At the gala dinner on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of GIF
Datum: 19.12.2008
Mr. Day,
Presidents,
Honoured Guests,
Mr. Barak,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the German government and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research I would like to welcome you to this GIF gala dinner.
Tonight we have reached the culmination of this week's festive events. We opened the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the German-Israeli Foundation (GIF) as part of the celebration of the German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008, which was initiated by the two ministers Galeb Majadle und Dr. Annette Schavan. Two special symposiums were being held on the highly topical issues of "Migration" and "Brain Imaging". And we initiated the next steps towards the future development of the Foundation at the meeting of the GIF Board of Governors. This splendid setting now leaves no doubt: German-Israeli science relations are unique. They even preceded the launch of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and their significance cannot therefore be overestimated. The German-Israeli Foundation is an excellent pillar supporting these relations.
The establishment of the GIF was a milestone in our scientific relations. For the first time in the history of German-Israeli relations, we have a funding instrument to which
Over the past 20 years, a total of almost 1000 German-Israeli cooperation projects from all scientific disciplines were approved and funded. After all, our top priority is to make sure that GIF can continue to support a large number of excellent researchers and their joint projects even in times of global turbulence.
The many renowned scientists that have been, and still are, involved in the collaborations funded by the German-Israeli Foundation demonstrate the excellence of the projects. I am delighted that some of these outstanding researchers are with us today.
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome this year's winner of the Nobel Prize for medicine, Professor Harald zur Hausen. Professor zur Hausen was a scientific member of the GIF Board of Governors between 2004 and 2007 and supported the Foundation's scientific development with his broad expertise. As long-term Director of the German Cancer Research Centre, he has contributed to German-Israeli cooperation in cancer research and supported it for quite some time.
Today's Board of Governors also includes a Nobel Prize winner: I am pleased to welcome Professor Aaron Ciechanover, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2004 and has been Member of the Board since 2007. He already received GIF funding four times for cell research projects which he conducted together with partners from the universities of Stuttgart and Constance.
Furthermore I would like to welcome two additional Nobel Price Laureates: Professor Paul Crutzen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1995, and Professor Bert Sakmann, the winner of the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1991.
In this connection, we would like to express our great respect for the commitment of the Foundation's Director General, Dr. Amnon Barak. We are delighted to note that Dr. Barak has been awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. On behalf of the Board, I would like to again extend our most sincere congratulations.
Furthermore I would like to express my most sincere thanks to the whole GIF staff for their commitment and support.
Finally, let me thank all of you who are actively involved in German-Israeli science cooperation. Your commitment clearly shows your openness and your interest in entering into a dialogue with colleagues in the partner country with the aim of working together for the future of our two countries. Your work deserves great respect and gratitude.
I am confident that, together with GIF, we will be able to reach further milestones in German-Israeli cooperation. Let’s work together for a good and peaceful future for
