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Schavan travels to Israel and the Palestinian territory / New centre for Middle Eastern studies in cultural sciences established
As part of the German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008, Federal Minister of Education and Research Annette Schavan flew to Israel today (Thursday) and will visit the country until Sunday. An important aim of her journey is to intensify German-Israeli cooperation in the humanities and cultural sciences. In addition to a colloquium with Israeli and German scientists on the subject of "knowledge and education", her agenda includes a meeting with the Israeli Minister of Science Galeb Majadle. In addition, the Federal Minister will travel to the Palestinian territory, where she plans to meet with Minister of Education Lamis Alami and pay a visit to the Al Quds University in Ramallah, among other things.
The German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008 is providing an important stimulus for the intensification and development of our existing cooperation. A key priority of this joint initiative is to promote the humanities and cultural sciences. The establishment of the Minerva Center for "Cultural transfer and cultural exchange in the Middle East" constitutes an important step in this context. The Middle East, and Israel in particular, have been a place of cultural encounters for millennia. The new centre will be yet another milestone in the exploration of multi-religious and multi-ethnic life in the region.
The support of young scholars is a further priority of the Science Year. That is why the German delegation accompanying the Federal Minister includes not only university rectors and the head of the German Rectors' Conference, but also six young researchers specializing in the humanities. In addition, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research will launch the German-Israeli young researcher award ARCHES (Award for Research Cooperation and High Excellence in Science) in November, as part of the German-Israeli Year of Science 2008. This year, the award will focus on the humanities and cultural sciences.
The BMBF has sent another important signal by pledging to finance the German National Academic Foundation's Leo Baeck scholarship programme starting in 2009. The funding volume of over one million euros will secure twelve scholarships per year for a period of five years. They will be awarded to outstanding doctoral candidates and post-docs to promote research and the exchange of ideas on the history and culture of German-speaking Jews.