The Scientific Infrastructure Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology was launched in 1995 in an attempt to bridge the gap between basic and applied research. The program is targeted in stimulating the “maturity phase” of potential applied technologies. Moving basic research towards an applied research track may encourage more efficient utilization of the economic potential of scientific research contribute to the long-term growth of the Israeli economy and position Israel at the forefront of scientific research among developed nations.
This study is a continuing research to project, conducted by SNI in 2005, examining the economic impacts of scientific research projects and programs carried out as a part of the Scientific Infrastructure Program. The current research aims at evaluating the short-term and long-term impacts of knowledge centers and research projects that received funding from the program from 2000 to 2010.
The research methodology used involved various techniques of data gathering, including questionnaires and structured interviews. The study included a comprehensive literature review that compared the Scientific Infrastructure Program to other R&D-oriented programs in Israel and in other countries.
The evaluation stresses out the important contribution of the knowledge centers and the substantial impact of the research activities supported by the Scientific Infrastructure Program. Research findings show that projects funded by the program received additional grants by other funding agencies and competitive research grants. Research activities supported by the program had substantial impact on national-level themes such as student and academic personnel training, problem solving in the industry, cooperation in basic research between universities and hospitals, funding research in the engineering fields etc. The program was also successful in supporting commercialization of knowledge. This is evident in the establishment of companies, patents, licensing of technologies and the commercial application of technologies based on the activities of the knowledge centers. Many researchers have emphasized the important role of the Scientific Infrastructure Program within the national R&D system, mainly the allocation of funding in advanced stages of basic research, contribution to the advancement of applied research and cooperation between researchers from various disciplines.
The research summary includes recommendations and suggestions for improving the program.
