In the first week of December, the German Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research & Development (GIF) hosted its 42nd Board of Governors Meeting in Jerusalem. On this occasion, BMFTR State Secretary Marcus Pleyer visited Israel.
Pleyer chairs the Board of Govenors together with Israeli Science Minister Gila Gamliel. The foundation, which was established around 50 years ago, provides several million euros annually to support German-Israeli research projects in all disciplines. Next year, the GIF will be celebrating its 40th anniversary.
This year’s meeting thus marked an important milestone. The Board reviewed key strategic priorities and held constructive discussions that will guide GIF’s work in the coming years. An important decision was reached regarding the future of GIF’s Calls for Proposals: starting in 2027, GIF will return to broader calls.
During his trip, State Secretary Pleyer also visited other key partners of the BMFTR in Israel. He learnt about the research priorities of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Israel Space Agency. At the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, he gained an impression of the damage caused there as a result of the Iran war. At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he exchanged views with German and Israeli scholarship holders from the Martin Buber Society endowment fund. Finally, he visited the Einstein Archive, which houses thousands of Albert Einstein’s original documents – including the original certificate of his Nobel Prize award.