The Council for Higher Education is launching a "new campus" program to cultivate innovation and transform higher education in Israel over the next decade, Israel Hayom has learned.
According to the plan, the campuses of the future will include innovative study spaces, not only in infrastructure but also in learning methods.
Some 100 million shekels ($28.5 million) will be invested into kick-starting the program over the next five years. The goal is to develop students' entrepreneurial thinking, boost collaboration between faculties and strengthen the connection between industry and academia.
One of the key objectives of the plan is to "break down barriers" between lecturers and students. Veteran researchers representing some of Israel's brightest minds will work alongside students to advance important projects that aim to impact Israeli society profoundly.
Students will be able to work on campus in shared workspaces with lecturers and researchers to advance groundbreaking ideas, while integrating industry and venture capital funds.
These collaborations will provide opportunities for students to gain experience in teamwork and in fleshing out initiatives, directed by professional mentors from the business world.
Council chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett said the project will turn entrepreneurship and innovation into a tangible objective – a paradigm shift that is already underway in leading campuses around the world.
"For the first time, Israel is investing an unprecedented sum of money into bringing progress to campuses," he said.
"We are moving away from archaic learning and toward innovative thinking. As part of this, innovation centers will be established where lecturers and students will be able to work on initiatives. Likewise, an entrepreneurial culture will emerge, prompting the production of events and specific content in conjunction with the courses and training on campus."
The Budget and Planning Committee of the Council for Higher Education has issued a public appeal for all accredited academic institutions –universities and public colleges alike – to propose programs that include both academic learning and innovation training.
The institutions will be given incentives to introduce academic courses teaching innovation and entrepreneurial skills.
In the second and more significant part of the program, academic institutions will submit proposals for innovation centers over the next six months. The three proposals deemed the best will receive budgets of tens of millions of shekels to move ahead.
"The 'new campus' vision works for the advancement of an entrepreneurial perception, creating a culture of entrepreneurship and changing the face of campuses," said Professor Yaffa Zilbershats, the Budget and Planning Committee's chairwoman.
"The accelerated technological changes require the academic system to make the necessary accommodations and incorporate the world of innovation and entrepreneurial thinking into every academic institute."
