Germany and Israel – strong cooperation partners with shared values

Both countries are sites for high technology and are drivers of innovation. Their cooperation can rely on highly-developed and well-structured research systems. Over the past six decades, Israel and Germany have developed close and successful research cooperation. Milestones in the relation include the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1965 and the start of cooperation in science and technology (STC) in 1973.

Israel and Germany share a basic understanding of the importance of education, research and innovation for a society’s ability to meet future challenges. Research and innovation are drivers of prosperity and modern life.

A success story against the background of Germany’s historic responsibility

Cooperation in innovation, research and vocational education and training has reached a level of intensity that could not be foreseen in its beginning stages. Over time, scientific cooperation has become ever closer and has thus contributed decisively to normalizing political relations. The German side initially focused on the motive of reparations. Today, Israel and Germany enjoy excellent cooperation as equal partners. The current cooperation structure is diverse and comprehensive.

Israel: High-tech and innovation nation – responsible risk affinity

Israel has an excellent, liberal and democratic research system. The dynamic development of science and research has increased even further in recent years.

Israel’s research and innovation system is very much geared towards application and commercial exploitation of /research outcome. Private-sector research has recently made up almost 90 percent of overall research expenditure – a share which is unparalleled worldwide.

Israel boasts a particularly dense high‑tech start‑up scene. It is home to around 3,000 mostly small and medium‑sized enterprises active in research and development, of which more than one‑third are IT companies. Industrial research and development activities focus on the areas of communications technology, biotechnology, medical technology, and solar energy.

Topics and key areas of cooperation

The areas of cooperation combine the strengths of the two science nations. They reflect global challenges and rely on key technologies for a modern, liveable society. The content of priority topics is broadly diversified. Topics mainly focus on environmental sciences, key technologies, the life sciences and the humanities and social sciences. Since 1969 the German-Israeli programme for vocational education and training has played a special role in the cooperation.

Israel – attractive partner for players in the German scientific community

The German funding and intermediary organizations set up comprehensive activities which contribute decisively to cooperation with Israel. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) funds research projects with German-Israeli involvement while the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) focus on individual support. German higher education institutions and the non-university research institutions Max Planck Society (MPG), Helmholtz Association, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG) and Leibniz Association (LG) collaborate very closely and successfully in various different ways with Israeli partners, as do the German academies of sciences (Leopoldina - National Academy of Sciences; acatech- National Academy of Science and Engineering).

Territorial clause

A territorial clause agreed by the Federal Foreign Office and the Israeli foreign ministry entered into force in July 2014. It ensures that funded bilateral research projects are only conducted with partners located within the borders of 1967: “Projects (including partners in those projects) which receive funding from the German Government must have their headquarters in the geographical area that was already under the jurisdiction of the State of Israel before 5 June 1967. This does not imply any statement about the status of those territories which became subject to Israeli administration after June 1967 nor about Israel's fundamental position in this matter.”

German-Israeli scientific cooperation: a milestones chronology

Interministerial cooperation of the BMBF has been established since 1973 (scientific and technological cooperation (STC)) with the Israeli partner Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (MOST) and, since 2000, with the Ministry of Economics and Industry (MOEI) (industry-led cooperation). It has set priorities, including water technology (since 1974), cancer research (since 1976) and battery research (since 2012). In 2024, there were 15 bilateral projects in the context of interministerial cooperation, notably a programme on water technology.

The Minerva Stiftung GmbH is an affiliate of the Max Planck Society (MPG). It has been making a pioneering and lasting contribution to German-Israeli cooperation since 1964. The different programmes address both individual and institutional funding measures. The foundation has awarded more than 2,000 grants since 1973 under the BMBF-funded Minerva Fellowship programme. The foundation began setting up Minerva centres in 1975. Today, 24 Minerva centres conduct research at Israeli universities and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS).

The German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development GIF was established in 1986. The endowment capital provided by the BMBF and by the MOST was €204 million. The foundation supports joint German-Israeli projects under different programmes. GIF has funded about 2,000 projects so far with total funding of over €270 million. Several Nobel laureates from Germany and Israel received GIF funding, for example Reinhard Genzel (physics, 2020) in Germany and Dan Schechtmann (chemistry, 2011) in Israel.

In 1996, the BMBF developed the German-Israeli Project Cooperation DIP excellence programme to promote German-Israeli research teams. Since 2008, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has been implementing this programme which an evaluation in 2004 called a “flagship of German-Israeli science cooperation”. Its focus is on large-scale interdisciplinary German-Israeli research projects which receive funding for a maximum of five years. More than 80 projects have received funding so far.

The Martin Buber Society of Fellows in the Humanities and Social Sciences has been funding cooperation between German and Israeli scientists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem since 2010. Endowment capital of €20 million was provided by the BMBF. In 2017, a programme evaluation highlighted the success of the foundation. As of today, the foundation has supported 130 fellows. Up to 10 fellowships are awarded each year.

Since 2011, the BMBF has awarded a special prize to winners of the Israeli Young Scientists competition (comparable to Germany's "Jugend forscht" young researchers contest). Since 2017, the prize for three school students from Israel has included a four-week stay at the International Science Camp of X-Lab Göttingen.

Topics of cooperation

Environmental Research

Cooperation in environmental research is multifaceted. It started back in the 1970s with priorities in water technology, marine research and energy research. Environmental research cooperation is increasingly shaped by global challenges including climate change in particular.

Key technologies

Germany and Israel are cooperating in different areas in the key technologies. The so-called frontier technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence and quantum technologies) are of growing economic interest. Battery research and nanotechnologies are also focus topics.

Life sciences

Cooperation in the life sciences can look back on a shared history of almost 50 years of successful projects. Cooperation in cancer research (German Cancer Research Center DKFZ) takes high priority. Israel is an important partner for the Helmholtz centres in the area of health research.

Humanities and Social Sciences

German and Israeli partners cooperate closely in the humanities and social sciences. The Minerva centres in Israel in the humanities and the Martin Buber Society of Fellows are particularly noteworthy. One focus is on German-Israeli relations.

Vocational education and training

The German-Israeli programme for cooperation in vocational education and training has existed since 1969. Its main features are exchanges of apprentices and experts and the set-up of joint teams of experts. 

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024