A. Historic Background and Purposes
Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild (1914-1999) was a biologist, trained at the Sorbonne, Paris and at Columbia University, New York. She worked for a while at the Pasteur Institute, Paris. During World War II, she joined the Free French Movement at its office in New York and volunteered for its armed forces. Assigned to London, she landed in Normandy during the Allied invasion, eventually reaching Paris, where she served as liaison between the French and the United States military forces.
As a frequent visitor to the young State of Israel in the 1950s, she met with Prof. Ephraim Katzir (Weizmann Institute) and Prof. Alex Keynan (Hebrew University), who convinced her of the acute need to support basic research in Israel. She established the fund bearing her name, which she personally headed with great devotion until her last days.
Following Operation "Kadesh" (the Sinai Campaign), at the end of 1956, Batsheva de Rothschild became the only one ever, from her legendary family, to settle in Israel and became active in public life. Science and the arts were the two loves of this exceptional woman. In 1989 she was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for her many contributions to Israeli society, among them the founding of Israel’s Batsheva and Bat Dor Dance Companies.
The Batsheva Fund was established as a private endowment fund, first in 1958 in New York City and afterwards, in 1965, in Israel. In 1993 she generously transferred the Fund to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
The Fund's purpose is to further Science in Israel for the people of Israel. It operates through a five-member Directorate. A Panel of Advisors, comprised of Israeli scientists of several disciplines, is appointed to guide its scientific activity. The Vice President of the Academy serves as its President.
From its onset, the Fund was a uniquely flexible and proactive one, constantly shifting to meet the emerging needs of Israeli science, laying the groundwork for others to follow. Starting with large applied projects in medicine and agriculture, it later funded small research grants for young scientists and was one of the first to address the subsequent large immigration of Russian scientists.
The Fund supports various scientific activities with emphasis on new frontiers of science. It provides seed money to help catalyze special (and subsequently large) Israeli projects involving human genomics, high energy physics and the applications of synchrotron radiation. It furthers research fields such as evolution and micro-electromechanic systems. From 2002 to 2007, it funded an innovative Researcher-Physician Fellowships program to promote clinical research. As of the summer of 2011, the Fund embarked on a new, 3-year project to provide support for basic research in the Earth Sciences.
B. Call for Applications
C. Information ,Guidelines and Forms
The Batsheva de Rothschild Fund nurtures scientific research in Israel through a multi-tiered approach encompassing support for the following activities:
Batsheva Seminars
From the beginning, the Fund has supported annual Batsheva Seminars in cutting-edge areas of science, involving leading experts from Israel and abroad. Over the last 40 years, over 10,000 (mostly young) scientists have participated. Current interests have included evolution, MEMS and clinical research. Anticipating future trends, the Batsheva Seminars have had a marked impact on the development of new fields of basic science in Israel.
Batsheva Seminars are intended to further the development, consolidation and advancement of innovative directions in basic research in the natural sciences, in fields of importance to the State of Israel. Conferences of scientists from Israel, with up to 20 scientists from abroad, may be convened for a duration of 4–5 days to discuss a cutting-edge scientific topic, with the goal of facilitating its advancement and development in Israel. Financial support of up to US $40,000 is available.
Batsheva Workshops
Several Batsheva Interdisciplinary Workshops are supported yearly, to allow fruitful interchanges among young scientists of various disciplines, clarifying scientific problems from various aspects and furthering collaboration among scientists.
Batsheva Workshops are two-day meetings bringing together Israeli researchers from various disciplines to discuss a cross-disciplinary field, with the goal of advancing its pursuit in Israel and encouraging collaboration among Israeli scientists. Financial support of up to US $10,000 is available.
Batsheva Fellowships
The Batsheva Fellows Program facilitates visits of several days of world-renowned scientists from abroad, to hold meetings with young Israeli scientists in Israeli academic institutions, to enhance and broaden their horizons. Financial support of up to US $5,000 may be requested for each Batsheva Fellow.
Aharon and Ephraim Katzir Fellowships
Since its inception, the Batsheva Fund has provided yearly support for the Aharon Katzir Study Grants Program at the Aharon Katzir Center of the Weizmann Institute, enabling MSc and PhD students to participate in scientific conferences abroad. In 2011 the new Aharon and Ephraim Katzir Fellowship Program was initiated, supporting extended studies in research and the study of new methods at leading laboratories worldwide. This program is operated directly by the Batsheva Fund of the Academy.
Aharon and Ephraim Katzir Study Grants provide for advanced on-site study by Israeli scientists of research and work methods at leading laboratories around the world in the fields of the life sciences, the exact sciences, and engineering, for a period of one to two months. Up to US $5,000 may be requested to cover travel and local expenses. The Scientist can't be additionally funded for the same activity.