The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Connecting academic excellence worldwide Knowledge transfer and cooperation at the highest level Melanie Schmitz: 4c Melanie Schmitz: 4c

Historical and Intellectual Roots  Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859): discoverer, universal genius, cosmopolitan and patron of excellent scientific talent  1953: establishment of today’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation  international network of academic cooperation and trust  more than 22,000 Humboldtians worldwide, including 40 Nobel Prize Winners

Humboldt Foundation Financing The annual budget is approx. 60 mill. EUR, more than 97% of which is publicly financed by the Federation. Financing is distributed as follows:  AA:Federal Foreign Office  BMZ:Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development  BMBF:Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation  Excellence worldwide individual sponsorship for excellent scientists and scholars from all countries and disciplines based on research fellowships and research awards  Autonomy and freedom free choice of research project and research partners. The Foundation does not stipulate how research proposals should be implemented.  Neutrality and independence no ideological, commercial, political or denominational ties; the sole selection criterion are academic qualifications  Durability and sustainability maintaining a worldwide network of 22,000 scientists and scholars; sponsorship even after the research visit has come to an end

Sponsorship – individual and personal  sponsorship for foreign and German top-flight academics to collaborate with specialist colleagues  the prestige associated with Humboldt Foundation fellowships and awards  individual and personal mentoring for those sponsored and their families  goals: - an enriching stay in Germany, both academically and privately - to strengthen Germany as a research location  Humboldtians and their families as ambassadors for Germany  “Once a Humboldtian, always a Humboldtian”: maintaining the association for a lifetime

Academic Excellence  sole selection criterion: academic excellence  individual sponsorship for people, not projects  no quotas for countries or subjects  free choice of academic host/collaboration partner in Germany  worldwide excellence network of Humboldtians

Origin of Guest Researchers : a total of 2,508 new research fellows from abroad

Disciplines of Guest Researchers Arts and Social Sciences 24%, Science 66%, Engineering 10%

Disciplines of Guest Researchers in Canada in 2005 Total:413

Applications from Canada Total number of applications: 106 Total number of applications granted: 54

Sponsorship Programmes at a Glance

Humboldt Foundation Programmes Research fellowships and research awards for highly qualified scientists and scholars from all countries and disciplines  research fellowships  research awards  other sponsorship programmes  other fields of activity

Research Fellowships for highly qualified junior researchers from abroad  Humboldt Research Fellowship - 6 – 12 months, extension to maximum of 24 months - doctoral degree, up to the age of 40 - no quotas for countries or subjects  Georg Forster Fellowship - 6 – 12 months, extension to maximum of 24 months - doctoral degree, up to the age of 45 - developing and threshold countries - research visits of relevance to development policy, no quotas

Research Fellowships for highly qualified junior researchers from Germany  Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship - 6 – 12 months, extension to maximum of 24 months - doctoral degree, up to the age of 38 - worldwide, all subjects - Humboldtians as hosts - usually the host is expected to contribute

Application requirements  doctorate or equivalent degree  academic publications for internationally recognised journals and publishing houses  age limit  agreement by academic host to provide a research position  autonomous research project in agreement with the host  knowledge of German and/or English

Application procedure  applications at any time to the Humboldt Foundation directly  assessment by independent expert reviewers  decision by Humboldt Foundation Selection Committees (3 times per year)  duration of procedure after submission: approx. 3 to 6 months

Sponsorship provisions  language courses or allowance towards language course  fellowship  travel expenses  start-up lump sum*  family allowance  mobility and equipment lump sum for attending conferences, special material etc.  study trip, introductory meeting, annual meeting  intensive and individual mentoring in Germany and abroad by personal contacts at the Humboldt Foundation  life-long network sponsorship by the Humboldt Foundation (*not applicable to Feodor Lynen Research Fellowships)

Sponsorship – personal, individual, sustainable  experienced staff at the Foundation  direct contact to staff during events  alumni associations in more than 70 countries  network online  sponsorship for academic cooperation with partners in Germany and abroad during an entire academic career

 maintaining continuous, life-long contact to all Humboldtians worldwide  actively sponsoring academic contacts amongst Humboldtians worldwide through events at home and abroad; Humboldt Associations  systematic network sponsorship embracing: -further research visits to Germany -guest visits by German academics to Humboldtians’ institutes abroad -long-term research collaboration (institutional partnerships) An association for a lifetime

 Short visits (up to 30 days): allowances for -actively participating in international congresses in Germany -lecture trips or information visits -short working visits to research institutes in Germany  Resumption of the research fellowship (up to 3 months): -to continue or complete earlier projects or initiate new ones  Re-invitation (up to 3 months): -no direct applications; re-invitations may be extended on the recommendation of an academic in Germany or the AvH itself Network Sponsorship

 guest visits by academics from Germany to Humboldtians’ institutes abroad (Sur Place)  research visits by German junior researchers to Humboldtians abroad (Feodor Lynen Programme)  book and equipment donations  long-term research cooperation (Institutional Partnerships, TransCoop Programme)  colloquia abroad, Humboldt Kollegs  Humboldt Associations Network Sponsorship

Humboldt Network Online  search and find Humboldtians electronically according to: -name -country of origin -institution of higher education/research -research field -host institution in Germany  Humboldtians update their own data online  Bibliographia Humboldtiana: Humboldtians feed in their own publications

Research Awards  Humboldt Research Award * for internationally renowned academics from all disciplines from abroad  Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award * for younger, foreign, top-flight researchers from all disciplines from abroad  Sofja Kovalevskaja Award ** for excellent, cutting-edge junior researchers from all disciplines from abroad to build up their own junior research groups in Germany (*by nomination/**by application)

Research Awards  Max Planck Research Award * for outstandingly qualified academics from Germany and abroad on an annually- alternating basis for areas within science and engineering, life sciences and the arts  Thyssen Humboldt Award * for eminent humanities scholars from abroad  Konrad Adenauer Research Award * for an internationally recognised Canadian humanities scholar  Phillip Franz von Siebold Award * for an eminent Japanese academic (*by nomination)

Konrad Adenauer Research Award for Canadian scholars in the humanities and social sciences Provisions  award money of EUR, coupled with an invitation for a research visit to Germany Nomination  The initiative to bestow the Konrad Adenauer Research Award in any given year must be taken by Canadian universities and/or research institutions

Other Sponsorship Programmes  Federal Chancellor Scholarships for outstanding prospective leaders from the USA, the Russian Federation and China  TransCoop Programme for sponsoring transatlantic (USA, Canada) research cooperation with Germany in the arts and social sciences  Hezekiah Wardwell Fellowships for Spanish musicians and musicologists

TransCoop Programme Sponsorship provisions  45,000 EUR over a period of three years’ cooperation providing the American and/or Canadian partner can raise matching funds at least equalling the endowment  funding may be used for reciprocal visits, organising/running conferences, material and printing costs and personnel Applications  Deadlines: 30 April and 31 October

TransCoop Programme for sponsoring transatlantic (USA, Canada) research cooperation with Germany in the humanities and social sciences Application requirements  German, American and Canadian academics from the humanities, social sciences, economics and law  doctorate, academically active  no age limit  autonomous research plan agreed by the research group

Other Fields of Activity  Frontiers of Research Symposia  German Mobility Centre  National Contact Point for Human Resources and Mobility  Welcome Centres ( )

Five out of twenty-two thousand  Robert Grubbs – 2005 Nobel Prize for Chemistry Humboldt Research Fellow. One of the leading American researchers in organometallic chemistry.  László Sólyom – President of Hungary and the powerhouse behind democratic change in his country. Humboldt Research Fellow 1981, 1984 and Humboldt Research Award Winner  Tricia Striano – Sofja Kovalevskaja Award Winner. The excellent American junior research psychologist is investigating early-childhood development.  Hamadi Boga – Georg Forster Research Fellow from Kenya. The biologist is investigating flagellating micro-organisms in the intestinal tract of termites.  Erin Taylor – one of ten German Chancellor Scholars, a programme for future leaders. The American political scientist is comparing German and American strategies in the dialogue with the Islamic world.

Contact Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Jean-Paul-Straße Bonn Germany Tel: Fax: