2023 Impact Report
Send this story
To:
Subject:
Message:
⏱Avg. Reading Time: 12 min
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our inaugural Impact Report. This report is a reflection of our commitment to transparency and accountability as we strive to make a positive impact on the world. Within this report, you will discover the remarkable contributions of our esteemed faculty, dedicated staff, and exceptional students.
In the realm of academic impact, we have worked to integrate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our courses, enriching the educational experience and fostering a deeper understanding of global challenges. Our impact extends beyond academia to the lives of our students. We prioritize providing equal opportunities and support for students from diverse backgrounds, including first-generation students. Scholarships and financial aid programs ensure that deserving students can access quality education and achieve their full potential.
Engaging with Jerusalem's community and fostering civic responsibility are also paramount. We drive innovation through technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and work to strengthen our alumni community. Our commitment to sustainability is exemplified through our Green Campus initiative, promoting eco-friendly practices. While efficient asset management remains a cornerstone of our sustainable growth, ensuring that we can continue to make a lasting impact on society.
I invite you to explore this report, which encapsulates the remarkable work being done at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We are grateful for your interest and support as we strive to create positive change and shape a brighter future.
Prof. Asher Cohen
President, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Institutes of higher education play a crucial role in the success of the SDGs. By participating in the conversation, the University can benefit from this report and continuously improve. Measuring and reporting are necessary steps towards creating systemic and sustainable changes. As a society-serving institute, reporting on impact-related activities is a natural next step for the University's commitment to society.
The report is a joint effort of the ASPER Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Hebrew University’s Business School and the Hebrew University’s Division for Advancement and External Relations.
To the best of our knowledge, it is also the first university-produced report in Israel to include an overview of the scope of its ESG-related asset management. All data presented is from the 2019-2021 academic years unless otherwise noted.
A key component of the University’s impact are the courses it offers. How SDG-oriented are the course offerings?
27% of courses (1,699/6,215) were relevant
Keywords from Clean Water & Sanitation appeared most frequently
*To arrive at a baseline measure of impact-related courses, we cross-referenced the University’s course catalog with the University of Auckland's SDG Keywords list.
Understanding the topics that PhD researchers choose to write their theses can act as a good indicator for understanding the SDG-orientation. The titles of the 545 dissertations that were submitted from 2019-2021 showed:
Since opening its doors in 1925, the Hebrew University has prioritized research to maintain its leadership in Israel and internationally. Research that takes place at the University expands knowledge in both experimental and theoretical science, ultimately translated into real-world benefits for a better world.
Shanghai Rankings
Founded in 1958, the Council for Higher Education was established as a means to separate Israel’s political system from its higher education system, to prevent interference with academic freedom. The Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) determines funding distribution based on teaching and research factors, such as the number of students, subjects taught, grants, and publications. As a result, the PBC ranks universities and allocates more funds to those with greater success.
The Hebrew University consistently ranks the highest in terms of support from the PBC amongst other Israeli universities. A testament to its overall success and value to the country. This is particularly relevant in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic affected academia worldwide, and came with its own unique challenges.
The University has identified first-generation students, as in those who are the first in their family to pursue higher education as a top priority. When an individual becomes the first to hold a degree in their families, or even communities, there is a ripple effect that positively benefits their local communities.
Percent of Undergraduate First-Generation Students
Ratio of Women to Men in First -Students
Breakdown of First-Generation Students
*Based on undergraduate students totaling 13,725 in 2023
In 2022, the University commissioned Social Finance Israel (SFI) to conduct a study on the impact of its scholarships, the first of its kind in Israel. The main conclusions of the report were that students who received assistance completed their degrees at a significantly higher rate than those who did not apply or applied and were denied. The difference stems from the higher rate of graduation amongst engineering, computer science, natural science, medical and nursing students.
The study tracked eight cohorts of incoming first year undergraduate students (2010-2017) over the course of five years each, totaling 25,089 students. The latter part of the study utilized an online survey distributed among alumni.
The University
The Students
Their Families
The Israeli Economy
Percent of students who apply for financial aid (primarily from Israel's geographic and social periphery)
Those awarded scholarships have family incomes lower by 50-60% and lower entry scores (matriculation & psychometric) than applicants who did not receive aid
This study provided for the first time the numbers to show that students who receive support to graduate, will increase their income, pay more taxes, and increase the GDP. While 50 million NIS went towards need-based scholarships, the potential value created during these years, based on the recipients predicted income, will be 200 million NIS - translating into a 3.96 fold return.
Housing prices in Israel, already high, increased by 10% in the 2022 academic year. Research conducted by the National Students Union found that housing costs comprise half of the average student’s expenditures. The University provides subsidized student housing to approximately 4,000 students every year. Housing prices are linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and all students are eligible to apply.
(2020 in numbers)
-Prof. Sigmund Freud, Founder, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
High Schools from Jerusalem (East and West)
Hours of teaching
Schools from around the country
Different science programs
Students visited as a part of their studies
Advanced lab groups for high school students
Science teachers (in professional training)
Advanced students from East Jerusalem
Students participated in a physics & chemistry conference
Youth attended science camp
Yissum was established in 1964 with the mission to bring outstanding research out of the lab and into the market. Over the years Yissum has developed and streamlined the process transforming research and know-how into translational innovations.
Yissum owns and manages all IP developed at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it was the third tech transfer company in the world
*Numbers are based on the Yissum 2021 Report
Better Juice
Helping to curb the Obesity Pandemic with their revolutionary technology that reduces sugar in fruit juices by:
OrCam
Harnessing the power of artificial vision, is Yissum's promising unicorn, valued at:
Believer Meats
The highest funded cultivated meat company in the world closing their series B funding round at:
TriEye s SWIR (Short Wavelength Infrared)
Sensing solution delivers reliable image data, reducing expenditure of the existing industry rate by up to:
SavorEat
1st Food Tech IPO on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, raised:
Entrepreneurs
The data and investment analyst firm PITCHBOOK ranked Hebrew University in the top Global Universities producing venture capital backed Entrepreneurs
Contributing to the World Economy
Reuters' World Most Innovative Universities ranked Hebrew university for original Research, useful Technologies and contributions to the World Economy
ASPER-HUJI Innovate is the Hebrew University’s center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which leverages the University’s innovation potential to solve substantial problems through entrepreneurship. The center promotes the university as a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset and skills among students, researchers and staff and serves as a catalyst for the development of startups and social enterprises. Our activities include a plethora of offerings to different participants within our ecosystem, enabling them to be inspired, to learn and finally to build ventures that will change the world.
Members of 17 entrepreneurship communities
Events with over 17,000 participants
Hackathons with over 3,000 participants
Entrepreneurship courses were added to the university's academic programs
Digital cornerstone courses open, with 2,200 participants
Over 120 teams participated in a variety of programs that support startups such as the OPEN Venture Creation Program, the Social Accelerator, Startup Bootcamp, The HUJI Hub, Israel Lean Launchpad. Of these, 25% are still active and have raised over $66,000,000!
The HUJI Innovate Fund has provided 16 Teams with Proof of Concept Funding so far.
6 teams participated in the collaboration with the University of Toronto on Entrepreneurship.
The Asper Prize competition offers a 100,000 NIS prize for the Hebrew University Rising Startup of the Year. Since its founding the prize has attracted more than 80 startups with HUJI affiliation.
The following Hebrew University alumni-founded startups were all considered unicorn companies, and at one point were each valued at a minimum of 1 billion USD.
Big Data
Cyber
Smart transportation
Image & video processing
Logistics
E-commerce
Fin-tech, insurance
Ad-tech
Automation
Bio-tech
The University invests NIS 7 million annually in pre-academic preparatory programs for over 1,000 students without the necessary certifications to be accepted to an institute from higher educations, including those from East Jerusalem, the ultra-Orthodox, and new immigrants. The highly subsidized programs aim to provide higher education opportunities to people from all parts of society. The University has also adopted the Riuyim L’Kidum national program that admits disadvantaged students to study despite not having high school certificates.
Led by a multidisciplinary team of university staff and researchers headed by Prof. Nadav Katz of the Racah Institute of Physics, the Green Campus Initiative has overseen and spearheaded significant changes on campus, from improving recycling and energy conservation, to advocating for green transportation. The Building and Infrastructure Division of the University was instrumental in implementing these initiatives.
Solar panels
The 1.2 megawatts of energy from the Mount Scopus roofs make it the largest system at an Israeli university
Hot water
Solar-powered water heating systems in the dorms & energy-efficient showerheads, save 28,000 cubits of water per year and 513,000 NIS in energy and water costs
Energy-efficiency
Introducing technologies, including VRF systems, VAV hoods, HR chillers, 5T LED lights, heat pumps and using LPG instead of diesel fuel
Awareness campaigns
for encouraging energy and water conservation and other behavioral changes
Financial support
For student and faculty-led sustainability initiatives
Green construction standards
New buildings built according to LEED SILVER: The Suzanne and Charles Goodman Brain Sciences Building on the Safra campus and the Institute for Advanced Studies on Mount Scopus.
Light Rail
The University is working to extend the Jerusalem light rail lines to connect all three campuses to encourage the usage of electric public transportation and thus reduce emissions.
Recycling
The Green Campus Initiative installed a pool of reusable dishes and silverware for departmental usage on the Mount Scopus campus.
Electric cars
The University installed electric vehicle charging stations on the Mount Scopus and Edmond J. Safra campuses, as well as bicycle maintenance facilities on all four campuses.
Temperature control
A water condenser on the Safra campus provides 24/7 heating and cooling to save 660,000 NIS/year. Computerized controls for fume hoods mean 50% reduction in energy usage, with 15,000 NIS savings per ten fume hoods.
During the coronavirus crisis of 2019-2021, the University took measures to prevent the virus’s spread and to maintain teaching quality and student life:
By April 2020, all courses were transferred to Zoom
Technical and pedagogic remote teaching trainings for instructors
Corona Forum established
Comprised of representatives from the operations, teaching, and research staff
Epidemiological tracking center
Conducted investigations into confirmed cases and coordinated communications
Testing Kits
Subsidized tens of thousands of kits and distributed free kits and masks to students living in dorms
Alternative dormitories
Offered for students who were required to quarantine and refunds were offered for residents who quarantined outside the dormitories
Research
Offered for students who were required to quarantine and refunds were offered for residents who quarantined outside the dormitories
The Center for Legal Education’s Clinic for the Representation of Marginalized Populations led a variety of initiatives related to the crisis, including creating a Facebook page in Hebrew and Arabic to respond to general legal issues related to the coronavirus crisis, and ran a successful campaign to lobby the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services and the National Insurance Institute to secure social security-related amendments, including the automatic extension of disability allowance, freezing interest on debts to the National Insurance Institute, and the prevention of unemployment benefit offsetting for those already on welfare. It also secured an approval from the Ministry of Construction and Housing to accept housing benefit documents online or on an “declaration only” basis.
This report aimed to shed light on the significant strides the Hebrew University has made towards fulfilling its role as a public institution tasked with furthering knowledge and action on issues of societal importance. Its second goal was to present avenues for improvement that have arisen from the data. We recommend publishing an Impact Report on a biannual basis and convening a committee following its publication to discuss concrete goals and how to implement them. The following are the recommended steps to be taken:
Academic: Future reports should include data on new courses, and academic spin-offs in comparison to the baseline numbers presented in this inaugural report. For academic courses, we also recommend collecting the data in a more granular fashion and presenting it, for example, by faculty, type of course (required/elective), and degree program (undergraduate/graduate). we recommend referring to the Center for Sustainability’s 2021-2022 HUJI SDG Report, which will provide another benchmark to measure and track the University’s impact, alongside a ranking of impact-related publications, something this report does not cover.
Student: Future reports should include data on students’ and faculty’s socioeconomic status, and geographic origin.
Community: The data collected to assess the University’s impact on Jerusalem should also be collected on an annual basis, with a focus on local students. The University should also consider partnering with the municipality for data collection and programming and a follow-up to Prof. Shlomo Hasson's 2016 report.
Impact of Innovation in Israel: We recommend conducting a more involved assessment of Yissum’s portfolio companies, using SDG-indicators in addition to the breakdown by primary SDG as we did in this report.
Impact Initiatives: Given the extensive and important work of the Green Campus Initiative and its numerous international partnerships, we recommend increasing the group’s budget significantly. We also recommend addressing student housing within a social impact framework; this could include analyzing the characteristics of the students that take advantage of university housing and assessing whether current policies fully maximize its potential.
Asset Management: The University has already taken the first step in announcing its commitment to fossil free investments & considering ESG factors in its investment decisions. Now in the implementation phase, it should formulate a customized, proactive ESG policy document with standardized guidelines for assessing its current and future investments to align it with the policies of other leading universities. These generally include publishing an annual sustainable investing report and appointing a member to the university's investment committee with sustainable investing experience. The University should also consider adopting a similar assessment and disclosure policy for its endowment managed abroad.
Stay tuned to hear all the ways that The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is making an impact.
