Event
German-Israeli Alliance Symposium
The participating presidents (from left to right): Walter Rosenthal (German Rectors' Conference), Patrick Cramer (Max Planck Society), Otmar D. Wiestler (Helmholtz Association), David Harel (Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities), Gerald Haug (Leopoldina), and Arie Zaban (Bar-Ilan University).
Boycott movements against researchers from Israel are steadily growing worldwide. To counter this, members of the Alliance of German Science Organizations, under the auspices of the Helmholtz Association and the Max Planck Society, organized a German-Israeli symposium at the Harnack House in Berlin from December 15 to 17, 2024. Their conviction is that the pressing challenges of our time can only be tackled through collaboration and continuous exchange. For this, an open and international scientific community is indispensable.
To strengthen existing collaborations and foster exchange, member organizations of the Alliance nominated tandems of scientists from Israel and Germany for the symposium. These tandems included individuals from a wide range of career stages, from doctoral candidates and group leaders to professors and even Nobel laureates. The lectures and panel discussions covered a broad spectrum of topics, including AI and physics, biomedicine, and environmental research.
During the three-day event, researchers had the opportunity to present ongoing collaborative projects, exchange ideas on mutual research interests, and network beyond their disciplines. The interdisciplinary nature of the event enhanced synergies among research teams. Their take away: new connections and inspiration for collaborative projects, both bilaterally and within a national framework.
"In these challenging times, it is of great importance that we increasingly invite our Israeli partners to Germany, whether for evaluations, panels, or conferences, and go for every opportunity to establish new cooperations," emphasizes Otmar D. Wiestler, President of the Helmholtz Association. "At the same time, we should strive to accept invitations to Israel whenever possible."
Yizhaq Makovsky (University of Haifa) presenting EMS FORE.
The Helmholtz Association contributed to the symposium through the following scientific collaborations:
- iNames Research School – A joint project by the Max Delbrück Center, Humboldt University of Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Their mission: to link molecular and cellular insights gained through new imaging technologies with data-driven analyses to enable earlier detection and more targeted treatment of diseases.
- EMS FORE – A collaborative project between the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the University of Haifa. In their presentation, researchers demonstrated why the Eastern Mediterranean serves not only as an early warning system for climatic developments but also as a model system for the oceans of the future.
A standout moment for the Helmholtz Association in terms of potential collaborative projects was the panel on “Unlocking the Future for Quantum.” Participants included representatives from the Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC) at Tel Aviv University. Forschungszentrum Jülich also presented its extensive activities in quantum computing development and used the opportunity to outline its strategic orientation with a view toward potential collaborations.
Participants of the iName Research School (from left to right): Lucio Frydman (Weizmann Institute of Science), Friedemann Paul (Charité), Thoralf Niendorf (Max Delbrück Center), Michal Neeman (Weizmann Institute of Science), Philipp Böhm-Sturm (Charité), Sanja Drakulic (Max Delbrück Center), Lilli Mannsdörfer (Weizmann Institute of Science), and Dan Segal (Weizmann Institute of Science)
A standout moment for the Helmholtz Association in terms of potential collaborative projects was the panel on “Unlocking the Future for Quantum.” Participants included representatives from the Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC) at Tel Aviv University. Forschungszentrum Jülich also presented its extensive activities in quantum computing development and used the opportunity to outline its strategic orientation with a view toward potential collaborations.
The event culminated in the “Presidents’ Panel,” featuring the presidents of the Helmholtz Association, the Max Planck Society, the German Rectors’ Conference, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Together with Israeli scientists, they discussed strategies to sustainably strengthen and further expand German-Israeli scientific relations. The approaches discussed were:
- The advancement of scientific collaborations, including for undergraduate students
- The implementation of time-flexible cooperation programs to better address unforeseen events and challenges
- Increased invitations of Israeli researchers to Germany, whether as visiting scholars, speakers, or reviewers
- Funding of bilateral partnerships between science and industry, typically involving one industry partner and one research institution on each side (2+2 programs)
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