Information for independent peer reviewers

Peer reviews in the Henriette Herz Scouting Programme

Through the Henriette Herz Scouting Programme, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is opening up a new way of accessing the Humboldt Research Fellowship Programme. By introducing a new, active scouting procedure, successful academics in Germany will be able to directly address sought-after, young researchers from abroad, who have not yet applied to the Foundation, and invite them to conduct joint research at their institutions. As “scouts” they can identify up to three potential research fellows abroad and recommend them for a Humboldt Research Fellowship. If the results of the formal review are positive, the fellowship will be granted by head office directly.

How to proceed

We would like to select researchers at different career stages in all disciplines in Germany as scouts for the Humboldt Foundation: Internationally renowned researchers who have an extensive network through which they can identify outstanding candidates abroad as well as first-time hosts, who may only just have been appointed as a professor or head of their own research group and who are pursuing new, innovative research approaches, are very well connected internationally and who are particularly engaged in promoting junior researchers.

Your opinion on the following selection criteria is important to us:

• on the academic success of the applicants, who can substantiate their internationally recognised academic record, commensurate with their career level
• on the successful promotion of junior researchers’ careers
• on the international collaborative network of the applicant with the potential to scout international research talents
• on the convincing  concept for identifying, selecting and supervising international junior researchers who have not made an application to the Foundation to date.

In order to identify the best research personalities as scouts for the Humboldt Foundation, the Humboldt Foundation’s selection committee needs your independent external statement.

As a peer reviewer you will be given access to our peer reviewer portal on which you will find the documents to be reviewed as well as a personal form for completing your review.

Your review will, of course, be treated with the utmost confidentiality and only made available to people who are involved in the rest of the selection procedure. Please ensure that the same level of confidentiality is maintained both towards those directly involved and towards third parties.

Further Information

• Programme Information for the Henriette Herz Scouting Programme (PDF, 164 KB)
• Rules of good scientific practice (PDF, 161 KB)
• Guidelines on handling security-relevant research in international research collaborations
• Guidance on how to address impartiality issues arising from conflicts of interests (PDF, 14 KB)