Israel Awards

BLAVATNIK AWARDS FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS IN ISrael

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel recognize the country’s most promising faculty-rank (academic staff) researchers in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. One Blavatnik Laureate in each disciplinary category will receive US$100,000 in unrestricted funds. The Blavatnik Awards are generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and co-administered by the New York Academy of Sciences and The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Please see our Important Dates page for key deadlines for the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel.

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

For a summary of nomination policies, please see the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel Nominations Flyer

ELIGIBILITY

Main eligibility criteria

The nominee must:

  • Have been born in or after 1982.

  • Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.).

  • Currently hold an academic appointment at an invited institution in Israel.  

  • Currently conduct research as a principal investigator in one of the disciplinary categories in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, or Chemical Sciences.

Nomination of underrepresented populations in STEM

In spite of tremendous advancements in scientific research, information, and education, opportunities are still not equally available to all. Women, persons with disabilities, and individuals identifying as members of ethnic minority groups continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields1

The Blavatnik Awards strongly encourages all those submitting nominations to the Awards—including institutional nominators, Scientific Advisory Council members—to diversify the population of candidates nominated for this Award.

The Blavatnik Awards are proud to have honored over 140 unique women scientists since the Awards’ inception in 2007—approximately 30% of all Blavatnik Awards are given to women.  Blavatnik Awards honorees hail from 53 countries on six continents, and approximately 60% of all Blavatnik Awards honorees are immigrants to the country in which they were honored.

A more diverse scientific workforce will accelerate discovery and innovation, and the Blavatnik Awards are committed to honoring the most talented young scientists—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or field of study.

1 Representation of Women in the Israeli Academia. https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/mmm/me040618.pdf

 

Please note that all nominees will be judged solely on their accomplishments as independent investigators.  A nominee’s “independent career” encompasses any research or work performed as an independent research scientist. In most cases, this work will have been performed after a postdoctoral appointment or doctoral thesis has been completed. Work performed as a doctoral student or postdoctoral scientist will not be considered.  For further guidance, please contact us at BlavatnikAwardsIsrael@nyas.org.

Age limit exceptions

Age limit exceptions will be considered by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in exceptional circumstances upon a detailed written submission from the nominating institution received by the New York Academy of Sciences by Wednesday, July 19, 2023. For more information, please contact us at BlavatnikAwardsIsrael@nyas.org. We strongly encourage institutions considering nominating candidates born prior to 1982 to contact us as early as possible during the nomination period.

Dual or Joint Appointments

For nominees holding a dual or joint appointment at more than one institution, the nominee must be employed by the nominating institution at least 50% full-time effort.

Returning Nominees
Non-winning nominees from prior Blavatnik Awards nomination cycles are eligible to be re-nominated by their institutions as one of their nine nominees, provided they still meet all eligibility requirements.

LIMITED SUBMISSION

Each institution may submit up to nine nominations, three in each disciplinary category of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. Institutions are strongly encouraged to utilize all available nominations.

Nominating institutions are encouraged to consider candidates across the institution, focusing on the scope of the candidate's work and its relevance within a given scientific category.  For example, an institution can nominate a Chemistry nominee who is not based in the Chemistry Department, but is leading a research program in one of the disciplinary categories covered by the Chemical Sciences section of the Blavatnik Awards.  Nominating institutions seeking more guidance may contact the Academy at BlavatnikAwardsIsrael@nyas.org.

Institutional nominations must be submitted by the institution's offical nominator—typically the Vice Chancellor, President, Pro-Vice Chancellor, or equivalent, or their official designee. The Blavatnik Awards team must be informed of the identity of an institution's official nominator.  Please see our Nomination Materials & Instructions page for more details.

Self-nominations are not allowed. Nominees do not submit their own nomination materials and should direct all questions to their institution. Please see our Invited Institutions page for a list of institutional contacts, or contact us at BlavatnikAwardsIsrael@nyas.org.

Scientific Advisory Council and Past Laureate Nominations

Members of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) and previous Blavatnik Awards in Israel Laureates may also submit nominations for the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel. These nominations do not count towards an institution's limit of three nominees.

SAC members and past Laureates may submit unlimited nominees, but may only nominate one candidate from any given institution.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Nominees and their work as independent investigators will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Quality: The extent to which the work is reliable, valid, credible, and scientifically rigorous.

  • Impact: The extent to which the work addresses an important problem, advances scientific progress, and is influential in the nominee’s field, related fields, or beyond, and/or has the potential to benefit society.

  • Novelty: The extent to which the work challenges existing paradigms, establishes a new field or considerably expands on an existing field, employs original methodologies or concepts, and/or pursues an original question.

  • Promise: The nominee has potential for further significant contributions to science, and the research program will generate further impactful and novel discoveries. 

BLAVATNIK AWARDS IN Israel LAUREATE RESPONSIBILITIES

2024 Award Laureates are expected to:

  • Attend the Blavatnik Awards in Israel Ceremony in Spring 2024.
  • Laureates are required to deliver a short presentation on their work at the ceremony.  Blavatnik Awards staff will work closely with the Laureates to craft this presentation, which must be accessible to a general audience. 
  • Participate in Blavatnik Awards related media activities and inquiries (e.g., video interviews, magazine profile interviews, eBriefings, etc.)
  • Participate in all rehearsals, briefings, and other events related to the Ceremony. Your presence will be required in Spring 2024.
  • Respond to all requests and provide deliverables in a timely manner to facilitate compliance with the above expectations.
  • Laureates have the option to prepare and submit an original article about their research to Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences within one-year of receiving the Award.

Costs of round-trip travel for the ceremony will be covered through the Blavatnik Awards program.

The New York Academy of Sciences asks that nominees consider potential scheduling conflicts should they be selected as an honoree in advance of submitting their nomination materials. Awards-related media and publication activities are scheduled to begin prior to the Awards ceremony when Blavatnik Awards in Israel Laureates are notified of their status.

QUESTIONS

For general questions about the rules and eligibility requirements, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions page.

For all other inquiries, please contact the Blavatnik Awards team at BlavatnikAwardsIsrael@nyas.org or +1.212.298.8645.