German-Israeli Forum

for Tomorrow's Scientists (GIFTS)

Connecting the next generation of scientific leaders from Germany and Israel.

Organized by the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF) and ScienceAbroad.

GIFTS is a German-Israeli forum for early-career scientists. It is designed to strengthen research mobility, scientific exchange, and long-term collaboration between Germany and Israel. The forum brings together young researchers, institutional partners, funding bodies, and senior scientific leaders for talks, panels, roundtables, posters, and networking.

Early-Career Scientists and Young Scholars Day Forum Registration Established Researchers, Faculty, and the Academic Ecosystem Evening Only Registration

Full Day

5.11

09:00–17:00

BERLIN

Evening Event

5.11

18:15–21:00

BERLIN

About

About the Forum

The German-Israeli Forum for Tomorrow's Scientists (GIFTS) is a new platform for early-career researchers from Germany and Israel. It creates practical bridges between researchers, institutions, and funding bodies.

The forum will take place in Berlin on November 5, 2026. It will bring together postdoctoral researchers, advanced PhD students, early-career principal investigators, institutional representatives, and funding organizations.

GIFTS is intended to become more than a one-day event. It is designed as a recurring platform for the next generation of German-Israeli scientific cooperation.

Why Attend

Meet early-career researchers

From Germany and Israel

Discover funding & mobility

Programs and opportunities

Connect with institutions

Universities and funding bodies

Present your research

Posters & selected short talks

Learn from collaboration

German-Israeli experiences

Build bilateral connections

New scientific links

Join a growing platform

For future cooperation

Program

GIFTS Berlin 2026 includes two connected program tracks: a professional day forum for early-career scientists and an evening forum for established researchers, faculty, institutions, and partners.

09:00–17:00

Day Forum

Early-Career Scientists and Young Scholars

A focused professional forum for early-career researchers and institutional partners. The day program includes scientific exchange, funding and mobility discussions, roundtables, testimonials, and practical collaboration sessions.

Day Forum Registration →

18:15–21:00

Evening Forum

Established Researchers, Faculty, and the Academic Ecosystem

A broader evening program for young scholars, established researchers and policy makers, including greetings, a keynote lecture, a poster session, and an evening reception.

Evening Forum Registration →

Schedule

Program Overview

Part 1 – Day Forum

09:00

Welcome & Opening Remarks
09:15

Interactive Icebreaker
09:40

Research Collaboration Pitches and Discussion with Speakers
10:45

Coffee Break & Networking
11:15

Funding & Mobility: Ask the Experts
12:20

Networking Lunch
13:45

Interactive Roundtables: Building Successful Research Collaborations
14:50

Coffee Break & Networking
15:20

Research Mobility in Real Life: A Conversation Across Borders
16:00

Excellence through Collaboration: Two German–Israeli Research Partnerships
16:55

Key Takeaways
17:00

Departure for the Evening Program

Part 2 – Evening Program

18:15–18:30

Welcome Remarks
18:30–18:50

Fireside Chat: how to foster German-Israeli collaborations (speakers TBA)
19:00–19:30

Lightning Talks
19:30–20:00

Panel Discussion
20:00–21:00

Posters, Dinner & Networking

Audience

Who Should Attend

Early-Career Scientists

German or Israeli researchers at the following career stages:

Advanced PhD students
Postdoctoral fellows
Young faculty
Early-career principal investigators
Israeli researchers based in Germany
German researchers interested in collaboration with Israel

Established Researchers and Faculty

German or Israeli researchers and representatives including:

Senior scientists
Professors
Institutional representatives
Funding bodies
Scientific partners
Research leaders interested in German-Israeli collaboration

Registration

Researchers interested in attending GIFTS Berlin 2026 are invited to register or submit an expression of interest.

Day Forum

Early-Career Scientists and Young Scholars

For PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career faculty.

This full-day program is designed for scientific exchange, peer networking, and new collaborations. Participants will present posters and selected short talks, share their research, and connect with German and Israeli colleagues around shared scientific interests.

Submission Requirements

Full-day registration requires a CV and a short research abstract.
All participants will present a poster during the evening event.
Posters must be printed in advance and brought to the venue.

Day Forum Registration →

Evening Forum

Established Researchers, Faculty, and the Academic Ecosystem

For senior scientists, professors, and experienced faculty members.

Senior scientists and professors are warmly invited to join the evening event, meet emerging talent, and explore new opportunities for collaboration. The program includes the poster session and an informal networking reception.

Submission Requirements

Evening registration is simple.
No CV or abstract is required.
Participants are welcome to attend the poster session and networking reception.

Evening Forum Registration →

Abstracts

Abstract Book

View the GIFTS 2026 Book of Abstracts online, featuring all poster abstracts and pitch presentations to be presented at the forum. Use this digital guide to discover the diverse scientific work of the next generation of German-Israeli research leaders, identify shared interests, and spark new bilateral collaborations.

Coming soon

Organizers

About the Organizers

GIFTS Berlin 2026 is organized by the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF) and ScienceAbroad.

GIF, the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development, was established in 1986 as a bilateral foundation supporting scientific cooperation between Germany and Israel. Its programs support excellent German-Israeli scientific collaborations and help establish new collaborations for early-career scientists.

ScienceAbroad is an Israel-based nonprofit organization connecting Israeli scientists abroad through a wide professional and social network. Its work strengthens links between Israeli researchers overseas, local scientific communities, international scientists, and Israel.

Together, GIF and ScienceAbroad bring complementary strengths. GIF provides the institutional framework for German-Israeli scientific cooperation, while ScienceAbroad brings an active network of Israeli researchers embedded in leading scientific ecosystems abroad.

GIFTS connects these missions into one platform. It supports early-career scientists, strengthens bilateral trust, and creates practical routes for future collaboration.

Context

GIFTS and Berlin Science Week

GIFTS is designed as part of a growing German-Israeli scientific tradition around Berlin Science Week. It builds on previous German-Israeli young scientist activities in Berlin and expands them into a structured annual platform.

GIFTS uses this setting to give the next generation of German and Israeli scientists visibility, access, and practical opportunities for collaboration. It aligns directly with the missions of both organizers.

Organizing Team

Meet the team leading the GIF-ScienceAbroad initiative and supporting the program's community, academic, and international collaborations.