Soviet Jewish scientists have launched a project in the Negev development town of Ofakim aimed at creating jobs for newly arrived colleagues with degrees in science or engineering.
A team of 12 senior scientists, all recent immigrants, gathered Tuesday in Ofakim to inaugurate the Technology Center for New Immigrant Scientists. They are its first employees.
The center is dedicated to the research and development of high-tech products that could become the basis of new manufacturing industries employing immigrant scientists and technicians who cannot now find jobs in the private sector.
The center was set up by the Jewish Agency for Israel in conjunction with the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Labor Ministry’s Center for Absorption of Scientists.
The Jewish Agency’s Department of Renewal and Development is financing the first phase of the project, which is part of a nationwide plan for economic development.
It hopes to develop such products as liquid ice, bearings for motors, batteries and exact measurement instruments that, it is hoped, will encourage entrepreneurs to open new plants or expand existing ones, thereby creating more job opportunities.
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