Science Minister Ofir Akunis acknowledged Lausanne and said: "He has a significant part in the great successes of the ministry in the last three years. And Zan helped me a lot in leading the office to break the records that were broken in all fields. I thank him very much for his service to the country and the ministry and wish him success in the future."
And Zahn will continue to serve as chairman of the Germany-Israel Science Foundation, which operates within the ministry
The Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the past three years Col. (Ret.) Peretz Vezan decided to terminate his position with the consent of the Minister of Science Ofir Akunis. Vezan will summarize a period of about three fruitful years, during which he promoted, under the Minister of Science Ofir Akunis, many programs to make science accessible to the population and to promote the support and funding of science in Israel. His replacement will be the deputy director of the office for the last decade, Ran Bar. The appointment will be submitted for approval by the government after it is approved by the committee for the appointment of senior officials in the public service.
Among the ministry's achievements during this period: increasing the ministry's budget to a record of NIS 559 million in 2019; Launching a science basket program to subsidize science activities for the general public in more than 200 local authorities; Expansion of the Ministry's science camp program to 185 municipalities with the participation of approximately 30 students; Increasing the budget of the centers of the regions in the periphery; Implementation of a government decision to support student delegations to the Olympics abroad; increasing the budget for the digital literacy program; The return to activity of the National R&D Council and the Council for the Advancement of Women in Science; Expanding funding for the Night of Scientists events; holding the first science ministers' conference of its kind in Israel; Expanding the research activity of the office, establishing knowledge centers and increasing the number of scholarships awarded by the office; launching a satellite to study the Venus environment; Expanding foreign relations with other countries such as Brazil and more. Vezan chaired the inter-ministerial space committee established by Science Minister Akunis following the Amos 6 explosion disaster. Following the committee's recommendations, the state's budget and decision to participate in financing the construction of the Amos 8 communications satellite were recently approved.
Science Minister Ofir Akunis acknowledged Lausanne and said: "He has a significant part in the great successes of the ministry in the last three years. And Zan helped me a lot in leading the office to break the records that were broken in all fields. I thank him very much for his service to the country and the ministry and wish him success in the future."
And Zahn will continue to serve as chairman of the Germany-Israel Science Foundation, which operates within the ministry.
