Our vision: Research knowledge is an essential component in the planning of public policy or large-scale interventions. Critically-appraised research knowledge supports the formulation of policy that has a greater chance of success and is more apt to promote rational public discourse. The Initiative implements this vision in the field of education.

Our Modus Operandi: Generally speaking, the issues we address are first raised by decision-makers. Following consultations with senior Ministry of Education officials and other stakeholders, the Initiative's steering committee, appointed by the president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, then oversees both the creation of a work plan and the peer-review process that precedes publication of produced reports.

The Initiative sets up expert committees and convenes symposia for researchers, education professionals and decision-makers. It publishes reports of its work and makes them readily available to the public. Those serving on its expert committees do so without remuneration.

How we came to be: The Initiative was established in 2003 as a joint venture between the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Israel Ministry of Education, and the Rothschild Foundation (Yad Hanadiv) which initiated the project. Yad Hanadiv generously provided all the necessary funding in the early days' until 2010, when the Initiative began operating as a unit of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

In the summer of 2010, the Israeli Knesset amended the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Law, regulating the Israel Academy's advisory role vis-à-vis government ministries seeking its services. The Initiative for Applied Education Research is now responsible for all the consulting services on education-related issues provided by the Israel Academy to the Israeli government and various authorities.