The Nili Cohen Fellowship is granted annually to exceptional doctorate students in the humanities and social sciences at Israeli universities. The Call for Applications for the Nili Cohen Fellowship Program for the 2025-2026 academic year has been published.
The Nili Cohen Fellowship was founded in 2025 in honor of
Prof. Nili Cohen, former President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and in recognition of her work. Developing the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences and encouraging academic excellence in these areas are guiding principles of both her professional career and personal pursuits. The Nili Cohen Fellowship aims to support doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences and promote groundbreaking research in these fields with both local and global impact.
The Fellowship Program
The Alix de Rothschild Fellowship Program for Doctoral Students in the Humanities and Social Sciences is operated under the auspices of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and granted jointly by the Alix de Rothschild Memorial Trust for Crafts and Scholarships for Students and the Nili Cohen Fellowship. The program was established in November 2023, in response to reports by the Israel Academy that identified inadequate support for outstanding scholars and research students in the humanities and social sciences. The program was expanded in September 2025 with the establishment of the Nili Cohen Fellowship and currently offers three scholarships annually.
The fellowships are intended for students who are Israeli citizens pursuing a doctoral degree at Israel’s universities and research institutions and require a fellowship to complete their studies. The fellowships are awarded strictly based on excellence to students during all years of their doctoral degree who have received approval for their research proposal and whose research is especially promising and worthy of recognition. Each fellowship is $15,000 and will be paid to the personal accounts of the awardees by the IASH. The awardees will be chosen by a selection committee of the IASH headed by Prof. Nili Cohen, Former President of the IASH.
The Israel Academy publishes a Call for Applications for the fellowship program annually and makes a concerted effort to create a scientific community of researchers in the humanities and social sciences which stands at the pinnacle of Israeli and global science.
For more information please contact Meira Brandwein, Manager of Special Projects at the Israel Academy at
meira@academy.ac.il
The Call for Applications for the Nili Cohen Fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year is open as of October 26, 2025. Applications must be submitted exclusively through the offices of the Rectors or Vice Presidents of the academic research institutions where the candidates are completing their doctoral studies. Applications can be submitted until January 5, 2026.