SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), one of the nation’s preeminent universities, and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), an organization that promotes scientific relations between the U.S. and Israel by supporting collaborative research projects, have established the first-ever Multiplier Grants Program designed to enhance funding for current and future BSF research projects involving UC San Diego and Israeli research partners.
“This is the first time in the history of the BSF that we have formalized a partnership with an institution to provide targeted and enhanced funding, which resonates to the BSF strategic objective of increasing grant size,” said Yair Rotstein, Executive Director of the BSF.
“Larger grants are a powerful advantage for research advancements and we hope that with larger grants come greater results.”
The BSF-UC San Diego Multiplier Research Grants Fund will supplement BSF Grants awarded to research projects conducted by researchers at the university jointly with Israeli scientists. Israeli institutions partnering with UC San Diego on the BSF Grants include the Technion Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, among others.
“A BSF Grant is highly prestigious in the scientific community,” added Art Ellis, Vice Chancellor for Research at UC San Diego and a previous BSF Grant recipient. “There are many examples of successful projects conducted by collaborating U.S. and Israeli scholars that were facilitated by BSF funding – this partnership is path-breaking.”
Some 37 Nobel Laureates have participated in BSF-supported research projects, and the BSF has awarded $480 million to over 4,000 research projects. Many of these have led to important scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs with wide-ranging practical applications.
Research taking place at UC San Diego and Israeli institutions through BSF Grants include extremely diverse subjects such as:
• How the molecular mechanisms in plants can help reduce the need for water;
• The study of human embryonic stem cells aimed at developing therapies for heart failure;
• The calculation of magnetic fields to design electromagnetic devices;
• The development of information processing in two-way communication methods;
• The study of quantum physics and systems in magnetic fields; and
• The development of the largest cosmological calculation ever created.
“We chose UC San Diego to launch the BSF Multiplier Grant program because of the world-class research taking place there,” continued Rotstein, of the BSF. “The University of California, San Diego has received many BSF Grants over the years, so we believed they would be an excellent partner to launch this unique grant initiative.”
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Preceding provided by UCSD and and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation