The Weizmann Institute of Science has initiated an emergency program to award grants to postdoctoral fellows whose research has been curtailed by restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The plan is to assist those who have completed doctorates in Israel and now must postpone their postdoctoral research abroad, as well as those who have begun postdocs abroad but have to return to Israel prematurely. The leadership team of the Institute has committed one million dollars to this program, and it will be given as matching funds, the second half to come from research grants that support the Institute labs which will host these young researchers. The program is expected to support an added 30 postdoctoral fellows in total, over a period of two years.
Applications are currently being accepted for the first round, and those invited to apply include people who have recently received PhDs from Israeli universities and Israeli postdocs who must return early from abroad before completing their research. Research students at the Weizmann Institute of Science who are in the process of completing their doctoral studies and postdoctoral fellows at the Institute may also apply. The deadline for the current round of applications is Oct. 27, 2020.
Prof. Mike Fainzilber, Chair of the Feinberg Graduate School Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, says: “Research institutions around the world have reduced the scope of their activities due to the pandemic; budgets and scholarships have been cut; strict travel regulations limit entry to other countries. These emergency postdoc fellowships enable the Institute to provide some interim support to Israeli scientists – or those who want to live in Israel – who have been affected by the corona crisis, to help them stay on the academic track.”
President of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Alon Chen, says: “Postdoctoral research is an important step in the career path of a scientist. The Institute is thus committed to assisting young researchers who have been adversely affected by the pandemic, helping them realize their scientific potential and giving them the opportunity to complete their scientific research at the Weizmann Institute of Science.”