Find the suitable programme for your research project ...

Search result: 5 programmes

  • Humboldt Research Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers
    from abroad to sponsor a 6 to 24 month research stay at a research institution in Germany.
  • Humboldt Research Fellowships for Experienced Researchers
    from abroad to sponsor a 6 to 18 month research stay at a research institution in Germany. The fellowship is flexible and can be divided up into as many as three stays within three years.
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award
    for academics who have already gained international recognition in their fields. Award winners are invited to spend a period of six to twelve months on academic collaboration with specialist colleagues in Germany. Value of the award: 45,000 EUR.
  • Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Award
    for scientists from all non-European countries who have already gained international recognition in their fields in applied research. Award winners are invited to spend a period of six to twelve months on academic collaboration with specialist colleagues in Germany at Fraunhofer Institutions. Value of the award: 45,000 EUR.
  • Sofja Kovalevskaja Award
    for successful top-flight junior researchers who may use the award to spend five years carrying out research of their own choice at research institutions in Germany and building up their own working groups. Value of the award: 1.65 million EUR.

Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Award

Scientists and scholars from all non-European countries, who completed their doctorates less than 18 years ago, who are internationally recognised for their achievements in the field of applied research, and who in future are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements which will have a seminal influence on their discipline beyond their immediate field of work, are eligible to be nominated for a Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Award.

Award winners are invited to spend a period of up to one year cooperating on a long-term research project with specialist colleagues at one of the Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany. The stay may be divided up into blocks.

The Humboldt Foundation and the Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research jointly grant up to three Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Awards annually.

Nominations may be submitted by the heads of institutes or senior academics at institutes belonging to the Fraunhofer Society. Direct applications are not accepted. The award is valued at 45,000 EUR.

Other important details

Further information

  1. The nominee must be recognised internationally as an outstanding researcher in his/her field of applied research (e.g. awards, positive responses to publications, etc.).
  2. Expectation that the nominee will continue to produce cutting-edge achievements which will have a seminal influence on the discipline.
  3. Doctorate or comparable academic degree, completed less than 18 years prior to the date of nomination.
  4. Main place of residence/work outside Europe.
  5. Nomination by the director or senior academics at an institute belonging to the Fraunhofer Society.
  6. Detailed expert opinion by the nominators.
  7. Two expert reviews by important international and one from German collaborative partners and/or academics.
  8. The Humboldt Foundation assumes that candidates will abide by the Rules of Good Scientific Practice during the application and sponsorship periods.
Nominations may be sent to the following address via postal service at any time:

 

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Selection Department,
Jean-Paul-Str. 12, 53173 Bonn, Germany

Selection Committee meetings are held twice a year – currently at the beginning of spring and in early autumn. Please bear in mind that processing the nomination normally takes up to six months. Therefore, nominations should be submitted well before the Selection Committee Meeting targeted.

It is the nominator's responsibility to ensure that he or she has submitted all the necessary documents. Nominations not submitted as a single entity will take longer to process. The documents required in addition to the nomination documents, i.e. the confidential statements by the expert reviewers, can be submitted to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation directly, at the same time as the nomination. Subsequently, independent peer reviewers assess the nominations.

An independent Selection Committee composed of academics from all disciplines makes the final decision on the nominations received. The competition between nominations is international and there are no quotas for countries or disciplines. The Selection Committee makes its decision solely on the basis of the nominees' academic qualifications.

Nominees will be notified about the Selection Committee's decision immediately after the meeting.

To make a nomination, please only use the nomination documents which can be downloaded here.

 

Further information

One of our hallmarks is the degree of support we try to provide for every single guest researcher. This is why we offer you extra benefits in addition to the award amount: from invitations to events to language courses.

Further information

Once an Humboldtian, always an Humboldtian: Even after your initial research stay has come to an end, we shall still maintain close contact with you. Our alumni sponsorship is flexible and designed to support every Humboldtian’s particular path in life and development as well as collaborations between individuals.

Further information