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Weizmann Institute- President's message 2004

Weizmann Institute- President's message 2004
by President Prof. Ilan Chet

 
 Dear Members of the Weizmann Institute Family,
 
 When friends of the Weizmann Institute - and of Israel - ask me for some good news from our region, I have no difficulty in responding. The irrepressible energy and boundless ingenuity of Israeli inventors and  entrepreneurs are there for all to see, but to none are they more evident than to those of us immersed in science and research.
 
 Israel is home today to about 500 communications technology companies, 200 in medical instrumentation, 100 in fabless circuit design plus a number of circuit production giants, and 50 in digital printing and imaging. It has become a veritable superpower in data security, with some major companies in the field and about 80 start-ups. There are hundreds of companies developing an impressive range of programming applications - for trading in foreign currency options, for Internet applications and a great deal more. In my own field of plant science, the long tradition of Israeli innovation is being carried forward by a growing number of biotechnology companies devoted to advanced crop improvement and the production of plant-derived products.In drug design and development, Teva Pharmaceuticals leads as a major player in the world arena and is Israel's largest and most successful commercial company ever. All this, and more, in a country of less than 6 million people!
 
 What drives this phenomenal technological dynamism and entrepreneurship? Of the many reasons I could cite, one is most relevant to our endeavor: the strength of Israeli scientific education and technological training, in which the Weizmann Institute of Science plays such a dominant role - through its emphasis upon basic research (the root of its multivaried achievements since its earliest days), its practical inventions, its science education programs and its network of graduates throughout Israel.
 
 Clearly, the cultivation of our only abundant natural resource, our brain power, is critical to our economic and social well-being. At the Weizmann Institute we also believe that this cultivation is of value in  itself, beyond its immediate utilitarian impact. We believe that knowledge and its pursuit are the crowning achievements of every society, and should always be a priority. Put in this perspective of aspirations and achievements, the past year has been a good one for the Weizmann Institute. Let me touch on some highlights.
 
 Following his earlier astounding development of the world's smallest biological computer consisting of DNA, the material of genes, Prof. Ehud Shapiro took a dramatic step into futuristic medicine by showing how this molecular device, of which about a trillion can fit in a drop of water, might one day function as a tiny medical kit. Made entirely of biological molecules, this computer was successfully programmed to identify - in a test tube - changes in the balance of molecules in the body that indicate the presence of certain cancers, to diagnose the type of cancer, and to react by producing a drug molecule to fight the cancerous cells. It may well take decades before this concept of "a doctor inside the cell" can be converted to a system operating inside the human body, but its potential is thrilling.  This research was supported, among other sources, by the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research.
 
 Having obtained FDA clearance last year, Prof. Hadassa Degani's work in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the non-invasive diagnosis of breast and prostate cancer is now being developed commercially for clinical use. Recently, she directed her attention to an entirely different application - kidney function. Standard MRI scanners found in hospitals and clinics work by imaging water molecules in the body, but in water-logged kidneys, the image may not distinguish between different functional parts. By scanning sodium ions rather than water, Prof. Degani's method may enable tomorrow's doctors to pinpoint exactly where a problem lies, reveal a disease before symptoms occur, or evaluate how a drug affects a patient. Prof. Degani's work was supported by the Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology and other generous donors.
 
 Prof. Yair Reisner's breakthrough research in inducing porcine stem cells to grow new kidney tissue in a mouse stands to benefit from Prof. Degani's innovation, which could greatly facilitate the difficult task of assessing how well such kidneys are, in fact, functioning. Other aspects of Prof. Reisner's pioneering work, namely in bone marrow transplantation, are featured in this Annual Report. Again, both Prof. Degani's and Prof. Reisner's research benefited from the support of the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research. Prof. Reisner also received major support from the Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research and other generous donors.
 
 It is a pleasure to acknowledge here, with thanks, the generous gift of the Skirball Foundation of Los Angeles for its challenge grant of $1.5m toward the purchase of a new MRI machine for Prof. Degani and half a dozen additional research groups. The new equipment will give a great boost to a significant segment of our biomedical researchers. We have received a number of matching gifts, most notably from Mrs. Rita Markus of New York, Mr. Hans Rausing of the UK and the Harry M. Ringel Foundation of California. We are still looking for additional donors to come forward with funds that will help meet the Skirball Foundation's challenge.
 
 Further clinical progress in cancer therapy was achieved by the team of Profs. Avigdor Scherz and Yoram Salomon, who conduct (Phase I/II) clinical trials for prostate cancer in collaboration with Steba Biotech (France). They have developed a novel substance for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT), which effectively destroys tumors by destroying the blood vessels that supply them with oxygen and nutrients. The work is presently carried out in medical centers in Canada, England, France and Israel.
 
 In neuroscience, sophisticated use of MRI techniques is yielding insights into the mechanisms of perception and visual experience. Prof. Rafael Malach showed volunteers a segment of a movie while they were undergoing brain scans with functional MRI equipment. Interestingly, the brain scans revealed that in viewing a movie, the various regions of the brain each actively view different movies. Each area is activated by a specific kind of visual cue, and therefore only picks up on those bits that "speak" directly to its specialized preference. For instance, a region known to be involved with face recognition lit up only when close-ups appeared on the screen, whereas scenery elicited a response from the part of the brain that helps us navigate in three-dimensional space. The scientists noted a third area that seemed to be activated when delicate hand motions were performed; this area, they think may be part of a network of brain regions used to understand the actions and intentions of others. Thus the unified percept we experience is, in fact, the coordinated result of a tremendous "jam session" played out by our different, highly specialized brain regions.
 
 Also in Neurobiology, Prof. Amiram Grinvald - widely regarded as a world leader in functional optical imaging and, as such, of having exercised a tremendous impact on brain research - was awarded the prestigious Dan David Prize for 2004. Prof. Grinvald's method of intrinsic optical imaging on the molecular level makes it possible to visualize electrical activity in the living brain. This technique is currently advancing clinical applications in neurosurgery operating rooms in the US, Europe and Japan.  Both Prof. Grinvald and Prof. Malach are supported by the Murray H. and Meyer Grodetsky Center for Research of Higher Brain Functions.
 Another possible future application of Institute research in neurosurgery comes from an entirely different direction. Prof. Elisha Moses of the Physics of Complex Systems Department, postdoctoral fellow Dr. Stephan Thiberge, and Institute graduate Dr. Ory Zik have devised a method to view samples of biological materials under the beam of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) in their natural, untreated (i.e. "wet") state. The SEM's superb ability to distinguish the delicate structure of a living cell could thus be utilized, for example, in making a quick decision during brain surgery as to the borders between a malignant tumor and healthy tissue, or between a malignant and a benign growth.  Since the discovery was made, Dr. Zik, in cooperation with Yeda, the Institute's business arm, has founded a company, called QuantomiX, based on this technology. The findings of the team were published this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) USA. This is just  one fine example of the Institute's leadership in advanced imaging and microscopy techniques, a field that is of vast importance for science, medicine and industry. I urge the Institute's friends to support our efforts in this sophisticated - and costly - endeavor through such projects as the proposed Electron Microscopy Center or the Bioimaging and Diagnostics Center.
 
 Gratifying acknowledgement of our work in nerve regeneration was recently received from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF), which awarded its first grant in Israel to Dr. Michael Fainzilber. "The Weizmann Institute, as I saw first-hand when I visited Israel last year," said Christopher Reeve, "has established pre-eminence in the field of paralysis research." Applying a unique peptide, Dr. Fainzilber will identify changes in genes that are activated very early in the regenerative process, in order to modulate injury-induced changes. The data generated using this innovative model has the potential to identify new molecules important for regenerative growth in patients with nerve injuries.
 
 In the coming year, our work in neuroscience will be significantly enhanced by a major gift from Mrs. Nella Benoziyo toward the establishment of a new research center dedicated to neurological diseases. This is in addition to the existing Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences, from which Prof. Malach's work has benefited, and the Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine, which has supported Dr. Fainzilber's research. In appreciation of this magnanimity, the brain research building has now been named the Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain Research.
 Basic science is the heart and core of our work, and is particularly characteristic of young scientists in the early stages of their careers. This issue of the Annual Report features outstanding work in structural biology by two young scientists, Dr. Deborah Fass and Prof. Gideon Schreiber. Dr. Fass, whose work was recently featured in the prestigious journal Cell, is applying X-ray technology to study newly-discovered enzymes  taking part in protein folding - the fateful process by which "newborn"  proteins fold into precise three-dimensional structures to become  functional. Proteins are also a central theme in the work of Prof.  Schreiber, who is applying both theoretical and experimental techniques to  examine how cells "talk" to one another. Amongst his findings, Prof.  Schreiber has achieved valuable insights into how interferons, proteins  serving as the body's first line of defense, convey their messages into  the  cell.
 
 We are eager to promote this vigorous activity in structural  proteomics. Elucidation of the 3-D structure of proteins - so critical for  understanding their function in health and disease - is an enormously  complex process. When Sir John Kendrew and Sir Max Perutz received the  Nobel  Prize in 1962 for the first solving of a protein's 3-D structure, they had  spent over 20 years on the task. Though some aspects of the process have  since become more efficient, scientists may still spend months, sometimes  years, in similar efforts.    Having received initial support for a pilot project in this area from  Israel's Ministry of Science, the European Union, and a visionary private  Israeli donor - Board member Yossi Hollander - we now seek to establish an  endowed research institute that will serve Israeli science as a whole. The  institute will serve researchers from the Weizmann Institute as well as  from  other scientific research institutes and the biotech industry in their  attempts to elucidate the structure of proteins involved in disease. Their  findings might prove essential to future applications in drug design,  diagnostic tests, biosensors, agrochemicals and more.
 
 Providing a boost to the efforts of all such research-ers is an  outstanding new facility for visualizing proteins three-dimensionally, in  their enormously complex structure and internal movement: The Jean  Goldwurm  Scientific 3-D Visualization Theater in the Wix Auditorium building.
 
 Prof. Israel Rubinstein of the Faculty of Chemistry has demonstrated  how minuscule particles of gold, silver and other materials can serve as  building blocks of tiny cylinder-shaped structures called nanotubes (a  nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter). Characterized by unique  electrical and optical properties, these nanotubes can be tailored for  diverse applications, such as future nanosensors, catalysts and  chemistry-on-a-chip systems. This work was supported, among other sources,  by the Clore Center for Biological Physics.  
 Our efforts in nanoscience received an important boost this past year  through the magnanimous gift of Helen and Martin Kimmel of New York  establishing the new Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science.  Additional notable support ($2.9m) for nanoscience, in particular for the  renewal of equipment in the Braun Submicron Center, but also for research  in  the Faculty of Chemistry, has been assured by the TELEM (acronym for  National Science Infrastructures) Committee of the Israel Academy of  Science. More than two years ago, the Wolfson Foundation had committed a  large seed gift toward this fund, to be matched by the Israel Academy of  Sciences and Humanities and five institutions of higher learning,  including  the Weizmann Institute, with the aim of making a significant investment in  Israeli nanotechnology. We continue to seek donor assistance in this  mega-project for advancing the Institute's world-class nano-electronics  research.
 
 The Physics Faculty celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a  rich record of achievements. This Annual Report features the work of two  young theoreticians, Profs. Micha Berkooz and Ofer Aharony, who both work  in  the most fundamental area of string theory. This generation of young  scientists is propelling us toward more focused efforts in particle  astrophysics, where we hope to attract additional talent and establish a  dedicated research center. The Physics faculty also has a strong tradition  of commitment to science education - we are proud that this year's EMET  Prize is being awarded to Prof. Haim Harari for his outstanding leadership  in this area.
 
 I mention with pride that Prof. David Harel, Dean of the Faculty of  Mathematics and Computer Science, received this year's Israel Prize for  his  work in several diverse areas of computer science, including the invention  of languages and methods for developing complex systems and his  widely-acclaimed expository writing. The citation described him as "one of  the leading computer scientists in Israel and in the world." Prof. Adi  Shamir, co-inventor of the famous RSA encryption system, and his student  Eran Tromer have been busy listening to computers. They are working on a  system that could enable certain kinds of encryption techniques for  securing  classified information to be cracked by analyzing the faint sounds  produced  by tantalum capacitators on the motherboard. Additional achievements in  mathematics and computer science are highlighted later in this Annual Report.
 
 Young scientists
 
 Of the six scientists featured in this report, you will note that  four  belong to the young generation of recently-tenured professors. This young  face of the Institute is a genuine emerging trend, following a few years  of  difficulty in recruiting a sufficient number of young scientists, due  mainly  to the political and economic situation. It is heartwarming to witness  young  people's eagerness to join the Institute.  
 One of our most important tools for the successful recruitment and  absorption of young scientists is our ability to provide them with  equipment  for their research needs. Such equipment costs may run into the hundreds  of  thousands, in some cases, even millions, of dollars. The Institute's major  source of equipment funding, the Israel Science Foundation, has  drastically  reduced its support in the past few years, as part of the overall cut in  government allocations to research and education. Our dream is to  establish  a large endowed fund that will enable us to respond effectively and  quickly  to such needs.
 
 Recruitment of young scientists, particularly women, could be further  boosted with greater attention on our part to the work/family balance.  Specifically, we would like to expand the recently-established childcare  facility, which has proven highly successful but is unable to meet the  demand by Institute staff and scientists. We are seeking a donor gift for  this project.
 
 Major issues resolved
 
 I am pleased to report that three of the four issues that have been  hanging menacingly over our future during the past few years have been  satisfactorily resolved. Of grave concern, primarily to our sister  universities in Israel, has been the Ministry of Education's requirement  to  change the governance of Israel's institutions of higher learning. We have  successfully convinced the Ministry that the Weizmann Institute's  structure  was already largely in line with the new requirements, principally, the  unification of responsibilities for the organization's fiscal and academic  functions. Thus, we have not been called upon to change our governance  structure.    This year, it was officially confirmed that we would not be subjected
 to any tax liability for our income stemming from Yeda royalties. The  State  Comptroller General had for some time been questioning the fact that this  income was not taxed. After a lengthy process of presentations and  clarifications to the State Comptroller and the income tax authorities,  the  Institute succeeded, with the invaluable aid of our Board Member Moshe  Gavish, in making a compelling case for its position, resulting in  confirmation by the tax authorities of the accepted position that a  not-for-profit organization like the Institute should continue to maintain  this tax exemption. Needless to say, the individual scientists who receive  royalty income do pay taxes on it.
 
 A third major issue that was resolved this year was our six-year-long  disagreement with the State Comptroller on reporting procedures for  external  grants. Having now obtained the Comptroller's agreement to a reporting  procedure that takes into account the inherently fluid nature of cash flow  from external grants, our scientists can continue to compete for  international grants with a reasonable degree of flexibility. Regrettably,  the dispute with the Municipality of Rehovot regarding tax payment is  still  pending, notwithstanding the considerable progress we have made.
 
 Financial situation
 
 The Israeli government has continued to impose cuts on the national  budget. For us, this meant that in 2003/4 the government's share in our  operating budget fell to 36 percent, necessitating a further reduction in  expenses from the previous year's budget. Even though governmental cuts  were  announced twice in mid-year, we continue to maintain a balanced budget,  thanks largely to the discipline and cooperation of the Institute's  scientific and administrative staff. My warm thanks also go to the  Institute's loyal friends, who have continued to give generously to the  President's Contingency Fund - a resource the importance of which I cannot  exaggerate. Part of the shortfall in government support was also made up  for  by an increased injection of funds ($15m, or 8.5 percent of our budget)  from  Yeda's royalty income. All this has enabled us to maintain an acceptable  level of support for research and infrastructure and, most importantly,  not  to be forced to reduce our support for new scientists and graduate  students.
 
 The Institute's income from Yeda is based primarily on three  products:  two drugs for multiple sclerosis (Copaxone® and Rebif®) and the satellite  television encryption card. In keeping with the Institute's far-sighted  policy, this highly volatile income - the dependability of which is  entirely  outside our control - was not used to increase expenditures. Rather, as  indicated above, it partially offset the shortfall in the operating budget  created by the government's drastic cuts in support of basic research. The  rest was put toward future-oriented purposes: the development and  maintenance of our infrastructure, facilities and equipment, and the  enlargement of our endowment.
 
 Yeda's earnings testify to the talent and enterprise of Institute  scientists. Given that all three products listed above have a  manufacturing  base in Israel, they also point to the coming of age of Israeli  industrial,  financial and business capabilities. We can be proud that with only 250  principal investigators, we lead all Israeli institutions of higher  education in technology transfer, and that even on a global scale, our  successes are remarkable. It is also most gratifying that the basic  research  behind Rebif® was recognized this year by the award of the EMET Prize to  Prof. Michel Revel.  
 External research-funding sources constitute 25.6 percent of the  budget, a figure that has remained steady in the past year. But  steady-state  in this case is by no means trivial news. If we bear in mind that major  Israeli funding entities, such as the Israel Science Foundation and the  various government ministries, have severely reduced their support in the  past two years, it is clear that the continued high level of external  support sources can only be ascribed to increased funding from abroad.  Grants from the NIH have been increasing steadily and today reach $1.8m,  and  grants from the European Union, where we have done better than any other  Israeli institution of higher learning, have reached $6m.
 
 I would like to mention here an $8.5m competitive grant awarded by  the  Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute (FAMRI) of the US to a  Weizmann  Institute team working with the Chaim Sheba Medical Center on the harmful  effects of passive smoking.
 
 Our success in obtaining such large external grants may be partially  attributed to the leverage afforded by philanthropic sources, notably in  this case, the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research. This success in  the highly competitive world science arena can surely be taken as an  objective indicator of the high quality of Weizmann Institute researchers.  This quality was again reaffirmed this year by the comparative study of  the  "impact factor" of scientific publications: Israel ranks third, after the  US  and Switzerland, in its number of scientists cited (in relation to the  country's population). Of the 37 Israeli scientists most often quoted by  others (out of 250 worldwide), 11 - nearly one third - are at the Weizmann  Institute.  
 As to ongoing (not endowed) donation income, we have been  experiencing  a declining trend in the past five years, from a high of close to $24m in  2000/1 to an estimated $17m in 2003/4. This is partly due to the fact that  during the Jubilee Campaign, we oncentrated our efforts on increasing our  endowment, as opposed to raising consumable funds. Thus, both the  endowment  itself has grown, currently standing at close to $600m, and the annual  yield  it provides to the Institute has risen, from about $18m five years ago, to  close to $29m today. W-GEM, the Institute's arm for the professional  management of its investment portfolio, has yielded excellent results in  the  past year.
 
 Campus infrastructure and development
 

 We are moving forward with our plans for constructing a major new  transgenic plant growth facility, which should give a significant boost to  our research in plant science. This project is still seeking donor support
 and I would like to take a moment to make the case for it once again.

 Making a Mark
 
 Eleven of the world's 250 most quoted scientists are at the Weizmann  Institute:
 
 a.. Prof. Moshe Oren
 b.. Prof. Oded Goldriech
 c.. Prof. Benny Geiger
 d.. Prof. Ehud Dochovni
 e.. Prof. David Harel
 f.. Prof. Ilan Chet
 g.. Prof. Irun Cohen
 h.. Prof. Giora Mikenberg
 i.. Prof. David Peleg
 j.. Prof. Amir Pnueli
 k.. Prof. Itamar Procaccia
 We are justly proud that Israel has been a powerhouse of agricultural  development - surely one of the most amazing features of Israel's rebirth  in  its arid land. We are witnessing exciting new trends in this field. Since  the 1980s, it has become clear that it makes little sense for us to engage  in intensive agriculture, where (fortunately) we no longer can or wish to  compete with the low wages that prevail in less developed countries; nor  do  we have the large land and water reserves required. Instead, Israelis have  identified the enormous potential of advanced agricultural research - a  kilogram of seeds sells for 1,000 times more than a kilogram of fruit -  and  are developing new crop seeds with high added value, such as resistance to  disease, adaptability to various climate conditions, increased yields,  improved nutritional value, etc. Being myself in the field of plant  biological control, I can personally affirm that such characteristics have  enormous impact globally in protecting the environment (fewer pesticides,  fewer fertilizers) and in their potential for feeding a hungry world.

 Most of this research in Israel is carried out by academic  institutions, rather than by industry, and there can be no doubt that  Israel's innovativeness in plant science owes much to this fact. We must  give the Institute's plant researchers the advanced high-tech facility  that  their talents and efforts so fully merit.    We are also finalizing plans for a new facility for pre-clinical  research, scheduled for construction in the northern campus area recently  acquired from the Jewish Agency. This is an enormously costly project, for  which we are seeking donor support. Our major existing facility was built  in  the 1960s and is now obsolete beyond our ability to refurbish it.  Inter-national standards of ethics - to which the Institute adheres  strictly - and the technical capabilities for housing, treating and  monitoring of mice and rats undergoing pre-clinical experiments have  improved dramatically since then. In addition, there are many new research  projects today in cancer, genetics and immunology that require upgraded  facilities.
 
 The clean-up and refurbishment of the Arnold Meyer Building is  progressing well, and should be completed by mid-2005.  In May 2004, we had the pleasure of dedicating "Oasis," a lovely  water  sculpture given to us by our former graduate student, Dr. Barton  Rubenstein  of Washington, DC. In November 2004, we will dedicate three new campus  installations: the Ruthie and Samy Cohn Student Residence, the Joe  Weinstein  and Major Max L. Shulman EcoSphere in the Clore Garden of Science, and the  Jean Goldwurm Scientific 3-D Visualization Theater.
 
 The campus and the community
 
 This year, with abatement in the fury of suicide bombings inside  Israel, we saw an increase in the number of visitors from abroad, as well  as  an increase in the number of scientific gatherings held on campus. In May  alone, we held ten conferences with international participation, including  one in honor of former Institute President Prof. Michael Sela's 80th  birthday.  Educational activities for young people are as dynamic as ever. The  annual Shalhevet Freier Physics Tournament, where youngsters must figure  out  how to crack safes, had a record number of participants, including, for  the  first time, two teams from Canadian schools. Our Science Mobile traveled  extensively this year to schools and centers in peripheral areas, partly  thanks to the Rehovot-based Israeli division of Applied Materials, Inc.,  which not only gave financial support but also actively involved its  management and staff. Our most public event, the Science Festival held  during the Passover holiday, attracted some 15,000 participants.
 
 We have initiated a number of appealing lectures for wider Institute  audiences: the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences  had standing-room-only attendance at its series on the civilizations of  the  eastern Mediterranean; Prof. Itamar Procaccia of the Chemistry Faculty  offered an illuminating talk on Zen and the Arts of East Asia, featuring a  number of scrolls from his own collection; and the Faculties of Biology  and  Biochemistry began a series of noon lectures "Biology at Eye Level," where  Institute scientists present their work to the campus community.
 
 On June 10, 2004, the Feinberg Graduate School celebrated its largest  ever graduation ceremony: 117 Ph.D. and 146 M.Sc. degrees were conferred.  At  this year's ceremony, the keynote speaker was Mr. Benny Landa, founder and  former chairman of Indigo, a world leader in digital color printing. Benny  and Patsy Landa are enthusiastic supporters of education in Israel, with a  particularly attentive eye for students whose economic background has made  higher education a difficult goal to reach. Earlier this year, we opened  the  Ruthie and Samy Cohn Student Residence to help relieve the demand for  on-campus student housing for singles and couples. The school continues to  attract the best students in Israel in Mathematics, Computer Sciences,  Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The large number of applications and their  exceptionally high quality led us to increase the size of the M.Sc. class  entering in October 2004.
 
 Under the banner "Administrative Excellence in the Service of  Scientific Excellence," we have launched an organizational development  program for Institute personnel. Initially, we are focusing on enhancing  management skills. This effort goes hand-in-hand with our implementation  of  an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) program. Together, we expect these  initiatives to significantly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of  our administration.
 
 The Global Partnership Campaign
 
 For the past year, we have been preparing to launch the Global  Partnership Campaign, perhaps our most important fundraising initiative  since the Jubilee Campaign. The Global Partnership Campaign is intended to  bring together our lay leadership, our administration, our committees and  our scientific community for the purpose of ensuring the excellence of  scientific research and education conducted at the Institute. We have put  together a dynamic Campaign leadership group under the gracious and  talented  team of Gershon Kekst, Global Chair, and Bob Drake, Executive Chair, and  will be sharing the Campaign's goals with our Governors during our  meetings  on campus in November. Under the banner "Partners through Time," we will  discuss how each of us can make a difference in ensuring the future of the  Weizmann legacy.
 
 Thanks
 
 For their friendly cooperation, good counsel and steady support, I  thank Stu Eizenstat, Chair of the Board of Governors, Abraham Ben-Naftali,  Chair of the Executive Council, Deputy Chairs of the Board, Chairs and  members of the Board committees, and the entire Board membership; Prof.  Michael Kirson, Chair of the Scientific Council, the Institute Vice  Presidents, Deans of the Faculties and Department Heads.   I am particularly grateful to the Weizmann Institute family of  scientific, technical and administrative staff, who have given me their  generous support and friendship.
 
 I am indebted to our supporting committees at home and overseas, who  work unflaggingly for the Institute's welfare throughout the year - the  devoted lay leaders, the outstanding Executive Directors, and all the  enthusiastic members of their professional staffs.
 
 I thank all of our friends in Israel and abroad for their interest,  devotion and generosity over the past year. May the Institute's scientific  and humanitarian achievements continue to fuel our aspirations and efforts
 in the year ahead.
 
 Prof. Ilan Chet

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