Israel Faces Steep Decline in Prestigious European Research Grants
Israel has experienced a significant drop in its success rate for prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants, a key component of the Horizon Europe research program. In 2025, the number of grants awarded to early-career researchers in Israel plummeted by two-thirds, from a consistent annual average of around 30 to just 10. This year, 2026, saw a slight recovery with 11 grants for young Israeli researchers, indicating a sustained decline.
This downturn is not isolated to early-career scientists. Analysis reveals parallel decreases in other ERC grant categories. For senior researchers, grants fell from 12 in 2024 to 7 in 2025. In the mid-career category, Israel saw a drop from 17 grants to 13. While results for these categories in 2026 are pending, the overall trend suggests a weakening position for Israeli academia within the Horizon Europe program.
While technical factors like changes in grant evaluation criteria and Switzerland's return to the program may explain a small portion of the decline, they do not account for the near disappearance of major institutions like the Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute from the early-career researcher rankings. Tel Aviv University received nearly half of the young researcher grants this year (5), a decrease from 2024. The Hebrew University received no grants this year, compared to three last year, and the Weizmann Institute received one, down from eight in 2024.
Academics attribute this "collapse" in research grants to the current Israeli government's policies, which they argue have severely damaged Israel's global image. Professor Iddo Ister from Tel Aviv University warned that without European research grants and cooperation, more researchers will leave Israel, fewer will return, and the nation's future is at risk. The BDS movement has identified exiting Israel from Horizon Europe as a strategic goal, and while outright exclusion has not occurred, Israel's standing in the program is eroding.
Concerns are mounting over the future of Israeli participation in Horizon Europe, especially with negotiations for the next program cycle beginning in 2027. The rise in boycotts by foreign universities and researchers against Israeli collaborations, increasing by 150% from November 2025 to May 2026, further exacerbates the situation. Officials from the Council for Higher Education acknowledge the strategic importance of Horizon Europe and are implementing new support programs to encourage researchers, while the National Academy of Sciences of Israel emphasizes that combating academic boycotts must be a national mission.
