Opening Israel’s leading laboratories to the Alpha program as a key step to providing gifted/talented high school students with a ‘hands on’ academic research experience

The Future Scientists Center (FSC) was established to provide gifted and talented students with significant opportunities to reach their unique potential through participation in high quality programs at the forefront of various fields, while in high school.

Alpha is an innovative program for gifted high school students (9th grade graduates), which allows its participants to join the world of contemporary scientific research. The program was designed to serve the particular needs of gifted students by enriching their scientific knowledge, exposing them to high-level scientific research, providing them with the skills necessary to conduct scientific research, and requiring them to complete their own research project at a high academic level.

The program offers gifted students a meaningful intellectual experience alongside social activities. Students learn to cope with complex intellectual challenges and engage in social activities with their gifted peers from all over the country.

The program culminates in the submission of a research paper at the end of 11th grade that either replaces a matriculation examination in the relevant field or is added as an additional subject to students’ final matriculation certificates. Alpha operates at seven academic institutions across Israel and involves hundreds of research laboratories. Providing Alpha students access to Israel’s leading laboratories is a key step to integrating them into the world of cutting-edge scientific research.

Alpha is a joint initiative of the Maimonides Fund’s Future Scientists Center and the Department for Gifted and Talented Students in the Ministry of Education.