Dr. Eran Leck joined the SNI Senior Research Staff in 2008.
He holds Ph.D. and MSc. degrees from the Technion in Urban and Regional Planning and a B.A. degree in Statistics and Geography from the University of Haifa.
Dr. Leck is an expert on patent statistics and innovation policy evaluation and has published a large number of reports and articles in these themes. He is the Editor of the book “Mapping Research and Innovation in the State of Israel”, published in UNESCO’s Country Profiles on Science and Technology.
Since 2012, Dr. Leck has been a member of several large-scale EU projects (FP-7 and Horizons 2020) focusing on innovation policy, innovation statistics and Pan-European datasets (PICK-ME, RISIS and RISIS 2).
Dr. Leck’s current research interests include innovation policy, R&D policy, R&D output evaluation, patent statistics, digital divide and online user behaviour evaluation.
R&D Outputs in Israel: Quality Characteristics of Distinct Inventions
The report is the third in a series of studies conducted by the Samuel Neaman Institute on Israeli patents. The first part of the study provides updated data on the scope and characteristics of inventive activity by Israeli applicants and inventors in various patent offices (ILPO, EPO, and the USPTO) and in the PCT track. The report presents trends in patent applications and granted patents according to sectoral attributions, examines Israel's international cooperation in the field of inventive activity, and analyzes trends in cross-border patent ownership. The characteristics of foreign applicants at the Israeli Patent Office (ILPO) are also analyzed.
Winners and losers of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel and France: Evaluating the long-term effects of the crisis on well-being
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global watershed event that has substantially scarred the social and economic fabric of societies and individuals alike. The road to recovery from this pandemic is likely to be a gradual and slow process that will have an unequal impact on different parts of society. This proposed study sets out to identify, investigate, model and predict the factors associated with the objective and subjective well-being of the Israeli and French populations in the midst of the pandemic and in a world recovering from COVID-19. The assessment considers both material (i.e., socio-economic status, income and wealth) and socio-psychological conditions (i.e., feelings of subjective well-being, depression levels, family tensions), as well as underlying societal factors (resilience, social cohesion, social capital, degree of trust etc.). Special focus will be placed on the catalysts and agents, which differentially impacted vulnerable groups in society in the midst of the pandemic and on the factors that are projected to lead towards differential recovery. The comparison between Israel and France is especially interesting in terms of the potential “winners” and “losers” from the pandemic. An open question relates to both the contingent and structural elements of both societies and their ability to cope with the pandemic: France with its long-term stabilizers and social security system but slower epidemiological reaction or Israel with a less extended welfare system but with higher reactivity at the epidemiological level (a fast and effective vaccination campaign). The proposed project will employ a wide array of qualitative and quantitative tools for the collection and analysis of the research data. The French data will be based on the ELIPSS longitudinal survey, a probability-based panel. Similar data will be collected for Israel via a specially tailored web survey. In addition to survey data, unobtrusive digital trace data will be collected from human sources and online tools (e.g., webpage visits analysis, social network discourse analysis etc.). An innovative effort will be made to triangulate these unobtrusive data sources with the panel data and qualitative interviews. In order to test the relationship between socio-economic, behavioral and societal factors influencing the well-being and the coping abilities of the Israeli and French populations, mediation and moderation analysis will be implemented. The proposed bi-national project will equip stakeholders in both countries with well-established information that could help them in formulating guidelines for assisting vulnerable populations at times of crisis and speed up their recovery.
The aspects of establishing an academic center in the city of Petah Tikva
Examining different possible models for a new academic center in the city of Petah Tikva, including the school for outstanding and gifted students, or any alternative to such a center. Using several methodologies such as interviews and literature review, three possible models were devised and presented to the management of the Petah Tikva Municipality to select the best model suitable for the urban ecosystem: Lifelong Learning center, novel applied academic center, and a combination of a Lifelong Learning Center and an existing academic center.
UNESCO Science Report 2021: Science and Innovation In Israel
The UNESCO Science Report was launched in 1993 under the name of World Science Report. Since then, UNESCO has published seven reports in the series. The series describes and reviews the evolution of the support system for science, technology and innovation worldwide over time. Key emerging trends are identified and placed within their socio-economic and political context. Each report begins with an overview of global trends. Dr. Daphne Getz and the team at the Samuel Neaman Institute authored the chapters on Israel in UNESCO's Science Report.
Adapting the Demand for Training Knowledge Workers in Local Labor Markets
This research was done within the framework of Pick-Me project – WP 6. In this study data gathered in an Israel Central Bureau of Statistics survey among more than 5,000 Israeli university and colleage graduates were analyzed. The survey examined the extent of the graduates’ integration into the labor market.
Studies: Innovation – Environmental Technologies
Samuel Neaman Institute's publications indicate the necessary steps for the State of Israel to utilize the potential inherent in this market - both for improving the quality of life and the environment in Israel and for the opportunity to export knowledge and technologies and create jobs in the field. The works reflect the main trends in the world, map the uniqueness and relative advantage of the Israeli economy and shed light on the barriers facing entrepreneurs, investors and industries in Israel. In addition, the policy papers detail basic principles for designing a supportive policy.
Upgrading the Economic System of the North
In mid-2014, SNI joined a venture with the Ministry of Economic and Industrie, aimed at drafting a plan for substantial improvement of the economic status of the North. During 2015, the project was completed and a summary report, which includes an analysis of the socioeconomic situation in the north, and recommendations to realize change-generating infrastructure anchors and non-linear growth generators, was submitted to the Government.
Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Smart Robotics
The aim of the project is to present an up-to-date and complete picture of the current activities in academia and industry in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Smart Robotics, and to examine the possibilities of advancing these fields, as is being done in many advanced countries.
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RISIS (FP7 Project)
Work Package 9 (WP9) is part of the RISIS (Research Infrastructure for Research and Innovation Policy Studies) Project. SNI researchers are responsible for coordination between the different participants in WP9. The aim of WP9 is to develop a geographic clustering method that delineates concentrations of spatial activity regarding science, technology, and innovation.
It Takes Two to Tango? Spatial and Social Implications of Joint Civil-Military Development
The study examined the impact of the IDF bases' relocation to the Negev on strengthening the urban regions in the Be'er Sheva metropolitan area. It was hypothesized that the relocation of military installations would become a major mechanism for strengthening the towns located in the Be'er Sheva metropolitan area, strengthening the Negev's urban sector and thus increasing social integration. The study examined this hypothesis, both qualitatively and quantitatively, based on a broad spectrum of collected data.
Policy Incentives for Knowledge Creation
The project is implemented under the Seventh Program of the European Union (FP7), a consortium that consists of seven countries (Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, the UK, and Israel). The purpose of the project is to examine empirically the role of the demand side in the creation of technological knowledge, recognition of technological and organizational innovation, and encouraging the increase in productivity. The project is formally complete and our contribution was expressed in five outputs.
An Innovative Approach for Measuring the Digital Divide in Israel: Digital Trace Data as Means for Formulating Policy Guidelines
In recent years, the study of digital divide is becoming increasingly important for policy formulation, as well as the evaluation of policy and interventions. A wide array of qualitative and quantitative methods has been used over the years to measure the scope of the digital divide between countries and various populations groups and to identify the main factors affecting it. These methods include surveys, structured interviews, open questionnaires and indicator analyses. While very useful and important, these “self-report” methods are obtrusive and very costly, thus unreplicable.
Evaluation of the Technion Excellence Programs
The Technion Program for Excellence was launched in 1992 and is intended for undergraduate students in the Faculties of Science and Engineering who have been identified as having exceptional abilities.
Evaluating the "Rothschild Fellowship" Program
The main goal of the research was to evaluate the impact of the program on the candidates' careers and to assess their chances of pursuing academic careers in leading universities and research institutions in Israel. The research population included 359 candidates who applied to the program between 1996 and 2005. Three groups are included in the analysis: candidates who received the fellowship (Rothschild fellows), candidates who their application was turned down by the evaluation committee and candidates who chose to decline the fellowship.
Evaluating the NOFAR Program
The NOFAR program was conceived as part of the implementation of the recommendations made by the "Monitor Report," and stresses the need to establish a fund to support the development of inventions in the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology that have a commercial potential in universities, so as to increase the chances of successful transfer of the technology from the academy to industry. The program helps build a bridge between the basic research and the applied research at the stage at which industry has not yet recognized the idea as having a commercial potential.
Evaluation of the MAGNETON Program
The evaluation of the Magneton program is a research initiated and funded by both the Samuel Neaman Institute and the MAGNET management. The research was performed during 2008-2009. The main research goal was to examine the outputs of the Magneton projects and their success while focusing on the characteristics of the projects, academic researchers and industry head of projects and to evaluate the factors impacting the projects' successes and failures in the past few years.
