Additional funding for German-Israeli collaborations
BMBF approves additional funding of 0.5 million euros / Max Planck Foundation provides initial funding of 1 million euros
Following the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court an audit of the expenditure of federal ministries had been initiated. It was initially unclear what impact the agreement on the 2024 federal budget would have on the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). However, shortly before Christmas, the Minerva Foundation received the approval of funds for two crucial programme lines supported by the BMBF: the Minerva Fellowship Programme and the Minerva Weizmann Programme.
The additional funding for Arab Israelis within the Minerva Fellowship Programme as well as the funding for the two research projects "Human Rights and Democracy" and "Life under Extreme Conditions" has now also been approved, with an annual allocation of 0.5 million euros each.
Furthermore, the Max Planck Foundation will also provide financial support for German-Israeli cooperation following the devastating terrorist attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023, building on the close and longstanding scientific relations between Germany and Israel, and especially between the Max Planck Society and the Weizmann Institute. The Max Planck Israel Programme has an initial volume of 1 million euros and is set to run for two years (2024-2025). The most important aim of this programme is to counteract the drop-out of young talent and facilitate the early return of international researchers to Israel as well as to strengthen the exchange of Israeli scientists with Max Planck Institutes. To this end, partnerships between Israeli research institutions and Max Planck Institutes are to be established and existing collaborations utilised.
