2022/23 Call for proposals for Minerva Centers

The topic can be approached from different perspectives, such as

• disruption, adaptation & innovation
• science, literature & art  
• science in society
• identity & diversity
• complex adaptive systems & evolution
• population & resources
• media & knowledge

Deadline 1^st stage: 25^th April 2022

Eligibility: Principal Investigators in a permanent position in the six universities and the Weizmann Institute¹.

¹ Bar Ilan University, Ben Gurion University, Haifa University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Techion TIIT, Weizmann Institute of Science

The Minerva Foundation is collecting proposals for new Minerva Centers. It is intended to establish up to three Minerva Centers in 2022/2023.

1. What is a Minerva Center?

Minerva Centers are research groups located in the universities in Israel. They are under the directorship of a Principal Investigator, who has a permanent position in one of the six universities or the Weizmann Institute in Israel. Minerva Centers deal with topics that are innovative and of special interest to the science community in Israel. The centers carry out research in cooperation with German partners. The Minerva Centers program aims at bridging gaps, training young scientists and building networks in the respective field of research with partners in Israel. Centers will involve excellent researchers regardless of their institutional affiliation.

A Minerva Center is designed as a long-term effort of a number of scientists to concentrate on a certain field of research. A center may also involve scientists from other than the host university, such as to create an inter-university community in the field. A Minerva Center is not a project which could be funded by a grant or the university. A Minerva Center ideally is devoted to an emerging research field which is not yet well established in Israel and which does not yet attract grants and donations.

Requirements apply to the director of a center with regard to his/her scientific track record and experience in leading projects. The director will be an outstanding, experienced research figure and is responsible for bringing together the critical mass for the subject.

2. Funding Objectives

Minerva is seeking exciting topics for new centers which can be interdisciplinary in their approach. Proposals addressing the broad topic of “Fragmentation” are welcome from all areas of science.

3. Two-stage Proposal Procedure

This call for proposals is the first part of a two-stage procedure for collecting applications for new Minerva Centers.

1st stage: Invitation of thematic proposals.

In the first stage of the proposal procedure, researchers submit outlines of exciting/promising new topics that are suitable for being best elaborated by a center. The first stage is intended to be a collection of promising ideas. A proposal can be submitted by a scientist who applies to lead a Minerva Center; a proposal can also be submitted by a scientist who proposes another scientist as a director of a center. The proposals must include the names, the CVs and a list of not more than five publications of the potential PIs and the German cooperation partners.

Thematic proposals are to be sent to Minerva. The PIs are encouraged to inform their host university about the proposals and the university is free to comment on them before submission. The Minerva Centers Committee will then carry out a pre-selection of the proposals.

2nd stage: Invitation of thematic proposals. Those PIs/leading scientists who passed the first stage are invited to present a more elaborated and detailed proposal. The proposal must have the support of the host university, which it states in a letter of commitment. These applications will be submitted to evaluations by at least three external reviewers each. A number of PIs will then be invited for a personal presentation and a discussion with the evaluation panel (the Centers Committee and additional scientists).

4. Funding Duration of the Center

The lifetime of a center is limited to an initial period of six years. After an evaluation during the 6^th year, the lifetime of a center can be extended for another period depending on the recommendations of the evaluation committee. This period will not exceed another six years.

5. Budget of the Center

The center will be funded by Minerva. Minerva funds will be matched with the same amount by the host institution, partially contributed in kind. Both amounts will make up the budget of the center. The budget will comprise a sum of up to € 150,000 per year.

6. Eligibility Requirements

Principal Investigators, who are in a permanent position in one of the six

universities and the Weizmann Institute, are invited to submit proposals.

7. Submission and Deadlines

Proposals for the 1^st stage must reach the MINERVA office by 25^th April 2022. Proposals must be submitted electronically and as one print copy by the Principle Investigator to:

MINERVA Stiftung Gesellschaft für die Forschung mbH
Postbox 101062
D-80084 München
Federal Republic of Germany

E-mail: michael.nagel@gv.mpg.de