2 new initiatives strengthen Harvard’s academic engagement with Israel

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

July 28, 2025

7 min read

Opportunities for undergraduate study abroad and research exchange in biomedicine

Harvard has launched two new initiatives that promise to bolster the University’s academic engagement with Israeli institutions and create greater opportunities for students and researchers. A collaboration announced this week with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) will offer study abroad opportunities for undergraduates during the academic year and the summer. Additionally, earlier this month, Harvard Medical School opened applications for the Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellowships for Israeli researchers.

Undergraduate study abroad: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Harvard’s agreement with BGU will offer Harvard College students year-round opportunities to study and earn credit toward their degree in Israel beginning in spring 2026.

BGU, whose main campus is in Be’er-Sheva, was founded in 1969 as the first campus in southern Israel’s Negev desert. Today, it has expanded to three campuses, which are home to 20,000 students and 4,000 faculty members. Its community is engaged in cutting-edge research and academics in the sciences, history and the humanities, and business and management, and the school is a regional leader in research on climate change and desert studies. In addition to its three campuses, BGU is home to several multi-disciplinary research institutes specializing in biotechnology, solar energy, desert research, and Jewish and Israeli culture, among other areas. Its more than 100,000 alumni hold leading roles in research and development, healthcare, industry, and culture across Israel and the world. One noteworthy aspect of BGU’s mission is its commitment to social and environmental responsibility. The university is actively engaged in developing the Negev, Israel, and the region.

Current and past opportunities at BGU include an archaeology course that sends students to help on active excavations; marine science courses on the Mediterranean; and a sustainable agricultural practices course focused on preventing desertification and conserving resources. All courses are taught in English, with visiting students sharing classrooms with Israeli students to facilitate conversation and cross-cultural exchange.

Professor Michal Bar-Asher Siegal, BGU’s vice president for global engagement, highlighted the university’s commitment to impact and exchange: “Ben-Gurion University strives for excellence in research and teaching, as well as innovation and applied research that impact people’s lives wherever they are. We look forward to embarking on this collaboration with Harvard University and fostering the collaborative relationships so necessary to training our next generation of leaders.”

“We are thrilled to work with BGU to provide this new opportunity for undergraduate study abroad,” said Mark Elliott, Harvard’s vice provost for international affairs. “The collaboration with BGU is the latest in Harvard’s long and rich history of engagement with institutions of higher education across Israel, and I have no doubt that it will contribute both to transformative experiences for students and to increased academic collaboration across the region in the coming years.”

Amanda Claybaugh, dean of undergraduate education at Harvard College, said: “I’m delighted that we’re adding BGU to the list of Israeli universities where our students can study abroad, because BGU offers opportunities that aren’t available here at Harvard: learning about archaeology at a dig site, about marine biology in the Mediterranean, about climate and sustainability from the world’s leaders in desert agriculture.”

College students can study abroad with BGU beginning in spring 2026, with opportunities available for spring, full-year, or summer study. For information on term-time studies, visit the Office for International Education’s list of approved programs. The deadline for spring 2026 semester study will be Oct. 1.

In addition to BGU, OIE also offers undergraduate study abroad opportunities with Tel Aviv University; the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Technion – Israel Institute of Technology; and the University of Haifa. Harvard’s Center for Jewish Studies and Harvard Divinity School also offer opportunities for graduate student exchange.

For information on summer study, see OIE’s list of summer programs. The deadline for summer 2026 study abroad applications will be Jan. 29 (for funding and credit, programs 6+ weeks) or April 1.

Students interested in term-time or summer options can email oie@fas.harvard.edu to schedule a meeting, or attend drop-in sessions beginning in September, from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Postgraduate research exchange: Kalaniyot Fellowships at HMS

The University is also working to strengthen its academic ties to Israel via scholarly exchange. Harvard Medical School recently announced the opening of the Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellowships at Harvard Medical School, which will welcome scientists from Israel to conduct postdoctoral training in basic biomedical research at HMS.

The Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to residents of Israel who have completed a Ph.D. and wish to perform biomedical research in a laboratory on the HMS campus or at an affiliated hospital (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, or Massachusetts General Hospital). Successful applicants will be awarded a fellowship of two to three years, beginning in January, with the possibility of extension. The HMS branch of the Kalaniyot chapter at Harvard administers the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Sciences established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and the Dorot Fellowship established by the Dorot Foundation.

This opportunity is coordinated by the Harvard Medical School branch of the Kalaniyot chapter at Harvard. HMS led the way in establishing Kalaniyot at Harvard, where the local chapter is supported by the Kalaniyot Foundation, a national organization that seeks to deepen ties between American and Israeli researchers and to contribute to academic exchange and excellence in both Israel and the U.S. The University is currently exploring expanding the initiative to include other Schools at Harvard.

“The aim of the Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellowships is to enhance scientific excellence and expertise by bringing the most promising research talent from Israel to Harvard Medical School and our affiliated hospitals,” said Naama Kanarek, HMS assistant professor of pathology at Boston Children’s Hospital, who serves as a faculty leader of the HMS branch of the Kalaniyot chapter at Harvard alongside Matthew Meyerson, HMS professor of genetics and medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Mark Poznansky, director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Mass General Hospital and HMS professor of medicine. “We look forward to the benefits of academic exchange with these researchers, as well as the strengthened ties between HMS and researchers across Israel that will result.”

The new initiative builds on other successful collaborations between HMS and Israeli institutions, such as the Ivan and Francesca Berkowitz Family Living Laboratory Collaboration, established in 2021 to bring together researchers from HMS and Clalit Research Institute to investigate critical questions in precision medicine and predictive health. Since its inception, the Berkowitz Clinic for Undiagnosed Cases has successfully resolved dozens of complex genetic mysteries, enabling prenatal diagnosis and disease prevention while identifying novel disease-causing genes and risk factors that have been published for global use. In parallel, Clalit researchers developed innovative analytic models to enhance genetic interpretation, benefiting both Israeli and global patient populations.

This type of collaboration is not unique to HMS; faculty across Harvard are widely engaged in scholarly work in and about Israel. Several centers and programs across the University — including the Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard Law School’s Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Israeli and Jewish Law, HKS Belfer Center’s Middle East Initiative — host Israeli fellows, visiting scholars, and speakers each year.