Adherence to Original Program

The BSF expects the grantees to adhere to the contract terms, including the research and budgetary plans. However, the investigators should feel free to pursue interesting and important leads that may arise during the conduct of the research. When it appears from a scientific standpoint that the investigation, as originally proposed, will no longer be fruitful, or that a related line of research will be more promising, the investigators may discontinue or modify unpromising lines of investigation. Should deviation from the original research proposal be substantial, the investigators must inform the BSF, describing and explaining the necessity for these changes. Other changes, including budget and personnel changes, are also allowed, as long as these are consistent with BSF Regulations.

Change of Personnel and Sabbaticals

• The Principal Investigator is responsible for implementation of the research project during the period of the Agreement.
• Change of principal investigators and other key personnel requires advanced written approval from the BSF.
• In cases when such personnel are withdrawn, or will be absent for more than three months (e.g., sabbatical), the grantee must notify the BSF. The BSF will approve the leave if satisfied with the arrangements made for the smooth continuation of the research program.
• The BSF will not approve a leave of over one year.

Change of Affiliation by a PI

The BSF should be notified in the event that a principal investigator changes organizational affiliation. In such cases, neither the principal investigator nor the grantee’s institution may make further use of the grant. The BSF will consider transfer of grants on an individual basis.

Budgets

Budget Transfer

• Transfer of funds between budget items is allowed up to $10,000 without prior approval of the BSF.
• Changes in the travel budget are not allowed without prior BSF approval, which under normal circumstances will not be given.
• Transfer of money from one year to the next, or a “no cost” extension of the grant for up to one year, is sometimes possible, but requires prior BSF approval.
  

Salaries

• Principal Investigators in either country are not allowed to receive any part of their salaries from a BSF grant.
• No scientist who is a full-time paid staff member of the grantee institution may receive any salary from the BSF grant.
• Scientists employed by the institution on a temporary basis (“soft money”) may be paid according to the time devoted to the project.
• The salary of auxiliary personnel such as technicians may be paid in proportion to the time devoted to the project. If the auxiliary person is a permanent employee of the institution, the institution may claim up to 50% of the payment received for the time spent on the project.

Travel Expenses Abroad

• Travel funds may be provided to allow investigators to work together only at the co-PI’s institution. Meeting at conferences are not supported by the BSF grant.
• Meetings should be for at least two weekdays (not weekends).
• Meetings at other locations require prior approval of the BSF, and will not generally be approved.
• Meetings in other countries are not supported.
• A BSF grant may not be used to support a sabbatical.
• The travel allowance in the BSF Regular Grant Program may be used by members of the Israeli or US research team.  However, if travel is by someone other than the PI for whom travel funds were approved (e.g. replacing travel by US PI with travel of the Israeli PI, travel by a team member other than the PI, who is not mentioned in the grant proposal), prior BSF approval must be received.
• In an NSF-BSF grant, the BSF support is only for travel by members of the Israeli PI team to the US collaborator’s institution. BSF funds in this program cannot be used to support travel by the US PI to Israel, and he/she should use the NSF grant for the trip.
• The BSF approves travel in economy class only and will cover per diem expenses only for the days spent together at the approved locations.
• The BSF does not support the cost of conference registration of any of the PIs.
• BSF grants in the Regular BSF Program do not support travel of US investigators within the US, unless it is part of the approved research program, or there are two US PIs, and there is a PI meeting at the institution of one of them.

Equipment

Equipment purchased with BSF funds belongs to the BSF and should be marked accordingly. Only equipment listed in the application may be purchased without prior approval by the BSF. At the end of the project the BSF will leave the equipment in the institution where the research was conducted.

Expendables

Expendable supplies related to the research program may be purchased as needed.

Report Expenses

For regular BSF  projects page and/or color charges for joint publications are allowed up to 1,000 per year with a maximum of $3,000 per project.

For NSF-BSF projects up to $5,000 per grant will be allowed for joint publications of the applicants.

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Miscellaneous Expenses

Miscellaneous expenses not described in the guidelines are considered by the BSF on a case-by-case basis.

Revocation of Grants

Any BSF or NSF-BSF Grant may be revoked, in whole or in part, by the BSF 30 days after notifying the principal investigator(s) and the grantee institution(s). Revocations shall not affect any financial commitment of grant funds which, in the judgment of the BSF and the grantee(s), had become firm prior to the effective date of the revocation.

Acknowledgments

In publications based on research supported by the BSF in all its research grant programs, investigators should acknowledge the support with the following statement:

For a grant in the BSF Research Grants programs:

“This research was supported by Grant No… from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF).”

For grants in the NSF-BSF programs:

“This research was supported by Grant No….. from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) and by Grant No….. from the United States National Science Foundation (NSF).” (order isn’t important).

However, opinions, conclusions, or recommendations arising out of supported research activities are those of the authors or the grantees and should not be presented as implying that they are views of the BSF. Investigators must ensure that any press release or direct communication to the press on the project cites BSF support.