So reveals a report prepared by the Ministry of Science and Technology for the "Rehovot Conference"
The aging of Israel's research infrastructure threatens the status of science in Israel in the coming decade. These data are revealed in the working papers compiled by the Ministry of Science and Technology team for the "Rehovot Conference" for science and technology which will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2005, at the Weizmann Institute of Science, with the participation of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Israel.
Data that will be presented at the conference will show that this problem is beginning to show its signs in numbers. The report shows that in the years 1990-2000 there was a 67% increase in the number of students studying in universities, but the scope of the academic staff increased by only about 10%.
It also turns out that between 1999 and 2003 there was almost no change in the scope of the senior academic staff, which remained at the scope of 5,100-5,200 researchers. 60.4% of scientists in universities and research institutes were aged 51 or older. In the medical professions, 62.5% of the scientists are 51 years old or older, and in the physical sciences, 74.1% of the scientists are 51 years old or older. In total, only 10.2% of the scientists found in universities and research institutes are 40 years old or younger. These numbers show that the main backbone of exact science in Israel is based on veteran researchers and a lack of young scientists who will ensure the future of scientific research in Israel.
The Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology Tali Rosenbaum who received the report Lydia says that "refreshing the research system and increasing the number of young researchers are essential in order to preserve the existing knowledge in Israel, to enable breakthroughs into innovative scientific fields and to continue building Israel's scientific and technological capacity for years to come. In order to rejuvenate Israel's scientific infrastructure, there is a need for special encouragement scholarships for young researchers in exact sciences and engineering, including awarding prizes and building laboratories for promising researchers. If research budgets for higher education in Israel are cut, this will result in irreversible damage to scientific research in Israel and Israel's position in the world in the field of science."
