Subject: Israel Recruiting New Nuclear Scientists for 'National Needs'

Govt. offers scholarships for promising grad students. Bennett: 'They will help developments in numerous fields that are better left unsaid.'

The Council for Higher Education is starting a new program to recruit seven new nuclear scientists.

According to documents obtained by Walla! news, the project is designed to "rehabilitate the nuclear physics research and instruction for the national need."

A budget of seven million shekels ($1.8 million US) has been set aside to find the candidates, who will be chosen from outstanding physics graduate students. Those selected will receive generous scholarships and will become university faculty members within three years. According to the Council, two will be picked next year, followed by another two in 2018 and the final three in 2019.

An inside source explained to Walla! that Israel is falling behind in the field of nuclear engineering. "Israeli nuclear research needs to bring people into this field."

He added that the scientists will be affiliated with universities, but that their work could also involve national security issues. "These people are performing research, but part of their experiments will be with the nuclear reactor in Dimona."

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