updated on 9 April 2021
Why science needs more diversity – the Humboldt Foundation has dedicated the entire new edition of its magazine Humboldt Kosmos to the topic of diversity. It marks the launch of its campaign #ProgressDiversity. Because if there is one thing the Foundation is certain of, it is that however much is talked about diversity in science and research, it is a long way from being standard reality.
This fact is illustrated by the personal accounts of some of the Foundation’s sponsorship recipients from around the world as well as by the analyses in this edition of Kosmos, which can be accessed here. Taking an international perspective, you will discover that diversity often means different things in different places. Are we talking social background, subjects, ethnicities, disabilities or age? The challenges are just as varied as the definitions.
This edition of Kosmos marks the launch of the #ProgressDiversity campaign through which the Foundation is seeking to promote the topic of diversity. Under the hashtag #ProgressDiversity, it is calling for a conversation on Twitter: What are people’s experiences and stories – both within and beyond the Humboldt Foundation Network? How diverse are science and research in practice? Where is there a lack of diversity? What are the obstacles? And where are the doors wide open?
In the course of the campaign, in addition to the Foundation’s magazine Kosmos, further multi-media portraits of researchers in the Foundation’s international network will be published. Because, for the Humboldt Foundation, diversity is an important goal and one of the core elements of its strategy. With sponsorship recipients from more than 140 countries and every conceivable discipline and subject, the Humboldt Network reflects a broad social spectrum and clearly demonstrates that science thrives on a multiplicity of ideas and perspectives. At the same time, the Foundation is continuing its efforts to drive equality, equal opportunities and diversity in the science system.
(press release 2/2021)
Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time conducting research in Germany. The Foundation maintains an interdisciplinary network of well over 30,000 Humboldtians in more than 140 countries around the world – including 61 Nobel Prize winners.