Reichman University to Establish an Academic Home for Israeli Researchers from Leading Universities Around the World
For the first time, Reichman University is hosting a group of researchers with the aim of bolstering their cooperation with the university
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Herzliya 2023, Reichman University is working towards the establishment of an academic home
for Israeli researchers from leading universities around the globe. This week, the university is
hosting a delegation of researchers as part of the “Brain Sharing” project, whose aim is to
strengthen their connection to the university and create academic and research partnerships with them.
The first delegation will comprise a group of senior Israeli researchers from top universities
such as Stanford University, the University of Minnesota, Cornell University, INSEAD, and others.
According to Eliran Zered’s June 2020 report “Israelis with Academic Education Abroad and Steps
Taken to Return Them to Israel,” the State of Israel is the largest exporter of academics to the
United States relative to its population, or in other words, a world leader in brain drain. This finding
led Reichman University President Prof. Rafi Melnick to initiate the project.
The researchers’ visit comes after a series of Zoom meetings held on various topics over the past
year, led by the president of the university and including the researchers, the deans of the various
schools, and representatives of the university administration. The visit is centered around the
theme of “resilience” on the personal, social and national levels. During the delegation, the
researchers will participate in two conferences – the first on “Entrepreneurial Resilience” and the
second on “Resilience in Sports.” Among other things, the researchers will conduct a tour of the
communities bordering the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the Israeli Trauma Coalition, during
which they will meet with residents of the area, military officials dealing with resilience, and
resilience centers.
President of Reichman University, Prof. Rafi Melnick: “Throughout my many years in
academia, I have watched the ever-growing phenomenon of brain drain with concern, and
wondered how I could help slow it down. In my role as president, I see the advancement of quality
and groundbreaking research as a fundamental national mission, and I have set ourselves the
goal of bringing back outstanding Israeli and Jewish researchers from the world’s top universities
and offering them an academic home in Israel that will serve their needs. All parties involved will
benefit from this.”
Delegation participant Prof. Guy Hoffman of Cornell University: “The ‘Brain Sharing’ program
is an original and beneficial initiative. As an Israeli researcher living in the US, I’m always happy
to maintain contact with Israeli academia, and this initiative provides a framework for this.
During the winter conference, I was able to renew my research relationship with the Media Innovation
Lab at Reichman University, led by Prof. Oren Zuckerman; we began by jointly advising the
students, planning the editing of a book, and discussing innovative research methods. I look
forward to continuing these joint efforts when I return to the US. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the
conference held by the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship, which offered perspectives not only
from the local research on entrepreneurship, but also from entrepreneurs and investors in the
Israeli tech industry.”
