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Binational Science Foundation (BSF)The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) is a grant-awarding institution that promotes research cooperation between scientists from the United States and Israel. BSF's income is derived from interest on an endowment of $100 million. Each government contributed $30 million in 1972 and added another $20 million each in 1984. BSF was established by the two governments in 1972 and has awarded more than 3,260 research grants, involving more than 2,000 scientists from more than 400 institutions located in 41 states. Most of the proposals and awards were in basic research; however, grants were also given to applied and technological research. Proposals are submitted by individual scientists through their institutions, and are evaluated on the basis of their scientific merit, as well as the degree of cooperation. Grant requests can be made for a period of up to four years. Proposals are evaluated by a peer review process. Assistance in the review and evaluation of proposals is rendered by science advisers. Advisers are recruited on a part-time basis from among senior research scientists in Israel and the U.S. Each of them is assigned a group of proposals in his or her field of specialization with the charge to select suitable referees. Final recommendations for grant awards are made by the science advisers' panels, together with the Executive Director, and are presented to the Board of Governors for approval. As of 2001/02, pursuant to the Board of Governors resolution, submission of grant applications is on a split-program basis, namely: the eligibility to submit applications is limited, in alternate years, to either health sciences, life sciences and psychology or to exact, natural and social sciences. Prior to that, applications were accepted every year in all areas of research supported by the BSF.
The benefits to the United States from BSF-sponsored studies include the extension and elaboration of research to achieve milestones that might not have been reached otherwise; the introduction of novel thinking and techniques that led American researchers to move in new directions; confirmation, clarification and intensification of research projects; access to Israeli equipment and facilities unavailable elsewhere and early access to Israeli research results that sped American scientific advances. BSF documented no less than 75 new discoveries that probably would not have been possible without foundation-supported collaboration. These advances included the development of new methods and techniques, the discovery of new phenomena and major theoretical breakthroughs. Contact: |
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