FAQ for Climate Protection Fellows

Our Guidelines brochure contains a checklist (PDF) detailing all the important steps.
We would also like to draw your attention to the EURAXESS Germany web portal. Its Daily Life section provides general information about your stay in Germany.

Our Guidelines brochure contains a checklist (PDF) detailing all the important steps.

Finding accommodation in Germany is often difficult and time-consuming. The housing situation varies considerably according to region and the availability of accommodation is very limited in some areas. We therefore strongly recommend that you discuss the issue of accommodation directly with your host institute in Germany as well as the Foreign Students’ Advisory Office, International Office or Welcome Centre well in advance of your arrival, in writing if possible. A corresponding form is available here (DOC). Fellows must state clearly how many family members will be accompanying them to Germany and during which period of time. Please bear in mind that up to 40% of your monthly fellowship payment will go towards renting accommodation in Germany.
To make it easier for its fellows to find accommodation, particularly during the initial period of their stay, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation strongly recommends that fellows who wish to come to Germany with their families should first travel alone and only send for their families when they have found adequate accommodation.
Please also note the information under Accommodation in the EURAXESS Germany portal.

Information on this topic is available under Daycare, schooling and family-related issues in the EURAXESS Germany portal.
Please bear in mind that children are not permitted to attend the language course in Bonn or the introductory seminar. Fellows must cover the cost of accommodation and childcare for their children themselves. We recommend that you do not bring your children to Germany until you have completed the language course and the introductory seminar and are beginning your stay at your host institute. If possible, you should have secured accommodation near your host institute before your family travels to Germany.

Information on this topic is available under Daycare, schooling and family-related issues in the EURAXESS Germany portal.

Fellows and the family members accompanying them must be covered by health insurance providing adequate coverage in Germany from the very first day and for the entire duration of their visit to Germany. For details, please see our Guidelines B.5.1. (PDF) and our website.
Information on this topic is also available under Health insurance in the EURAXESS Germany portal.

The monthly fellowship payment is EUR 2,500, EUR 2,800 or EUR 3,000. Alongside the availability of budgetary resources, the height of your fellowship payment is determined mainly by your academic and professional qualifications, your position and your level of professional experience.
In addition, fellows will receive a mobility allowance and usually a subsidy towards the cost of medical and liability insurance. Under certain circumstances, further benefits may be provided, in particular for accompanying family members (see Guidelines A.2.6. (PDF)). The height of the fellowship payment is determined by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Yes. The mobility allowance (EUR 100 per month, see Guidelines A.2.4 (PDF)) and usually a subsidy towards the cost of medical and liability insurance (EUR 70 or more, see Guidelines A.2.5. (PDF)) are not part of the fellowship payment, but paid in addition.

During the fellowship (not during the language course), fellows receive a mobility allowance of EUR 100 per month together with each fellowship payment. The mobility allowance constitutes a supplement for expenses in connection with necessary conference attendance and/or research trips, archive and library visits, etc. in Germany and abroad. Additional travel and/or conference allowances cannot be granted. In this context please also refer to our notes on research stays outside Germany. More information is available in our Guidelines A.1.10. (PDF).

As a fellow, you are obliged to notify the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of any additional earnings (salary and/or income from self-employment and employment in Germany, German or overseas fellowships).

Additional earnings must be offset against the fellowship payment. When determining additional earnings, an amount equal to the applicable earnings level for employees not subject to social insurance (currently EUR 556 gross per month) is exempt. Fellowships and partial fellowships from private German and overseas bodies, especially those in the fellow’s home country, also constitute imputable supplementary income. Secondary employment remunerated at a level that exceeds the applicable earnings level for employees not subject to social insurance requires the prior approval of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The Foundation will determine whether the secondary employment jeopardises the objective of the fellowship (see A.1. and and A.1.3. of the Guidelines PDF)); the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation reserves the right to terminate or interrupt the fellowship if it deems this to be the case. Fellows may not accept a further fellowship financed through German public funds.

As a fellow, you are not an employee; carrying out the proposed academic project is therefore not considered gainful employment under the terms of German Income Tax Law. Consequently, the monthly fellowship payments are not considered to be earned income and are not subject to social insurance deductions. International Climate Protection Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation are exempt from taxation under Article 3, No. 44 of the German Income Tax Law. The laws in your home country or country of residence may include special regulations on taxing fellowships. If in doubt, we recommend that you consult a tax advisor in your home country (see Guidelines A1.2. (PDF)).

During your visit to Germany, you will be carrying out your academic project in cooperation with a host you have chosen yourself. You are neither an employee of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation nor of your host institute. However, you regularly make use of the facilities of the host institute, and are therefore subject to the rules and regulations that generally apply at that institute. In Germany, too, university institutes and other institutions often have staffing and financial problems. To avoid misunderstandings, we urge you to make clear arrangements regarding the practical aspects of your cooperation with the institute’s (research and support) staff as well as your use of scientific equipment, PC, telephone, fax etc. at the earliest opportunity.  Hosts are obliged to ensure the same levels of safety and occupational health for you as they do for other people working at the institute (see Guidelines B.11. (PDF)).

Those intending to engage in regular employment need a work permit (exceptions: EU citizens from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, and EEA citizens from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
Accompanying partners who wish to take up employment must inform the German consulate of this prior to departure for Germany and apply for the appropriate residence permit (indicating “employment permitted”). The actual work permit must be applied for at the Employment Office.
We would also like to draw your attention to the Dual Career page in the EURAXESS Germany web portal.
Please also note our Information for women academics and families.

If corresponding budgetary funds are available, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation may grant supplements and/or an allowance for health and liability insurance for marital/ registered partners and children under the age of 18 who accompany you for at least three (uninterrupted) months during the sponsorship period. You may request funds for your partner if you are married, in a registered partnership or caring for children in a shared household.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation moreover offers various options to assist parents. Please see the application form and further information on the corresponding website for details.
Please also note our Information for women academics and families.

It is unfortunately not possible to postpone an International Climate Protection Fellowship.

The International Climate Protection Fellowship is awarded for the purpose of carrying out the academic project proposed by the fellow and agreed upon with the host at a host institute in Germany; it covers the cost of living in Germany. By accepting an International Climate Protection Fellowship you agree to fully dedicate yourself to the objective of the fellowship during the duration thereof. You may take a total of up to 28 days’ holiday per sponsorship year (cumulative, not transferrable to the following year).

If it should be necessary to interrupt your stay, written application (no specific form required) must be made to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in advance stating the reasons. The application must include written confirmation from the academic host. You must inform the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation immediately in writing of any circumstances (including illness) that prevent the implementation of your academic project. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation considers it preferable that fellowships not be interrupted within the first twelve months of sponsorship, and thereafter for only short periods (max. 12 months) where possible. The Foundation will base its decision regarding a long-term interruption on your having re-coordinated your academic project with your host institute, proof of further academic qualifications, the career stage you have achieved and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s financial planning. Interrupting your fellowship to take advantage of another fellowship in Germany or a third country is usually not possible.

More information is available in our Guidelines A.1.9. (PDF).

It is possible to reduce the length of a fellowship. If you wish to terminate your fellowship early, please notify your   contact person at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in writing as soon as possible.

The maximum sponsorship period is usually 12 months (for prospective leaders working in the field) or 24 months (for postdocs). Prospective leaders working in the field who are unable to meaningfully complete their originally requested academic project within the available time may apply for an extension of up to three months, stating their reasons for the request. Postdocs may apply for an extension up to the maximum sponsorship period, stating their reasons for the request. The extension period may however not be longer than the originally approved period. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation will decide whether to grant requested extensions based on academic necessity and the available budgetary resources.

Under certain circumstances, you may also apply for an extension of the fellowship in the context of further support for families or if you have a disability (see Guidelines A.2.6.3.1. and A.2.6.3.2. or  A.2.7 (PDF)).

Extensions to pursue a new academic project or a new topic that has developed from the original academic project cannot be approved.

Applications for extension should be submitted to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation three to four months prior to the end of the fellowship.

Transferring from one university or host institute to another is possible if you have important professional or personal reasons for doing so. Your application and reasons submitted to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation must include the agreement of the previous host and confirmation that research facilities will be made available by the future host.

Please consider that switching to a host institution at a different location may cost you a significant amount of time and money due to the need to seek accommodation, move house and complete associated administrative requirements.
More information is available in our Guidelines A.1.11. (PDF). 

Your International Climate Protection Fellowship is awarded for the purpose of carrying out the academic project that was proposed in your application and evaluated by the Selection Committee.  While it is common for minor changes to arise over the course of a project, completely changing the direction of the project is not permitted.

Budget permitting, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation may on request grant an allowance for research costs to hosts in Germany (see Guidelines A.2.8. (PDF)). This allowance is intended as a contribution to cover costs associated with the academic project, including related administrative costs. During the sponsorship period, the monthly allowance for research costs amounts to 500 EUR (for academic projects in the humanities and social sciences) or 800 EUR (for academic projects in the natural sciences and engineering). Before the start of the sponsorship period, your host will receive a form in which s/he can notify the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of the appropriate account details for the host institute.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation considers it important that research results achieved under the auspices of the International Climate Protection Fellowship be published. Please refer to our guidelines A.3. (PDF) for further information.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is committed to offering equal opportunities in research, particularly with regard to young families. Questions that may arise in this context can be found on our pages Equal opportunities for researchers and Information for women academics and families.