Research collaboration between Israel and the US has received a US$56 million boost from Israel’s Council for Higher Education.
CHE has approved a plan to create a special budget to be allocated to the National Science Foundation and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation joint program, with the funding financing research programs over the next five years.
“The United States is the world’s research superpower”
“The expansion of the NSF-BSF program is an achievement for the Israeli higher education system,” Yaffa Zilbershats, chair of the CHE’s Planning and Budgeting Committee, said in a statement.
“The United States is the world’s research superpower and its willingness, through the NSF, to significantly expand American investment in, and collaboration with, Israeli researchers and institutions and demonstrate the strength and quality of Israeli research.
“The PBC has set the advancement of internationalisation as a central goal in its multiyear plan and allocates hundreds of millions of shekels per year to strengthen scientific ties with the United States, Europe, and Asia.”
The NSF-BSF program awards grants for joint research programs in a variety of research fields. For the Israeli higher education system, CHE explained, it is a valuable instrument to strengthen internationalisation.
CHE has another two initiatives in the pipeline to reinforce collaborations with US institutions.
The Council has increased the number of postdoctoral scholarships for inbound internationals, with a focus on US and Canadian researchers. The total budget, administered by CHE and the Zuckerman Institute, will amount to approximately $11m over four years.
Funding for postdoctoral scholarships for Israeli and US researchers within the Fulbright Israel United States-Israel Education Fund has also been given a boost.
Beyond projects focused on North America, CHE is funding a number of bilateral research with Germany, India, China and Singapore, in addition to its participation in the EU’s Horizon 2020 programs.
Earlier this year, Israel announced an investment of $120m to double international student numbers in support of its ambition to become an international study destination.
