The Rothschild Fellowship programme was established in 1979 to help young scholars of outstanding academic merit and potential to advance in their respective fields. The first Selection Committee was chaired by Sir Isaiah Berlin. More than 800 Fellowships have been awarded to date. The majority of Fellows have pursued academic careers in Israel, with many becoming leading figures in their fields. Numerous Fellows can be found in positions of academic leadership in Israel.
Fellowships are awarded in the Natural, Exact and Life Sciences and Engineering (up to 14 per year), in the Humanities and Social Sciences (up to 6 per year), Brain, Mind and Language (up to 5 per year) and a Fellowship for Physician-Researchers (up to 7 per year), to support research for holders of MD degrees with outstanding research potential and to enable them to advance in their respective fields and establish themselves as leading Physician-Researchers upon their return to Israel.
A triennial Rothschild Fellows Colloquium brings together the most recent cohorts of Rothschild Fellows, who meet to network and present their work to colleagues, committee members and senior academics in Israel.
Rothschild Fellows 2024 booklet
Candidates must be permanent residents of Israel who received a PhD at an accredited institution of higher learning in Israel no more than three years prior to submission of the application. Tenured faculty at Israeli universities are not eligible to apply.
Applications for 2025-26 cohort are open now.
Click here for the Application Guidelines for the Rothschild Fellowships.
Click here for the Application Guidelines for Rothschild Fellowships for Physician Researchers.
Nominations for Fellowships are submitted to the Foundation by Israeli universities / medical centres only.
Candidates must comply with the requirements and application process as determined by the nominating institution.