Fully Funded Georg Forster Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers in All Fields in Germany

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is offering the Georg Forster Research Fellowship Program in Germany to researchers from developing and transition countries. If your application is successful, you may begin your fellowship between two and twelve months after being selected. In the case of unanimously rejected applications, you must, unfortunately, wait a minimum of 18 months before re-applying.

• The Georg Forster Research Fellowship enables you to conduct your own research at various stages of your career in collaboration with a host at a German research institution of your choice. Hosts may apply for a subsidy for research costs.

Postdocs:

• The Georg Forster Research Fellowship for postdoctoral researchers enables you to conduct research in Germany. The monthly fellowship amount is €2,670. Fellowships may last from 6 to 24 months.

Experienced researchers:

• You can still apply for research sponsorship in Germany even if you are already well advanced in your academic career. The Georg Forster Research Fellowship for experienced researchers enables you to conduct research in Germany. The monthly fellowship amount is €3,170. Fellowships may last from 6 to 18 months and can be divided into up to three stays within three years.
• In addition to the fellowship amount, you will also receive personal support throughout your sponsorship. You are flexible in determining when you would like to start your fellowship. Prior to your research fellowship, you and your marital partner will be able to attend an intensive German language course.
• Further financial support, including family benefits for children and marital partners, subsidies for private full health insurance, and allowances for travel expenses, is also available.

• Your research should make a significant contribution to the further development of your region of origin.
• You must be a citizen of a developing or transition country – excluding PR China and India.
• You must have lived and worked in a developing or transition country for at least 12 months within the last 18 months (excluding PR China and India). If you are not living in a country from the list of countries at the time of application, you must additionally have at least a permanent job in one of the countries on the list.
• If you obtained your university entrance qualification and a university degree or your university degree and your doctorate in Germany, you can apply if you have lived and worked in one of the developing or transition countries from the list for at least five years and you intend to do so long-term.
• Confirmation that research facilities are available/host’s statement: A researcher from an academic institution of your choice in Germany will provide you with a mentoring agreement and written confirmation that research facilities are available, and will compile a detailed review for you.
• You can provide two expert reviews.
• Postdocs: Your doctoral supervisor and one other researcher – outside of your institute, if possible – should provide well-grounded information on your qualifications.
• Experienced researchers: The reviews should be provided by important collaborative partners and/or researchers at your own institute as well as other institutes – outside your country of origin, if possible.
• Natural sciences and engineering: You must have a good knowledge of German or English.
• Humanities, social sciences, and medicine: You must have a good knowledge of German if this is necessary for conducting your research successfully. Otherwise, good knowledge of English will suffice.
• You must abide by the rules of good scientific practice (PDF) and the principles of scientific ethics.
• You may not apply for the Georg Forster Research Fellowship if you have already received sponsorship from the Humboldt Foundation.

About Alexander von Humboldt Foundation:

It promotes academic cooperation between excellent scientists and scholars from abroad and from Germany. Its research fellowships and research awards allow you to come to Germany to work on a research project you have chosen yourself together with a host and collaborative partner. If you are a scientist or scholar from Germany you can profit from our support and carry out a research project abroad as a guest of one of more than 29,000 Humboldt Foundation alumni worldwide - the Humboldtians. As an intermediary organization for German foreign cultural and educational policy, it promotes international cultural dialogue and academic exchange.

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