As an intermediary organisation of German foreign cultural and education policy the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation aims to promote international cultural dialogue and academic exchange. The Humboldt Foundation offers flexible sponsorship programmes for researchers at all stages of their careers. Its research fellowships and awards enable outstanding scientists and scholars from abroad to complete long-term research stays in Germany. There are no quotas for specific countries or subjects; only personal academic achievement counts. The foundation also maintains close links with its alumni, the Humboldtians, after their stay in Germany. It offers numerous alumni support programmes for that purpose.
Facts and figures
The headquarters of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is located in Bonn
Over 240 employees
Network with over 29,000 Humboldtians in more than 140 countries worldwide, including 55 Nobel Prize winners
Some 2,000 collaborative research partnerships between international and German researchers each year
Annual budget: 127 million euros (2017)
Budget
The budget of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation amounted to 127 million euros in 2017. The foundation receives roughly 95% of its funding from federal sources. The following ministries contribute to its budget:
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (50%)
- Federal Foreign Office (AA) (37%)
- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) (7%)
- Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (1%)
The rest of the budget comes from the EU, third-party funds and the foundation’s own asset income.
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
CONTACT PERSON ADDRESS Jean-Paul-Str. 12 53173 Bonn PHONE+49 228 833-0 WEBSITE
www.humboldt-foundation.de
Funding programmes:
Capes-Humboldt Research Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers
This fellowship enables outstanding researchers from Brazil to carry out research in Germany for up to two years.
www.humboldt-foundation.de > Capes-Humboldt Research Fellowship
Georg Forster Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers
Junior researchers in all disciplines from developing countries, emerging economies and transition states can carry out a research project in cooperation with an academic host of their choice in Germany.
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Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers
This fellowship allows young researchers to carry out their own research project in cooperation with an academic host of their choice at a research institute in Germany.
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Sofja Kovalevskaja Award
Junior researchers from all disciplines can establish their own working groups and spend five years working on a high-profile, innovative research project of their choice at a research institution in Germany.
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Alexander von Humboldt Professorship
Award winners receive the opportunity to carry out long-term and groundbreaking research in Germany.
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Capes-Humboldt Research Fellowships for Experienced Researchers
This fellowship enables outstanding researchers from Brazil to carry out research in Germany for up to 18 months.
www.humboldt-foundation.de > Capes-Humboldt Research Fellowship
Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Award
Award winners from outside Europe are invited to work closely with a partner at one of the Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany for up to 12 months. They become part of a global network of researchers maintained by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
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Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award
Outstanding international researchers are invited to spend a period of 6 to 12 months cooperating on a research project with fellow experts at a research institute in Germany.
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Georg Forster Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers
Senior researchers in all disciplines from developing countries, emerging economies and transition states can carry out a research project in cooperation with an academic host of their choice in Germany.
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Georg Forster Research Award
Award winners from developing countries, emerging economies and transition states are invited to cooperate on a long-term research project with fellow experts at a research institute in Germany. The award is open to researchers in all disciplines.
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Humboldt Research Award
Researchers from abroad are invited to cooperate on a research project with fellow experts at a research institute in Germany.
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Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers
International senior researchers in all disciplines can carry out their own research project in cooperation with an academic host of their choice at a research institute in Germany.
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