How a comprehensive national plan will attract research experts back and ensure Israel's future strength, just before the scientists are kidnapped by other countries that are after them
By: Moshe Harel,Founder and CTO BlueGreen Water Technologies
The dramatic cuts to science and research budgets in the United States, initiated by President Trump’s administration, are hitting deep waves in American academia – but for Israel, they hold extraordinary potential. For the first time in decades, leading Israeli researchers, who have built their futures overseas, are reexamining their futures. This is a rare moment when they can turn their gaze back home – if only we know how to act wisely and at the right time.
An article recently published in the journal Nature It clearly states that the US model of scientific superiority – which was painstakingly built on collaborations between government, industry and academia – is currently under real threat. Reductions in research budgets and damage to scientific infrastructure could lead to the collapse of the American scientific class as we know it. Meanwhile, universities and research institutes are having difficulty retaining faculty, students and valuable equipment – a process that could deteriorate the entire system.
The decline in federal support for science in the US is creating a global shift of forces – and this is precisely where Israel's opportunity lies. Israeli researchers, who are at the forefront of global research, are now open to the possibility of a comeback. We must offer them an infrastructure of belonging, investment, and a sense of mission.
It is time to dream big again. In the early 90s, amidst a complex economic reality, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Finance Minister Avraham (Beige) Shochat demonstrated wisdom and vision when they led a national movement to absorb waves of immigration from the former Soviet Union. The targeted absorption of scientists and academics was not only an expression of solidarity – but a strategic move that laid one of the cornerstones for the formation of Israeli high-tech as we know it today. They understood then, as we must understand now – that science is not a luxury, but a powerful engine for economic, technological and social growth.
Israel has already proven in the past its ability to invest correctly in the long term and turn a vision into a political, security and economic reality. Consistent investments in research and development in the security field, for example, have given rise to groundbreaking systems such as Iron Dome or Arrow – which not only protect the home front but have become strategic export assets. In the field of water too, the desalination vision that began only two decades ago has transformed Israel from a drought-stricken country into a world leader in innovation and water resource management. These examples illustrate how intelligent state planning brings tangible returns in a short time – in knowledge, security, employment and, no less importantly, in international image.
This window of opportunity can be exploited, these are patriotic people with international expertise in the fields of artificial intelligence, energy, medicine and climate who are looking for more than a salary – They are looking for meaning, a sense of belonging, and a vision.Israel can offer all of this, but it must prepare for it seriously.
This is a national initiative that needs to start at the highest political level. A smart, broad-based, and determined national plan to absorb returning Israeli scientists – a plan that would include new standards in academic institutions, tailored economic incentives, investment in research infrastructure, collaborations with advanced industries, and the allocation of dedicated resources to technology incubators – could yield a first-class strategic return.
Bringing back the brains will not only strengthen the world of higher education. It will provide a significant boost to the defense system, elite industries, and the public sector. It will deepen the knowledge base in critical areas – and lay the foundations for securing Israel’s place at the forefront of the world stage for decades to come.
Over the past decade, Israel has declined in international rankings of public investment in research and development. But it is precisely from this slump that the next leap forward may emerge – if we know how to recognize the opportunity and not stand idly by.
This is a historic moment, and it will not happen again. A global competition for human brains is already taking place around us. If we delay, Israeli scientists will find their way to Europe, Canada, or Australia. But if we act, we can bring them back to Israel, for the benefit of the next generation of knowledge, innovation, and economic and cultural independence.
True leadership is tested by the ability to see beyond the horizon – and act when the moment calls.
This is the moment. Now.
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