The Humboldt
Foundation grants up to 80 Georg Forster Research Fellowships for postdoctoral
researchers from developing and emerging countries (except China and
India). Fellowships are awarded to conduct a self-selected, long-term
research project (6-24 months) in cooperation with a self-selected academic
host at a research institution in Germany.
Scientists and
scholars from all disciplines from develo
ping countries, emerging economies and
transition states (excluding People’s Republic of China and India may apply.
The Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation is a foundation established by the government of the
Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the
Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development as well as other national and international
partners; it promotes international academic cooperation between excellent
scientists and scholars from Germany and from abroad.
Applicant must have
good knowledge of German or English language.
Course
Level: Fellowship is awarded for postdoctoral
researchers to carry out long-term research of their own choice (6 to 24
months) at a research institution in Germany together with an academic host
they have chosen yourself.
Study
Subject(s): The
research outline must deal with issues of major relevance to the future
development of the candidate’s country or region of origin.
Scholarship
Award: The
fellowship is worth 2,650 EUR per month. This includes a mobility lump sum and
a contribution towards health and liability insurance.
Additional benefits
for research fellows:
- lump
sum for the fellow’s return travel expenses if the costs are not borne by
a third party; - language
fellowship for an intensive language course lasting two to four months at
selected language institutes in Germany immediately prior to the actual
period of research; language fellowships may also be granted to
accompanying marital partners; – family allowances for accompanying family
members staying at least three months (monthly allowance: up to 326 EUR
for marital partners and up to 240 EUR for each child); - for
single-parents: flat-rate allowance for accompanying children (under the
age of 18) for stays of at least three months (400 EUR per month for the
first child and 100 EUR per month for every additional child); – additional
extension of the fellowship up to 12 months for research fellows
accompanied by children under the age of 12; - a
subsidy towards research costs to be paid to the hosts in Germany
amounting to 800 EUR per month (for research in the natural sciences and engineering)
and 500 EUR (for research in the humanities and social sciences); - Europe
allowance for a research stay at a research institute in another European
country (though not the research fellow’s own country); for a designated
period in the course of the fellowship if necessary to ensure the success
of the research; - extensive
alumni sponsorship once a successful research stay has come to an end,
especially for maintaining contacts with collaborative partners in Germany
during the Humboldtian’s entire academic career.
Scholarship
can be taken in Germany
Eligibility:
- Doctorate
or comparable academic degree (Ph.D., C.Sc. or equivalent), completed less
than four years prior to the date of application. Candidates who have
nearly completed their doctoral degrees are eligible to apply provided
that they submit the manuscript of their dissertation or publications
containing the results of their dissertation, however, at the earliest, 6
months prior to the completion of their dissertation. - Academic
publications reviewed according to international standards and printed in
journals and/or by publishing houses. - Choice
of a research outline of major relevance to the future development of the
candidate’s country or region of origin - Confirmation
that research facilities are available and mentoring agreement and a
detailed expert’s statement by an academic host at a research institution
in Germany - Expert
reviews from the doctoral supervisor and one other academic qualified to
give well-founded comments on the applicant’s qualification, preferably
including reviewers not working at the applicant’s own institute. - Necessary
language skills: humanities or social sciences and medicine: good
knowledge of German if it is necessary to carry out the research
successfully; otherwise a good knowledge of English; natural sciences and
engineering: good knowledge of German or English - Citizenship
as well as principal place of residence and work in a developing country,
emerging economy or transition state (excluding People’s Republic of China
and India, c.f. detailed list of countries). Eligible applicants must have
lived in an eligible country (detailed list of countries) for a minimum of
12 months in the 18-month period prior to submission of the application.
If you are not resident in an eligible country at the time of application,
you must additionally have a permanent job in one of the countries on the
list of countries - Eligible
applicants must have lived outside Germany for a minimum of 12 months in
total in the 18-month period prior to submission of the application.
Nationality: Scientists of all disciplines
from developing and emerging countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua
and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,
Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape
Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire,
Croatia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial
Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada,
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia,
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia,
Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Samoa, São
Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands,
South Africa, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint-
Vincent and the Grenadines, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria,
Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,
Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe)
excluding China and India can apply for the fellowships.
College
Admission Requirement
Entrance
Requirement:
Applicants are eligible to apply if they hold a research doctorate or a
comparable academic degree.
English Language
Requirement:
-Natural scientists and engineers: good knowledge of German or English is
sufficient.
-Scholars in the humanities and social sciences: should have knowledge of
German if it is necessary to carry out their research successfully. In this
case, a German language certificate confirming proficiency must be submitted.
Otherwise, a good knowledge of English is sufficient.
-Physicians: If the research involves work with patients, the candidate must
have a good knowledge of German (language certificate required). Otherwise, a
good knowledge of English is sufficient.
How to
Apply: Applications
can only be submitted online. The completed application form, including the
necessary additional documents, should be submitted at least four to seven
months ahead of the prospective selection date.
Application
Deadline: There
is no closing date for submitting applications. Applications are processed as
part of an ongoing procedure. As soon as we have received your complete
application we shall forward it to independent peer reviewers. Their written
evaluations will then be presented to the Selection Committee at the next
selection meeting at which a decision will be made.