Information for Hosts

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Contact

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

Fax: 0228-833 212
info[at]avh.de

 

 

 

Any research institution in Germany (university, non-university research institute) may host a Sofja Kovalevskaja award winner. The term "host" refers to the person who will act as the award winner’s direct academic contact at the host research institution, e.g., the chair holder or head of department in whose team you would like to establish a working group; the working group is to be set up within his/her team.

The research outline must be drawn-up by the applicant independently and discussed with you before submitting the application. Detailed information should be provided on the subject, preliminary work, methods, aims, time-schedule and financing as well as on the academic literature on which the project will be based. Research plans, which do not take sufficient account of agreements on contents, methods, financing, integration in the host institution usually lead to the application being rejected. Apart from academic publications and the expert reviews, the research outline is the most important basis for the selection committee to assess the application. Consequently, the selection committee places special emphasis on ensuring that the research outline has been drawn-up by the applicant independently and not proposed by you, the host, either in total or in part.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation requests you to submit a confidential statement, which is very important both for the evaluation procedure and for the Selection Committee, and signed confirmation that research facilities can be made available. Furthermore, the administration at the research institution must confirm that it is prepared to take on the role of employer on the award winner's behalf and manage the award money.

The host institution in Germany receives a flat-rate payment of 15% from the award funds (administrative flat-rate). It can be used to help cover any costs resulting from the use of existing and/or specifically acquired material or specifically created personnel infrastructure (e.g. general institute facilities, laboratories or workrooms, operating and maintenance costs, finance and personnel management and auditing). In addition, the administrative flat-rate may be used to finance e.g. "welcome packages" that provide measures to integrate the award winner into his or her new living environment and into the research institution, including support for the professional integration of the award winner's partner, or compensation for the loss of retirement savings that were accrued abroad, etc. The host institution is permitted to pass any left-over funding from the administrative flat-rate to the award winner for the furtherance of his or her research work.

The applicant should provide you with the documents and information required to prepare your statement (research outline and financial plan, curriculum vitae, list of publications, key publications and the names of expert reviewers). Please answer the questions in the List of questions for the host's statement in the order given. The statement may be written in English or German.

Please arrange for your research institution to provide the agreements cited and upload it to the application along with the signed hosting agreement and the confirmation from the administration in a secure area. The applicant will send you the link to this area by email. You can rest assured that your statement will be treated confidentially by the Humboldt Foundation administration and the selection committee.

Please note that the applicant will only be able to submit his/her application as soon as the complete application documents including your statement, the signed hosting agreement as well as the confirmation from the administration have been uploaded. We therefore recommend that you upload your documents as soon as possible to the application after having been informed by the applicant.

In your role as academic host integrating the guest researcher into your working group, you undertake to observe both the principles of scientific ethics and the regulations to prevent the transfer of armaments-related technology as well as to pay heed to the danger of any other illegal or undesirable transfer of knowledge. The Rules of good scientific practice must also be observed.