The Israel Science Foundation F.I.R.S.T. and NEST – PROMISE Programs

1. The Israel Science Foundation F.I.R.S.T. and NEST – PROMISE Programs Prof. Eli Pollak Coordinator – FP6 - NEST PROMISE Eli.Pollak@weizmann.ac.il

2. The ISF’s Mission To evaluate, select and support Israeli basic research through competitive grants based on excellence and scientific merit within the wide range of : • Exact Sciences and Technology • Life Sciences and Medicine • Humanities and Social Sciences

3. ISF 54 EU625.5 GIF 13.2 BSF 10.5 7.2 BARD DIP 6.2 Allocation to basic research in Israel in millions of $ 2005 data

4. 2006 submissions Individual Research Grants - Distribution by Sectors

5. 2005 New Grants Budgetary Distribution by Area

6. Foundation Annual budget Budget per capita (in $) ISF (Israel) 60 ~ 10 NSF (USA) 5,600 ~ 18 DFG (Germany) 1,600 ~ 20 FWF (Austria) 120 ~ 15 SNF (Swiss) 350 ~ 50 NSFC(China) 440 ~ 0.3 Leading basic research foundations(In millions of $)

7. Scientific vs. Economic Wealth

8. Technion Tel Aviv U. Bar Ilan 120 miles! Weizmann Hebrew U. Ben Gurion Description of Israel – Size

9. European Science Foundation – Representative ERANET NEST-PROMISE DFG (German Science Foundation) THE ISF IS INTERESTED IN CREATING ADDITIONAL BILATERAL COOPERATIVE PROJECTS International Cooperation

10. Individual Scientist Institutional Post-Doctoral Fellowships The ISF - FIRST program A special independent program supporting highly original and/or risky and/or multidisciplinary research. Budget $1,000,000 Programs

11. The need for FIRST like programs • Agencies typically support projects demonstrating • feasibility with preliminary results. • Multidisciplinary research is difficult to review • and assess. • Reviewing boards (especially scientists) are • conservative. • Agencies want success, dislike high risk! • Established scientists are afraid to embark on • new adventures – need encouragement. • Young scientists with “new” ideas need support.

12. The FIRST/ISF Mission Funding for – • Pioneering ideas capable of opening new avenues of research • High-risk, high-impact research. • Innovative research with a multi/inter disciplinary character • Introduction of new and innovative research areas to the universities via junior faculty members or senior researchers introducing new fields

13. FIRST is run by 5 board members all scientists representing different research disciplines and different institutes. The board members serve for 3 years They are all senior scientists with a broad overview of scientific activity in Israel. How FIRST operates?

14. Special Individual Researcher Track Submission of proposals which are not suitable for submission to other ISF programs, because of their highly innovative character, unconventional approach, and lack of preliminary results, or their multi or inter disciplinary approach. Pre-proposal screening Peer reviewing Decision by the board members + invited experts 1-3 year projects; annual budget: $30,000-$60,000 (+ additional funding for “small” equipment – up to $30,000)

15. Special Individual Researcher Track The problem: The overall success rate should not be below 20%.

16. Israel’s seven research universities are invited to submit one research proposal each, in a new high-priority field of research, preferably via junior faculty, which can open new areas both within Israel and worldwide Up to 3 year projects with a total budget of maximum $800,000 Peer reviewing and decision made by the board members The Institutional Track

17. The Institutional Track

18. Supports training of young PhDs at top institutions abroad in pre-selected subjects The chosen researchers obtain a grant that supports their research upon returning to Israel Thus far the four fields chosen were Evolution, Environmental Sciences, Virology and Analytical Chemistry Post-Doctoral Fellowships

19. During the five years of operation 41 applications were submitted 21 received postdoctoral fellowships: Environmental Sciences - 8 Evolution - 5 Analytical Chemistry - 3 Virology - 5 Post-Doctoral Fellowships

20. NEST – PROMISEwww.nest-promise.net • NEST –New and Emerging Science and Technology • PROMISE - Promoting Research on Optimal Methodology and Impacts Israel Science Foundation www.isf.org.il Coordinator Partners Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Germany) www.isi.fhg.de Trinity College, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, (Ireland) www.biomechanics.ie www.pspa.ie Consorzio Pisa Recerche Information Technology and Telecommunications Division (Italy) www.meta.cpr.it NEST NCP, Institute for Fundamental & Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences www.pr6.pl

21. NEST-PROMISE GOALSwww.nest-promise.net • Survey European and other programs supporting innovative, high risk, interdisciplinary, original research: successes and failures problems and solutions social impacts – young and female scientists • Analyse performance of NEST like programs: overlap benefit optimization cost effectiveness • Raise awareness for funding of NEST like programs . • Provide experience validated tools to refine and optimize: efficiency fairness impact and benefit strategies and procedure of NEST like programs. The bottom line: Encourage original, innovative path breaking research.

22. NEST-PROMISE WORKSHOPwww.nest-promise.net CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Dr. Carlos Saraiva Martins, Project Officer, European Commission - DG RESEARCH Title: The NEST activity - an "open space" to stimulate creative, visionary and anticipatory science and technology Prof. Patrick Prendergast, Partner – NEST-PROMISE, Trinity College Dublin Title: Initial Survey Results of research programs promoting novel high risk research. Dr. Thomas Heinze, Partner – NEST PROMISE, Fraunhofer Institute ISI, Germany Title: Two case studies (US & UK) on high-risk funding programs – SGER (NSF) and Showcase (Wellcome Trust). Prof. Eli Pollak, Coordinator – NEST-PROMISE, ISF Title: Innovative and Interdisciplinary research in Israel PROGRAM

23. NEST-PROMISE WORKSHOPwww.nest-promise.net • Presenting the Italian approach to Innovative Interdisciplinary Research (IIR). • Bringing together the administrative and user communities of IIR • Encouraging NEST elements in National Research Programs • Addressing policy makers and administrative staff of national research programs • Establishing a network of contacts in NEST like programs. • PLEASE JOIN US! • http://www.nest-promise.net/forms/registration/ GOALS

24. Thank you for your attention Please visit us at: www.isf.org.il