Mentoring for women in the Humboldt Network

A total of 103 women from 39 countries who are members of the Humboldt Network used the framework provided by the pilot project Women Forward – The 2024 Humboldt Mentoring Program to build networks that support their shared goal of actively advancing their careers. The programme matched up participants – who included Humboldt alumni and individuals being sponsored by the Foundation – to create 55 mentoring pairs that supported one another and were benefited from their respective counterpart’s experience.

Over the course of six months, from April through September 2024, the mentors and mentees were in regular contact with one another, usually on a digital basis. Each mentoring pair was free to fashion and organise their contact with one another in ways that best suited them. This approach produced concrete ideas for projects and academic collaboration as well as amicable relationships. The programme aims to offer women members of the Humboldt Network a dedicated platform for career-related matters and to particularly help young women scientists and scholars with transitions in their careers. Three virtual network meetings offered participants additional opportunities to establish valuable contacts.

In response to strong demand, the mentoring programme for women in the Humboldt Network will be offered again in 2025. A call for applications will be published in early 2025 on the Humboldt Life platform of the Alumniportal Deutschland, that the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation manages together with two cooperation partners.