Despite the encouraging data provided by the Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee in the Council for Higher Education on the number of publications, the Minister of Science, Ilan Shelgi, warns: "We need to take stock. The miracle of Israeli science cannot continue"
"The Nobel Prizes should force us to take stock: the cuts in higher education and scientific research budgets threaten the training of the next generation of quality scientists and Israel's ability to achieve scientific breakthroughs. This miracle of Israeli science being one of the first in the world and an education system being one of the last in the industrialized world will not be able to continue," said Science Minister Ilan Shelgi in the discussion held by the Knesset regarding the winning of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry by Aharon Chechanover and Abraham Hershko.
Budget cuts and the state of education
Shelgi answered a number of questions on the subject, and among other things said: "The threat to Israeli science does not stem from the phenomenon of brain drain, but from a general decrease in science budgets in Israel, a decrease that harms research and development, and also pushes a tiny part of the scientists to look for the possibility of conducting research and making a living abroad. The state of the Israeli education system is another threat."
"I allow myself to take advantage of this opportunity to urge the members of the Knesset and all decision-makers to bring the issue of Israeli science to the forefront of your attention. The Israeli science community is perhaps the highest quality group and has a decisive contribution to the strength of the State of Israel and its national resilience."
Despite everything, they advertise a lot
With or without connection, this morning (Thursday) the newspaper "Yediot Ahronoth" publishes that Israeli scientists lead over their colleagues in the Western world in scientific publications. This encouraging figure was revealed by the Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee at the Council for Higher Education, Professor Shlomo Grossman, on the occasion of the academic year that will open next week.
According to the data he presented, Israeli scientists are in first place in terms of scientific publications in the field of computer science. After Israel, the list includes scientists from the United States, Denmark and Canada. Many Israelis also write articles in other fields of knowledge: thus, Israel is in third place in biomedical research, in fifth place in chemistry, in sixth place in earth and space sciences, and in eighth place in physics.
"Israel occupies a formidable position in research in the world," said Grossman, "but in order to be able to maintain its position, it must allocate appropriate resources to continue conducting research."
The two Israeli Nobel Prize winners will be exempt from income tax
Meanwhile, YNET reports that the Minister of Finance, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Director of the Tax Authority, Eitan Rob, decided yesterday to exempt the two Israeli Nobel Prize winners from paying tax on their financial winnings - about two million shekels each.
This is an unusual and first case in which winners of a prize are fired from tax, since the law requiring the imposition of tax on winners of a monetary prize in an amount exceeding NIS 70 came into force.
The two winners of the prize, Professors Avraham Hershko and Aharon Chechanover, each won a prize worth NIS 2.1 million. Each of them was supposed to pay tax on the winnings in the amount of NIS 525.
In the consultation that took place yesterday between the Treasury and the Director of the Tax Authority, it was decided that due to the special case and the fact that the two scientists did not develop their invention in order to receive a prize - they will be exempt from tax. This is in contrast to someone who participates, for example, in a TV show, where the goal is to win a prize.
It is within the authority of the Director of the Tax Authority to announce the tax exemption, and no legislation or other approval is required for this purpose.
