Over the years, the Ministry of Science and Technology has established eight regional research and development centers from Kiryat Shmona and the Golan in the north to the Eilot region in the south
The budget of the regional research and development centers of the Ministry of Science and Technology will increase by NIS 9 million, it was confirmed today, July 15, 2012, at the government meeting. The meaning of the decision is that the budget of the centers will increase threefold
Over the years, the Ministry of Science and Technology established eight regional research and development centers from Kiryat Shmona and the Golan in the north to the Eilot region in the south. As part of the centers, research is carried out in applied fields unique to the region where they are located with the aim of contributing to its economic and social well-being and solving problems unique to it.
In July 2011, the recommendations of the committee for examining the regional research and development centers were submitted to the Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Daniel Hershkovitz. The purpose of the committee, chaired by Prof. Hagit Maser-Yeron, the president of the Open University, was to examine the degree of cooperation of the centers with academia, industry, agricultural development centers, the socio-economic impact of the centers on the region where they are located and the degree of commercialization of the knowledge created in them.
At the cabinet meeting held today, it was decided to adopt the conclusions of the report stating that the Ministry of Science and Technology will change the support model in which it supports the centers - the new model will encourage applied research, cooperation with industry and regionally oriented research.
As part of the decision, the support budget of the R&D centers will be increased starting in 2013 according to the following budget distribution: NIS 6 million from the Ministry of Science and Technology, NIS XNUMX million from the Negev and Galilee Development Ministry and NIS XNUMX million from the Regional Cooperation Ministry.
The increased budget will be invested by the Ministry of Science and Technology in increasing the scope and quality of the research carried out in each of the eight centers, in expanding the centers' activities in the fields of science and community, and in recruiting more researchers to the centers and improving the research infrastructures in the centers.
The Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz today welcomed the government's decision, "The regional research and development centers are the crown jewels of the ministry's work in the periphery. The idea of the centers to carry out research for the region and in the region is a model for imitation in the whole world and recently we were even approached by UNESCO to learn about the centers and copy the model to developing countries".
Prof. Hagit Maser-Yeron, the president of the Open University, also welcomed the acceptance of the recommendations, "The regional R&D centers are a means of promoting the periphery through their integration into the national research and development space. I have every hope that the decision will lead to the desired results."
One response
UNESCO is interested in copying our model to developing countries... that says it all, doesn't it?
The State of Israel 2012 looks like a developing country. After all the global support, the Nobel Prizes, the prestigious academies (NOT) and much more - we are still a developing country in the field of R&D. So it's no wonder that all our inventors are in the US, right? developed country. Maybe it's better that way... we'll buy from the world what we were actually supposed to sell to it. True, it weakens us - but it comes from a choice. Literally - choice.