18 December 2009, No. 41/2009

Humboldt Foundation takes on coordination of Europe-wide mobility project

Some three million EUR in EU funding to promote researcher mobility

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is assuming the coordination of the EU’s “EURAXESS T.O.P. – Enhancing the Outreach and Effectiveness of the EURAXESS Network Partners” project, involving funding worth 2.9 million EUR. The Humboldt Foundation won a call published in the 7th Research Framework Programme. From January 2010 onwards, the Humboldt Foundation will coordinate the continued development of the EURAXESS service centres in 35 European countries in the context of the project. The centres help researchers and their families to plan and organise research stays abroad and thus support international researcher mobility.

During the next 18 months the project plans to share exemplary models that have proved successful throughout Europe and incorporate them in a guide which will be available to all partners. Another aim of the project is to optimise the national EURAXESS website. Finally, the staff at the centres will be able to take part in joint continuing education measures to enhance their qualifications and put them in contact with one another.

The German part of the network, the EURAXESS Germany, National Coordination Point, has been located at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation since 2003 and is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 1,900 researchers from all over the world to spend time researching in Germany. The Foundation maintains a network of well over 23,000 Humboldtians from all disciplines in 130 countries worldwide – including 43 Nobel Prize winners.