With the opening the academic year, the Council of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and its past presidents extend their greetings to Israel’s institutions of higher learning and wish their researchers, instructors and students a productive and successful year of teaching and research.

 

Israel’s research universities and institutions propel scientific research in the State of Israel, and their achievements have gained international recognition. Academic freedom, appropriate funding and maintaining continuous ties with institutions, scholars and students around the world are vital to the continuation of that success. The willingness of scholars and students to come to Israel must be assured, alongside protection of the state’s security interests.

 

In the realms of research, the advancement of science and higher education, a large number of institutions are active in Israel, ensuring a wide variety of possibilities for acquiring higher education and carrying out scientific research on a high level, while competing on the basis of quality and originality for research grants.

 

The Academy expresses its distress at declarations regarding the supposed “cartelization” of research and higher education. We wish to emphasize: The standard and quality of instruction and research must be strictly maintained, and there is no call to interpret demands for a suitable standard as “cartelistic.” While there may be differences of opinion in this regard, it is imperative to maintain a respectful dialogue.

 

Signed: Prof. Nili Cohen [President], Prof. David Harel [Vice President], Prof. Itamar Willner [Chairperson, Sciences Division], Prof. Yosef Kaplan [Chairperson, Humanities Division], Galia Finzi [Executive Director], Prof. Ruth Arnon, Prof. Joshua Jortner, Prof. Jacob Ziv, Prof. Menahem Yaari [Past Presidents]