PNN – As efforts to sever ties with the Zionist regime across various sectors gain momentum globally, a Zionist media outlet has acknowledged Tel Aviv’s growing isolation in the academic sphere, describing its position as rapidly deteriorating.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; the newspaper Calcalist reported on Sunday that Israel’s share of prestigious European research grants has dropped sharply, while there has been a rise in reported instances of foreign researchers refusing to collaborate with Israeli institutions.
Noting warnings from academic officials that the consequences could extend beyond mere funding issues, the outlet added that Israel’s standing within Europe’s most prestigious research grant program has severely deteriorated.
Calcalist went on to note the announcement of European Research Council (ERC) grants for early-career researchers on Thursday, reporting that while Israeli researchers had consistently secured around 30 grants annually leading up to 2024, they received only 10 grants for 2025 and 11 for the current year.
According to the report, the number of Israeli recipients in the senior category also dropped from 12 grants in 2024 to seven for 2025.
This decline is occurring amidst growing academic boycotts targeting the Zionist regime. Excluding the regime from the “Horizon Europe” program has long been a strategic goal of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and Tel Aviv’s standing within the program has now clearly weakened.
Itay Atar, a figure from Tel Aviv University and the “Academy Protest” group, attributed this decline in part to the deterioration of the Zionist regime’s international standing.
Atar noted that the actions of the Israeli cabinet over the past four years have seriously damaged its global image, a trend reflected in the reduction of research grants from the European Union.
He warned that the consequences could extend beyond individual grants. The academic’s remarks also suggest that without European research funding and collaboration, more researchers will leave the occupied territories, and fewer will return.
Kalklist noted that if the Gaza war and violence in these territories continue, Israeli universities could face a far more difficult environment.