HUMBOLDT RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Postdocs Did you complete your doctorate – or equivalent academic qualification – during the last four years? Or are you within six months of completing your doctorate and can already provide a written summary of your findings? Have you been published in academic journals and by publishing houses that are reviewed according to international standards? If so, and if you fulfil the criteria under the “What is required of you” section, apply for the Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdocs. Experienced researchers Did you complete your doctorate – or equivalent academic qualification – during the last twelve years? Is your academic profile substantiated by an extensive list of publications in academic journals and by publishing houses that are reviewed according to international standards? If so, and if you fulfil the criteria under the “What is required of you” section, apply for the Humboldt Research Fellowship for experienced researchers. If a doctorate in your field or country of origin is not possible or uncommon, you can still apply up to 16 years after completing your master’s or other postgraduate degree provided that you have a publication record commensurate with your career level.

1. Doctorate or comparable academic degree (Ph.D., C.Sc. or equivalent) completed (the last academic achievement) no longer than four years prior to the date of application for postdocs or twelve years for experienced researchers. If it is not possible or customary to take a doctorate in the candidate’s subject or country, an application may be submitted up to 16 years after completing a Master's or Diploma degree, provided that the publication record is commensurate with the candidate’s career stage;
2. Academic publications in journals and by publishers reviewed according to international standards, commensurate with the applicant’s career level after completion of the doctorate;
3. Confirmation that research facilities are available and mentoring agreement and a detailed expert’s statement by an academic host at a research institution in Germany;
4. Two expert reviews from important collaborative partners and/or academics from the applicant’s own institute and at other institutions, if possible, also outside the country of origin. Postdocs should usually request one of the expert reviews from the doctoral thesis supervisor.
5. Necessary language skills: humanities or social sciences and medicine: good knowledge of German if it is necessary to carry out the research successfully; otherwise a good knowledge of English; natural sciences and engineering: good knowledge of German or English.

Stated amount: 296,937 Postdocs Benefit from research sponsorship in Germany at the beginning of your academic career. The Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdocs enables you to conduct research in Germany. The monthly fellowship amount is €2, 700 (INR 2, 50, 541) plus addtional benefits. Fellowships may last from 6 to 24 months and can be divided into up to three stays within three years. Experienced researchers You can still apply for research sponsorship in Germany even if you are already well advanced in your academic career. The Humboldt Research Fellowship for experienced researchers enables you to conduct research in Germany. The fellowship amount is €3, 200 (INR 2, 96, 937) plus additional benefits. Fellowships may last from 6 to 18 months and can be divided into up to three stays within three years. In addition, a family allowance for accompanying partners and/or children under 18 will be granted if they are staying in Germany for at least three months. The following benefits may also be applied for:

1. A subsidy towards the cost of medical and liability insurance for an accompanying partner and/or children under the age of 18;
2. A flat-rate allowance for single parents with accompanying children;
3. Extension of the fellowship for research fellows accompanied by children or for a maternity period.
4. There are further support options for research fellows with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
5. For fellowships with a sponsorship period of more than six months, research stays outside Germany are possible under certain conditions, provided that these are required for carrying out the research (up to 25% of the planned total sponsorship period).
6. Hosts in Germany can apply for an allowance for research costs to the value of 800 EUR (INR 74, 248) per month (natural sciences, life sciences and engineering) or 500 EUR (INR 46, 405) (humanities and social sciences). Upon successful completion of the research stay, various forms of alumni sponsorship can be granted to alumni who are still actively involved in research, particularly for promoting contact with collaborative partners in Germany. Scholarships are limited.

No Separate Application or Fee is Required to get the grants, it will be automatically considered, once you enrolled for the program. Applications can only be submitted online. The completed application form, including the necessary additional documents, should be submitted at least four to seven months ahead of the prospective selection date. Visit the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s website for further information on the online application process, details of all necessary documents as well as access to the online application form. A confirmation of receipt will be issued after the application has been submitted. Student Supporting Documents:

1. Curriculum vitae (two pages max).
2. Research outline ( five pages max).
3. Complete list of your publications.
4. List of selected key publications.
5. Key publications.
6. Doctoral certificate or proof that your doctorate has been completed successfully, or confirmation that this will be the case within the next six months
7. German language certificate, if required.
8. If required: Publisher’s acceptance notifications and/or acknowledgement of receipt and summaries/translations of key publications that are not available in German or in English.
9. In addition: Host’s statement and confirmation that research facilities are available, as well as two expert reviews. Please note that these documents can only be uploaded in a protected area by the host(s) and expert reviewers personally. You can only submit your application once these documents have been uploaded. Further information and explanations can be found on the application form. ​​​​​​​For further details, please click here.

1. The expert reviews and the host’s confidential statement must be uploaded by the named academics directly to the application form. The applicant will send the link needed to access the application form via e-mail to the designated persons. It is only possible to submit the application once all documents have been uploaded completely.
2. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their documents are complete. Incomplete applications will be excluded from the selection procedure.
3. After a review of the documents, applicants will be notified about the proposed selection date. The academic assessment of the applications is carried out by independent peer reviewers assigned by the Humboldt Foundation.
4. Based on the academic assessment, a selection committee composed of about 60–70 academics from all disciplines reaches a decision on approving research fellowships. Information on the composition of the selection committee is available on the Humboldt Foundation’s website. The selection committee meets every year in March, July and November. If funding is awarded, sponsorship in Germany begins on the start date given in the application or on the earliest possible date after that. Under certain conditions, the start date may be postponed for up to 12 months.
5. If the selection decision is negative, an informal request can be made via email for the factors that led to the rejection of the application to be shared with the applicants and their hosts. It is not possible to appeal. However, after rejection a revised application may be submitted as long as fundamental aspects of the rejected application have been significantly improved. In the case of unanimously rejected applications, a new application will be accepted only after 18 months. Other Info Issues Frequently Result In Applications Being Rejected Insufficient publication record In particular, applicants who apply upon completion of their doctoral thesis should ensure that the key findings of the doctoral thesis (key publications) are already published or have been accepted for publication. In case of doubt, it is a good idea to wait for several months before submitting the application until evidence can be provided that the key publications have been accepted. Lack of academic development The chosen research project should not be a direct continuation of the doctoral thesis or of the academic work carried out to date. Returning to the same academic environment, e.g. returning to the supervisor of the doctoral thesis or the mentor of longer postdoctoral research (more than 12 months), or returning to a host institute where a longer research stay has already taken place, generally results in the rejection of applications on the basis of a lack of further independent academic development. Lack of originality In the qualitative assessment of the key publications and of the research outline, the independent peer reviewers focus in particular on the originality of the work and the associated impetus for further development in this research area. If these aspects are not immediately apparent, if the research concerns more routine work or if the aims of the planned research and its significance for the continued development of the subject area are not clearly presented, applications are generally rejected. Lack of personal academic profile, academic establishment In the experienced academics’ programme segment, the personal academic profile is of major importance for the assessment of applications by the independent peer reviewers and committee members. Therefore, applications are frequently rejected if
6. No or insufficient publications are available in sole authorship or as a corresponding author;
7. The applicants’ topics are too narrowly focused;
8. No clear continued academic development is apparent;
9. The research project is not clearly aligned with the research interests of the applicant;
10. After several postdoctoral positions, another "traditional" postdoctoral position is applied for without the applicant becoming independently established academically in the meantime.