Homepage of the Minerva Stiftung

The Minerva Stiftung

The Minerva Stiftung is the flagship of German-Israeli scientific cooperation. It is financed by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and works closely with leading universities and research facilities in Israel.

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Minerva Center Programme

Minerva Centers are scientific pioneer institutions in Israel with topics that are innovative and of special interest to the scientific community in Israel and Germany. The research at the Centers is carried out in cooperation with German partners and are funded by the Minerva Stiftung. Minerva Centers are located at the six Israeli universities and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

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The Minerva Fellowship Programme

Since 1973 the Minerva Fellowship Programme enables Israeli and German scientists to complete a research residency at institutions in the respective other country. Graduates and postdocs get the possibility to further their scientific background while conducting a research project at their host institution in Israel or Germany. They promote research and strengthen the cultural and scientific exchange between Germany and Israel. To date, more than 2000 Minerva Fellowships have been awarded to German and Israeli researchers.
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The Minerva Weizmann Programme

The Minerva Weizmann Programme was the first scientific Programme between Germany and Israel. For its implementation, the Minerva Stiftung was founded to maintain and cultivate the scientific exchange between the two countries. Since 1964 the agreement has been renewed every year and secured funding for roughly 2,000 projects in chemistry, physics, mathematics, and the biosciences. Today approximately eighty projects are supported with a total of € 3,580,000 annually.

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“The Fellowship opened many doors for me”

August 10, 2026

Florian Oepping has been a Minerva Fellow in Tel Aviv since May 2024. In the final phase, he joined us in looking back at the time he has spent on his fellowship in Israel.
How did it shape him? What are the most memorable experiences from the Fellowship?

Minerva Programmes

Extension for Two Minerva Centers in the Field of Aging

April 14, 2026

Minerva Centers Minerva Programmes

The Minerva Center for Biological Mechanisms of Healthy Aging and the Minerva Center on Intersectionality in Aging have each been extended for an additional six years following a successful evaluation. As a result, both Minerva Centers will be able to collaborate with their partners through 2031.

Minerva Fellowship Commission Meeting for the spring call 2026

July 13, 2026

Minerva Committees Minerva Fellowships Minerva Programmes

Due to the war situation in the Middle East region, the selection procedure had to be adjusted. 13 new Fellows were selected in the spring-round 2026.
The autumn call of the Minerva Fellowship Programme will be announced in October 2026 with a deadline of around mid-November.

Ulman Lindenberger bids farewell to five intense years as Scientific Director of the Minerva Stiftung

December 10, 2025

Minerva Team

In his farewell address to the members of the Minerva Weizmann Committee, which met in September 2025 at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Ulman Lindenberger shared his journey through academic life in Israel.

Minerva Topics

Defending democracy without destroying it

November 17, 2025

The Minerva Center for Human Rights (MCHR) at the Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) is part of a joint initiative with the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) in Freiburg: The Max Planck Center for Democracy, Security and Human Rights.

Leibniz Prize for Scientific Director of the Minerva Stiftung Christian Doeller

December 15, 2025

The scientific director of the Minerva Stiftung, Prof. Dr. Christian Doeller, is honored with Germany's most prestigious research award.
He receives the Leibniz Prize for his work in the field of cognitive neuroscience and psychology.

Team of the Minerva Stiftung

Minerva Team

Looking for further information?
Get in touch with us and find out more about the Minerva Team and their responsibilities.

Minerva Inside

The Minerva Management

Prof. Dr. Christian Doeller (Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences) and Maximilian Prugger (Deputy Secretary General of the Max Planck Society) serve as joint Managing Directors of the Minerva Stiftung.

The History of the Minerva Stiftung

History Max Planck Society

Today, the Minerva Stiftung, founded in the 1960s as a subsidiary of the Max Planck Society, is the flagship of German-Israeli scientific cooperation. It is financed by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and works closely with leading universities and research facilities in Israel.