FAQ to sponsorships in Germany

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 work directly with your host institute in Germany as well as the Foreign Students’ Advisory Office, International Office or Welcome Centre to arrange accommodation well in advance of your arrival. A corresponding form is available here (DOC).
Research 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 research fellows to find accommodation, particularly during the initial period of the research stay, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation strongly recommends that research 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.

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

Research 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.10.) (PDF) and our website.
Information on this issue is also available under Health insurance in the EURAXESS Germany portal.

The research fellowship payment is EUR 2,700 per month (post-doctoral researchers) or EUR 3,200 per month (experienced researchers). In addition, fellows will receive a monthly mobility allowance (EUR 100) and usually a subsidy towards the cost of medical and liability insurance (EUR 70 or 130). Under certain circumstances, further benefits may be provided, in particular for accompanying family members (see Guidelines A.1.9. (PDF)).

Yes. The mobility allowance (EUR 100 per month, see Guidelines A.3.5. (PDF)) and usually a subsidy towards the cost of medical and liability insurance (EUR 70 or EUR 130, see Guidelines A.3.7. (PDF)) are not part of the fellowship payment, but paid in addition.

Research fellows receive a mobility allowance of EUR 100 per month with each fellowship payment during their research fellowship (not during the language course). 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.3.5.) (PDF).

As a research 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 538 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 A.1.10. of the Guidelines (PDF)), and reserves the right to terminate or interrupt the fellowship if it finds this to be the case.

Research fellows may not accept a further fellowship financed through German public funds.

As a research fellow, you are not an employee; carrying out the proposed research 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. Research 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 research fellowships. If in doubt, we recommend that you consult a tax advisor in your home country (see Guidelines B.11. (PDF)).

During your research stay, you will be carrying out your proposed research project in cooperation with an academic host you have chosen yourself. You are neither an employee of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation nor of your host institute. Since you regularly use the facilities made available by your academic host and host institute, you must however comply with the rules and regulations generally applicable at the respective institute.

In Germany, too, university institutes 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 etc. at the earliest opportunity. Host institutions 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.8. (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).
Partners of research fellows 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 a family allowance and/or a subsidy towards health and liability insurance for marital/registered partners and children under the age of 18 who accompany the research fellow to Germany 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.

You may only postpone your research fellowship for urgent reasons and not for an unlimited amount of time. If you are unable to begin your research fellowship on the date you originally intended, please inform us immediately so that a new start date can be arranged. It is essential that you coordinate the new date with your academic host in Germany, as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s approval is dependent on the agreement of the academic host and the Foundation’s expected budget situation. Postponing 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).

The research fellowship is awarded for the purpose of carrying out the research project proposed by the research fellow and agreed upon with the host at a host institute in Germany; it covers the cost of living in Germany. By accepting the research 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 a research 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 research project.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation considers it preferable that research fellowships be interrupted for only short periods (max.12 months) where possible. A decision on long-term interruption is dependent on a new research outline coordinated with your academic host, proof of further academic qualifications, the research fellow having reached a certain career stage (date of doctorate) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s budgetary situation. 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.1.10.9 (PDF).

It is possible to reduce the length of a research 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 24 months (for post-docs) or 18 months (for experienced researchers). If your fellowship has not yet reached this maximum duration and the research project cannot be completed within the time available, you may apply for an extension up to the maximum sponsorship period, stating your reasons for the request. The extension period may however not be longer than the originally approved period.

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

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

An application to extend your fellowship should be received by the Foundation three to four months before your research fellowship ends.

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 changing your host institution 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 research fellowship is awarded for the purpose of carrying out the research 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 of foreign research fellows in Germany (see Guidelines A.3.8. (PDF)). This allowance is intended as a contribution to cover costs associated with the research project, including related administrative costs. During the sponsorship period, the monthly allowance for research costs amounts to EUR 500 (for research in the humanities and social sciences) or EUR 800 (for research in the natural sciences and engineering). Before the sponsorship period begins, academic hosts will receive a form for the purpose of informing the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of the host institute’s relevant bank account.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation considers it important that research results achieved in the context of its sponsorship are published. Please see the information in our Guidelines (A.4.) (PDF).

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is committed to offering equal opportunities in research, particularly with regard to young families.

More information is available under Equal opportunities for researchers.