German Israeli Foundation (GIF): The development, application, and societal implications of artificial intelligence

Research proposals that explore the development, application, and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI). This call seeks projects spanning both Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEM), and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).

Topic 1: Advancing the Science and Application of Artificial Intelligence (STEM):  Research that advance the science and application of AI.  It should either advance the field of AI itself or apply AI in a STEM discipline in a way that drives new fundamental or applied scientific insights.  Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:  Machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, data mining, multi-agent systems, knowledge representation, human-in-the-loop AI, search, planning, reasoning, robotics, and perception.  Application of AI across all STEM fields is a valid topic, provided that it can be shown to bring new advances and novel expectations from the research.  GIF encourages proposals that combine methods from different AI sub-fields (e.g., machine learning and computer vision; robotics and multi-agent systems; computer vision and natural language processing), as well as proposals that connect AI with related disciplines such as neuroscience and cognitive science, medicine, and other STEM fields.

Topic 2: Artificial Intelligence as an Epistemic Transition (SSH):  Emerging communication technologies increasingly challenge established forms of knowledge production and their criteria for the validation of evidence… The consequences extend from medical practice, consumer behavior, and political decision-making to the very modes by which scientific knowledge is generated, social relations are constituted, and self-understanding is articulated.  GIF invites submissions from the SSH that critically investigate the epistemic, social, and cultural transformations associated with AI and related technologies. Projects may address these developments through theoretical, empirical, historical, or methodological approaches.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration:  The call strongly encourages collaboration between SSH and STEM partners. Interdisciplinary teams must clearly demonstrate the integration of STEM and SSH perspectives, focusing on AI and its implications.

Two funding tracks are available:

* Collaborative Track: Joint proposals by German and Israeli researchers with maximum total budget of €300,000 over 3 years.

* Solo Track: Supports early-career researchers (up to 8 years post-PhD) submitting one-year projects without a partner from the other country. The maximum budget for this track is €25,000.

www.gif.org.il/programs/programs-gif-2026/