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Tapping academic potential – irrespective of gender
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation wants to recruit the world’s best minds for a research stay in Germany as well as for its international network of outstanding researchers. In all our efforts we emphatically support equal opportunity in science and research. Despite this, the number of women amongst our applicants, fellows and award winners is significantly lower than the number of men. It is also clear that the problem worsens the higher the career stage. The consequences are a major waste of qualifications, innovative potential, excellence, perspectives and experience.
Incorporating even more women at all levels
The Humboldt Foundation’s sponsorship programmes do not apply quotas of any kind, be they for certain countries, disciplines or even gender. Fellowships and awards are granted solely on the basis of academic achievement. Gender inequalities that are prevalent in certain disciplines and at certain career stages all around the world are thus also to be seen in the gender split in the applicants for and recipients of the Foundation’s sponsorship. The Humboldt Foundation reflects, as it were, academic reality worldwide.
In order to better tap into the potential of outstanding talents in science and research we expressly welcome applications from and nominations of highly-qualified female researchers. We should also like to invite women researchers in Germany to internationalise their research teams by becoming hosts for junior researchers from abroad. Our objective is to further integrate women at all levels into our network. That includes female applicants, hosts and nominating researchers, as well as female reviewers and Selection Committee members.
Further information
Visit our FAQs for women academics and families for additional information on questions relating to applications and sponsorship, allowances granted by the Humboldt Foundation and state benefits for women researchers and families
Balancing the demands of family and research
If you are doing research abroad, you should be able to have your family with you. That is why we have designed our sponsorship programmes to be family-friendly and make every effort to remove the obstacles facing young families. Moreover, we already take periods of parental leave into consideration in our selection process. Here you will find a brief description of the measures we are taking to accommodate these real-life situations even more. Further information about this and other offerings can be found in our FAQ for women academics and families.
If you give birth or care for young children, you can interrupt or extend the sponsorship period covered by your fellowship. You can find more information in the Information Sheet on Maternity Leave (PDF).
If your partner accompanies you on your stay for at least three months (without interruption), we grant a monthly family allowance for partners during the sponsorship period. You can find more information in the Family allowance for partners information sheet (PDF).
If you are a single-parent and research fellow in Germany, you can apply for a flat-rate monthly child allowance if your underage children accompany you to Germany for at least three months (without interruption). You can find more information in the Flat-rate monthly child allowance for single-parent fellows information sheet (PDF).
Research fellows can divide their fellowship into as many as three stays, each lasting a minimum of three months. In consultation with their host, they can spend up to one fourth of their research stay in a country other than Germany. For more information, please see our FAQ .
If your partner and/or your underage children accompany you to Germany for at least three months (without interruption), we grant a subsidy towards medical insurance and liability insurance during the sponsorship period. You can find more information in the Subsidy towards the costs of medical and liability insurance information sheet (PDF).
The Humboldt Foundation enables you as a fellow and your partner to attend an intensive language course lasting up to four months immediately prior to the start of your research fellowship in Germany. Our language fellowships cover the course fees as well as provide a monthly fellowship payment and, where applicable, supplementary payments. Alternatively, we can provide financial assistance for regular German language courses that you complete parallel to your research fellowship. For more on this, please see our FAQ .
Award winners and their partners may also apply to have the costs of a German language course paid.
If you are a researcher from Germany who has been granted a Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship to work with a Humboldtian abroad, we offer you special family allowances. In addition to the family allowance for accompanying partners, we grant a child allowance when your children accompany you. In such cases you can also apply for parenting support, such as an allowance towards thecosts of childcare. For more details on family allowances visit the Guidelines and Information for Feodor Lynen Research Fellows (PDF) and the fellowship calculator.
Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible for state benefits such as child benefit and parental allowance in addition to those granted by the Humboldt Foundation. You can find more information in the Information sheet on child benefit/substitutional payment (PDF) and in the Information sheet on family allowance for partners (PDF).