Jerusalem, 26 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology is promoting a national project to loan senior scientists from academia to lead data-based decision-making processes in government ministries.
The plan provides a solution to a deep-seated ongoing problem in the public system, in which many decision-making processes are not assisted by a scientific database, alongside a widening disconnect between the worlds of research and the organizational activities of government ministries.
The main points of the outline presented to the scientific committee by Prof. Miri Yemini, the ministry’s chief scientist:
Multi-year planning and identification of challenges: The ministry will identify gaps and complex challenges in various government ministries (such as in the areas of environmental protection, welfare, education, and public health) that can be solved through in-depth research.
Competitive screening process: Government ministries will present the challenges through an annual “call for proposals,” and academic institutions will in turn publish a call for applications for tenured academic staff members, at the ranks of associate professor and full professor.
Dedicated loan period: The selected researchers will be loaned to the government for a period of 12 to 24 months, during which they will devote at least 80% of their time to working directly in the government office on the research challenge.
Maintaining faculty rights: Scientists will receive exemption or a significant reduction from teaching duties on campus, but will continue to receive their full salary from the academic institution (with the Civil Service Commission transferring the proportional share to the institutions), while completely preserving all their rights, their terms of employment, and the continuation of supervision of graduate students.