A Canadian Jewish philanthropist awards scholarships in record amounts to Israeli students in the fields of technology

Philanthropist Seymour Schulich: "I hope that the foundation will help Israel to establish itself at the forefront of global science and research in the years to come" Until 2014, the Schulich Leaders Foundation will award scholarships in the amount of over 6.5 million NIS to 30 students from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in Israel 

The Schulich Leaders Fund of the Jewish-Canadian philanthropist Seymour Schulich will award in the academic year that will begin in October 2012, a personal scholarship to five Israeli students in the record amount of 60,000 Canadian dollars each, for the duration of their undergraduate studies. In the first year of its activity in Israel, the foundation will award scholarships to students from the following five institutions: the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University, Bar Ilan University and the Technion.

Any candidate for studies in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, at one of the five universities below can win a scholarship and be trusted with "Schulich Leaders". The criteria for winning the scholarship are a high grade point average, a socio-economic background that requires assistance and a leadership background in society or the community. It is worth noting that the scholarship is open to all sectors that make up Israeli society.

Jewish-Canadian philanthropist Seymour Shulich is known for his strategic contribution to the field of education in Canada and Israel. In recent years, Mr. Shulich has donated tens of millions of dollars to the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion and to the "Smart Classroom" project of the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee. The Schulich Leaders Fund, which was established by Mr. Schulich with an unprecedented amount of 100 million dollars, is designed to ensure that the future leaders of the two countries will come from the forefront of academic research and innovation in the fields of science and technology in their country.

"We are launching the fund as a pilot for a period of three years," says Seymour Shulich. "Science and technology are important growth engines for the country's economy and excellence in mathematics studies is an essential factor affecting national achievements in the fields of economics. I hope that the fund's pilot period will end with great success and will help Israel establish itself at the forefront of global science and research in the years to come."

Seymour Shulich chose the Jewish Federation of Toronto to manage the project. The five Israeli universities will be invited to participate in the program alongside twenty Canadian universities. Each of the 25 universities in Israel and Canada will select one student in 2012 to receive a scholarship, so that in total the foundation will award 25 scholarships of $60,000 to students who will begin studying in 2012. By 2014, the number of students winning the scholarship will increase to 75.