of Israel. It's good that we are in a different place, but at the same time I want to warn everyone, this is a classic situation that can lead to laxity and complacency, this issue requires care all the time and in all contexts, we are small in front of a big world with big possibilities. We produce enormous talent that is attracted to the best places in the world, so if we don't work all the time, not only financially, that the young people go and do internships and come back to us, it could get out of our hands."