Evaluation of the Georg Forster Research Sponsorship Programmes (2023)

The Georg Forster Research Sponsorship Programme – consisting of the Georg Forster Research Fellowships and the Georg Forster Research Awards – funds relevant research collaborations between academics from developing and transition countries and researchers working in Germany. Since 1997, GF Research Fellowships have been supporting highly qualified doctorate holders in all academic disciplines from developing and transition countries in achieving, applying and disseminating development-related research results and strengthening their academic and personal networks at an international level. The Georg Forster Research Award was established in 2012 and sponsors academics who are renowned for their research on development-related topics, well established in emerging and developing countries and internationally recognised. Funding is provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, BMZ).

The purpose of evaluating the Georg Forster Research Sponsorship Programme was to concomitantly appraise the programme’s execution, assess its impact and derive recommendations to further shape the programme. The evaluation was performed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI using a variety of methods for data collection and analysis.

Its findings show benefits relating to all programme goals and demonstrate that these effects result from the intervention. The extremely high satisfaction rates established through the various assessment methods indicate a sponsorship programme that is successful and effective overall as well as efficiently implemented.