Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers

Funding source: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Funding: Monthly (tax free) stipend (2650 € in 2018), travel costs etc.

Duration: 6-24 months

Eligibility: Doctorate or comparable academic degree (Ph.D., C.Sc. or equivalent), completed less than four years prior to the date of application; foreign applicants must have lived outside Germany for a minimum of 12 months in total in the 18-month period prior to submission of the application; German applicants must have had their habitual place of work and residence located abroad on the assumption of permanence for at least five years.

Deadlines: No application deadlines

Humboldt Research Fellowships allow postdoctoral researchers from abroad to spend extended periods of research (6 - 24 months) in Germany. Applicants choose their own topic of research and their host in Germany. Details of the research outline and intended duration of the fellowship must be agreed with the prospective host before applying. The application has to be submitted by the applying postdoc. The host institution has to upload a host’s statement (comprising a confidential assessment of the applicant and the proposal) and a signed confirmation of research facilities. In addition, the doctoral supervisor and one other qualified reviewer to be selected by the applicant have to upload expert reviews. As soon as all required documents are uploaded, applicants will be notified about the proposed selection date. Typically this will be in the range of 6 to 9 months. The fellowship has to be started between 2 and 12 months after approval.

If you want to apply for a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers with MPS as host institution then the best ways is to identify a potential supervisor at the MPS who fits to the research proposal you have in mind (please check the research pages on our website) and contact her or him. If you are already employed at MPS as postdoc then please observe that you can apply only within the first 6 months of your stay at MPS.