Since its inception, the BSF has awarded over $700 million to over 5,000 research projects of the highest quality. Many of these have led to important scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs.
The U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) promotes scientific relations between the U.S. and Israel by supporting collaborative research projects in a wide area of basic and applied scientific fields, for peaceful and non-profit purposes.
Founded in 1972 by an agreement between the United States and Israel, the BSF is an independent body, directed by a board of governors consisting of five American and five Israeli members. Its base of operation is in Israel.
Announcements
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June 18, 202082 BSF Research Grants awarded in the 2019 Regular Program
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June 15, 2020BSF Announces Appointment of New Executive Director
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May 10, 2020NEW CORONA NSF-BSF GRANT PROGRAM
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April 22, 2020Extension of Reporting/Completion Dates of Contracts Due to COVID-19
Our Funding Opportunities
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NSF-BSF Joint Research Grants
More about NSF-BSF Joint Research Grants -
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Start-Up Research Grants
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Prof. Rahamimoff Travel Grants
More about Prof. Rahamimoff Travel Grants
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July 14, 2020Deadline for NSF-BSF program in The Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence (NSF deadline is Jul. 8)
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July 21, 2020Deadline for NSF-BSF program in Social Psychology (NSF deadline is Jul. 15)
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July 21, 2020Deadline for NSF-BSF program in Developmental Sciences (NSF deadline is Jul. 15)
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August 9, 2020Deadline for NSF-BSF program in Perception, Action and Cognition (NSF deadline is Aug. 3)
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August 19, 2020Deadline for NSF-BSF program in Cognitive Neuroscience (NSF deadline is Aug. 13)
- 46 Nobel Prize laureates
- 07 Winners of the Turing Award
- 63 Recipients of the Wolf Prize
- 08 Recipients of the Fields Medal
- 23 Winners of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award
Scientific Achievements
BSF support has paved the way for numerous scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs with wide-ranging practical applications.
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Nobel-winning discovery of critical cell function
The 2004 Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded to Profs. Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover (Technion), together with Prof. Irwin Rose (UC Irvine), for…Read More -
Pioneering Advances in Computer Science and Robotics
BSF-supported research in computer science has spurred pioneering advances in computational geometry, which lies at the heart of diverse areas such as robotics and…Read More -
Cancer Diagnostics
The BSF played a key role in the worldwide use of PET (Positron Emitting Tomography) to identify functional disorders, indicating cancer. The development of…Read More -
All Scientific Achievements
Dr. Sherry Tamone (Univ Alaska) with her student and a graduate student of Prof. Amir Sagi (Ben Gurion Univ.) Tom Levy at their study area in Alaska 
Discussing the results are Profs. Phil Baran (Scripps Research Institute) and Doron Shabat (Tel Aviv Univ.) 
In the lab of Prof. Jerri Bartholomew (Oregon State Univ.) , her student Stephen Atkinson with Prof. Tamar Lotan (Univ of Haifa) 
Computer scientists Dr. Jonathan Berant (Univ. Tel Aviv) and Dr. Vivek Srikumar (Univ. Utah) with students 
Dr. Onn Crouvi (Geological Survey of Israel) with students studying regional modelling of calcic soils on site in Southern Israel 
Hydrologists Profs. Yokochi Reika (Univ. Chicago), Peter Mueller (Aragone National Lab.), Yossi Yechieli (Israel Geological Survey), Eilon Adar (Ben-Gurion Univ.) and their students at the end of a intense two weeks sampling campaign at the shores of the Dead Sea (Ein Kedem hot spring) [pictured by Dr. A. Burg, Israel Geological Survey] Resume slideshow Pause slideshow
Enjoying art are mathematicians Profs. Vladimir Berkovich (Weizmann Inst.) and Mattias Jonsson (Univ. of Michigan)
Facts & Figures
Facts & Figures
Magazine Top Stories
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Spring Edition 2020Letter From the Executive DirectorThe coronavirus has meant major changes for every organization, including BSF. Yair Rotstein shares how BSF staff, along with nearly 1,500 grant proposal reviewers from around the world, continue working together remotely, despite all the closings and distance restrictions, to help support U.S.-Israel science partnerships. Read More
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Spring Edition 2020BSF Board of Governors – Dr. Joshua Gordon and Dr. Peter HotezGordon is a world-respected mental health expert. Hotez focuses on global health and vaccines. In the past few months, they have both been interviewed by many media outlets concerning the coronavirus. Here are some highlights of their informative appearances and interviews. Read More
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Spring Edition 2020Donor Profile – Gilbert FoundationThanks to the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation - BSF Multiplier Research Grants Program, teams of scientists in Israel have partnered with contemporaries at UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). This has resulted in key funding for nine potentially transformative projects in a wide range of science fields. Read More
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Spring Edition 2020Team Studies Mutations in HIV GenomeLong before the coronavirus, HIV caused fear around the world. Nearly 40 years since it first spread, there is still no vaccine. Two BSF-supported scientists aim for discoveries that could help change that. The goal is to quantify the effects of every single mutation associated with HIV. Read More
The support of the United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation has not only been a valuable factor in the important scientific developments achieved at the present time, but will also prepare the next generation of U.S. and Israeli scientists for a leadership role in our global tomorrow.
Shimon Peres
The support of the BSF for over 23 years was essential for the discoveries that brought me the Nobel Prize. Thus, the BSF had a very important role in this achievement…..While I can survive without a BSF grant, this is not so with young Israeli scientists. This is very important for the future of Israeli science.
Avram Hershko
“I have known many Israeli and American scientists that have benefited enormously from these binational collaborations. In this way science in both countries has been greatly aided, but also the relationship between our two countries has been greatly strengthened.
David Gross
The deep friendship and strategic partnership between Israel and the United States is built on the pillars of shared values, one of which is the perpetual search for knowledge and the advancement of science and technology for the good of mankind. For more than three decades, the BSF has embodied that vision…As former ambassadors who have been deeply involved in U.S.-Israel relations for many years, we strongly affirm the critical importance of the Israeli-American scientific enterprise, which the BSF is doing so much to promote with extraordinary effectiveness.
Martin Indyk
My research was supported by the BSF for almost 30 years…This enabled my research group to collaborate with two of the most outstanding scientists in the field of chemistry…..An additional important aspect of the BSF is the social-cultural one….builds bridges between Israeli and American researchers…with several [U.S. partners] I have continued to collaborate long after BSF grants have expired…I have also used BSF travel grants to send to the USA other researchers in my group, allowing them to interact directly with American colleagues, including graduate students. I believe this is a very important part of the BSF program…
Yitzhak Apeloig
The BSF has had a major influence in my career, when I started a collaboration with Jacob Klein (Weizmann)…My often twice per year visits to the Weizmann Institute increased contacts with other groups there and at other Israeli universities…There is no doubt that the BSF has had a defining influence on my global research program.
