Paper short abstract:

Centre-periphery relations in the global science and the establishment of conditions for continuous scientific creativeness was the most severe issue that Weizmann and Bergmann faced when they established the modest Daniel Sieff Chemistry Research Institute in Rehovot in 1934.

Paper long abstract:

How to establish effective patterns of management in a research institute in Israel so that it could successfully compete internationally and gain long-lasting recognition and prestige? And later, how the enforcement of management patterns could contribute to the establishment of new and original knowledge that will lead to the empowerment of the local industry and agriculture?

In this lecture i would like to discussed the quest for finding proper managerial models for managing the Daniel Sieff Institute during its formative period. Two models were implemented during its first decade: a centralistic managerial model, under the supervision and management of Bergmann and a pluralistic managerial model, under the management of an Executive Council. Both models failed to meet Chaim Weizmann's expectations of achieving a decent research level in comparison to leading scientific centres in other Western countries to which Weizmann aspired to compare the new institute. Weizmann felt that the scientific output of the Institute, in terms of academic productivity, was low and that its quality was poor, leading him to thoughts about closing down the Institute. In practice, the failure of these two managerial models led Weizmann to adopt a third managerial model where the Institute was under supervision and sponsorship of external scientific committees which were to rescue the Institute from its scientific periphery and insignificance