Frequently Asked Questions by Staff Scientists

Staff Scientists should be knowledgeable about the following topics that affect them. Many of the answers to the questions below link to documents in the Academic Secretary web site. Access to these documents may be accessible only within the institute network (Your login account and password is required).
To ask more questions whose answers would be of interest here, or to notify errors, please send mail to: Lorne.Levinson@weizmann.ac.il.

Salary, pension, etc

What are תוספת מחקר "א" ו-"ב" and how can I get these research supplements?

Researchers who are listed as PI or co-PIs on a research grant is entitled to a supplement to their salary. Note that Staff Scientists, per Weizmann regulations, may only be listed as co-PIs on the grant, and that not all grants permit more than one PI.

  • Research Supplement A (תוספת מחקר א) is an addition to one’s salary paid from a research grant that allows for such, up to 50% of the scientist’s salary.
  • Research Supplement B (תוספת מחקר ב) is an addition paid by the Weizmann Institute to a PI or co-PI on a grant that does not allow for a Research Supplement A. The supplement may not exceed 25% of the scientist’s salary and the amount, which is based on the value of the grant, is divided amongst all the PIs and co-PIs listed on the grant; two or more such grants allows the scientist to an addition 5% supplement.
  • The total supplement allowed (A+B) shall not exceed 55% of the salary.
  • It should be noted that with regards to ISF grants, assistant staff scientists can only be listed as team members while the three higher ranks can only be co-PIs (i.e., not budgeted as a team member).

The supplements, as of October 1, 2017, are:

Research Supplement A

Research Supplement B

budget allocation

max supplement

value of grant

supplement

< $6,360

none

< $6,360

none

$6,361-$50,880

30% of salary

$6,361-$12,720

6% of salary

$50,881-$79,500

40% of salary

$12,721-$21,200

12% of salary

> $79,501

50% of salary

$21,201-$47,700

20% of salary

 

 

> $47,701

25% of salary

For full details, see the Scientists Union site (login required). The Research Grants Office (RGP) is available to answer any questions regarding grants.

The list of grants that that allow staff scientists to be  a co-PI (thanks to the RGP Office) is available here.

Where do I obtain information about my salary, pension, income tax, קרן השתלמות, sick days, vacation days, etc.?

Full details are available from the HR department and on the Academic Affairs office websites (login required for both). However, a summary is available here (login required).

Salary tables are available on the Council for Higher Education (MALAG) website.

What are the rules for the declaration pertaining to devoting full time to the Institute (הקדשת זמן מלא)?

Staff Scientists twice a year must declare that they in the previous 5-7 months whether they were enganged in any external professional manner (such as research, planning, consulting, etc.) for financial renumeration (excluding author fees for scientific books or patents within the Staff Scientist's field of expertese) exceeding a prescribed amount. Staff Scientists who meet these criteria are elligible, upon declaration, of receiving a Full-Time Employment supplement, paid once every three months.

It should be noted that payment in the following cases is exempt:

  1. Teaching in pre-academic preparatory programs, courses for foreign students, courses for youth science students and academic programs intended for the defense forces.

  2. Being employed by one of the universities in Israel as an external teacher with a special permit given by the rectors of two institutions, excluding teaching in regional colleges.

  3. Teaching at the Feinberg Graduate School.

For more details, including the current exempted sums, see the Academic Affairs Office site (login required).

What are the rules for absence with and without pay?

Absence with pay

  • A Staff Scientist may be absent on duty from the Weizmann Institute (e.g., external conference, testing / learning new technologies, courses, lecture at another university) for a period not exceeding 60 days (gross, including nonworking days) per academic year.
  • A Staff Scientist is entitled to 22 days of vacation per academic year (gross 30 days), with a maximum of 44 accumulated days over 2 academic years (Oct. 1 - Sept. 30).
  • A Staff Scientist  is entitled to sick leave according to state regulations.

Absence without pay

  • A Staff Scientist may request a leave of absence without pay (CHALAT, חופשה ללא תשלום), which must be apporved by your direct supervisor, Head of Department, Dean and The Academic Secretary. For more details, see the Academic Affairs office (login required). Application forms are available online on the HR website (login required).