Technion: Reservists, Resilience, and the Heart of Israeli Society
Published by www.ynetnews.com on April 21, 2026.
On the eve of Israel’s 78th Independence Day, Prof. Uri Sivan says the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology sees ‘Israel’s security, Israel’s economy, and Israel’s society’ as central to its work, even as war, reserve duty and academic boycotts test the institution’s resilience.
As Israel remains at war and many of its students continue to cycle between campus and reserve duty, those guiding them see their mission extending beyond academic excellence alone to include the needs of the state itself.
Speaking ahead of Israel’s 78th Independence Day, Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan says the country’s flagship engineering school has long seen itself as part of the state’s national backbone.
“We consider Israel’s security, Israel’s economy and Israel’s society as part of our mission,” Sivan said in an interview with ynet Global. “It’s not that anybody imposed that on us. But that’s how we feel.”
Sivan, who has led the Technion since 2019, said the answer came into focus after he was asked early in his presidency what makes the institution different from other universities in Israel and from elite engineering schools in the United States.
Keep reading about the Technion’s institutional resilience and our brave Technion reservists at ynetnews.com.
Watch President Uri Sivan’s interview with YNet Global on YouTube.
