In 1995, following the steady and substantial increase in the scope
of its activities over the years, the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) was established
as an independent non-profit organization, registered as such with the
Registrar of Associations, and drawing its authority from the scientific
community. The ISF is the major organization supporting basic research in
Israel on the basis of scientific excellence in the various fields of knowledge,
via a wide variety of support channels. It maintains a close relationship with
The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. According to its bylaws, the President
of the Academy serves as the chairperson of the Foundation’s council.
The Foundation evaluates proposals for basic research in the fields
of the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, medicine, and the exact
sciences and technology and supports selected proposals via research grants. The
proposals are evaluated and selected in a competitive process, based on criteria
of scientific quality and excellence, most of them in a dual judging process
that includes professional committees and peer review. Approximately 97 percent
of the Foundation’s 2022 budget comes from the Planning and Budgeting
Committee. The remaining three percent comes from direct donations, awards, dedicated
foundations, and various funds managed by the Academy.
In 2026, the Foundation operated on a total budget of close to NIS 810 million in all grant pathways, including the following:
- Core programs: These programs, which are funded every year from the core budget, are open to submissions in all fields of knowledge and do not focus on a specific topic.
- Dedicated programs: These programs, which are funded from a supplementary budget for a specific community of researchers or for a specific topic, are usually time-limited.
As part of the core programs, the Foundation funds approximately 2,300 individual research grants in universities and other research institutions. The Foundation also supports the acquisition of research equipment to establish laboratories for new faculty members at universities, the acquisition of equipment for faculty members in mid-career, the publication of books on topics in the humanities, and the holding of international research workshops.
In addition to the core programs listed above, the Foundation operates the following programs (some of which are no longer accepting new submissions):
- The MAPATS Breakthrough Research Program – grants for breakthrough research
- Research grants for physician-scientists in hospitals
- Post-doctoral fellowship program in the social sciences
- The MAVRI program in three tracks: Biomedical research grants, startup grants for physicians in hospitals, and post-doctoral fellowship grants
- Research programs in the field of quantum science and technology
- Support programs for making research infrastructure accessible as part of the individual research grant program
- A program to participate in the funding of sailing days as part of the individual research grant program
- A program to support the purchase of equipment for researchers in mid-career
Two new programs began operating during the previous cycle:
- The Beresheet program: A new program whose goal is to cultivate and encourage the hiring of new researchers who have made aliya or are returning to Israel in research universities after having completed their post-doctoral work abroad by providing large-scale research grants and a one-time equipment grant for establishing a laboratory
- The OR (Outstanding Researchers) program: This program is intended to support researchers from abroad who wish to join the senior faculty (with tenure) in one of Israel’s research universities. The program is for senior researchers who have shown extraordinary scientific leadership ability in particularly original high-quality or creative research over the past decade and have proven their deep and comprehensive commitment to their field, made scientific contributions of particular significance, shown prominent leadership in training scientists and addressing substantial research questions that have a decisive influence on their field. The program will offer a large amount of support to a small, select group of outstanding researchers over time.
The ISF-Isralab Research Grant Program: In May 2026, the Foundation announced the opening of the program and published its main points. The program aims to support exceptional basic research (Technology Readiness Levels 1–3) in strategic fields in order to enable research that requires extensive and complex infrastructures that may translate into a contribution to the Israeli economy in the medium and long term. This requires long-term funding and a budget that is usually beyond the reach of individual groups.
A different topic will be selected each year for submission to a scientific advisory committee (SAC) that will consist of representatives from academia, industry, and the defense sector. The first cycle will contain applications that are at the forefront of science in the fields of natural science (STEM) that will focus on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for scientific breakthroughs. In this cycle, up to two grants will be awarded with a budget of up to NIS 40 million per grant (for eight years) for experimental/empirical research. When the application is submitted on behalf of a research university that is funded by the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, up to 40 percent of the total budget may be included for the purchase of equipment.
International Activity
The Foundation expanded its international activity several years ago. It collaborates with various research foundations for the advancement of joint scientific activity between Israeli researchers and researchers from abroad. The foundations include the following: the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR); the International Development Research Center (IDRC) in Canada; and the Azrieli Foundation. The Foundation also collaborated in the past with the University Grant Council (UGC) in India, the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Singapore, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
The Foundation is a partner on the Global Research Council and is active in the European regional leadership.
In recent cycles, the Foundation has begun collaborating with similar foundations in Europe as part of the Lead Agency process (LAP) model. In this cycle, two programs are operating according to this model: one with the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and one with the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Two additional collaboration programs will begin in the next submission cycle (2027): with the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), in the same format.