Deadline: 1-Feb-23

Are you working academically or practically in climate protection or climate-relevant resource conservation in your home country a non-European developing or transition country? If yes, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation invites you to apply for an International Climate Protection Fellowship.

With the International Climate Protection Fellowships, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables prospective leaders working practically to implement a research-based proposal in the field of climate protection or climate-related resource conservation during a one-year stay in Germany.

 Objectives

• The global challenge posed by climate change can only be met by cross-border international collaborations. By enabling future decision-makers and multipliers to share knowledge, methods, and techniques with specialist colleagues in Germany the programme promotes this objective, particularly by taking account of issues relating to practical applicability in the fellows’ own countries.
• In the spirit of the Agenda 2030 and the related Sustainable Development Goals, the program seeks to contribute to the achievement of these goals by fostering prospective leaders with their undertakings and projects to combat climate change, to develop and implement adaptation strategies, to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity and to foster the sustainable use of the oceans and seas. Furthermore, it addresses sustainability topics relating to natural resources, resource-efficient consumption and urban development. The program promotes the development of long-term contacts and collaboration with colleagues in Germany

Details

• If you are a prospective leader you will do a one-year research-related project in Germany as part of your fellowship; if you are a postdoc, long-term academic research (12-24 months). It should focus on combating climate change, adaptation strategies, preserving ecosystems and biodiversity, or on the sustainable use of the seas and oceans. Sustainability topics relating to natural resources, resource-efficient consumption or urban development are also welcome.
• They award up to 15 International Climate Protection Fellowships to prospective leaders and up to five to postdoctoral researchers each year. The fellowships are funded through the International Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).

Fellowship Specifications

• Additionally to the monthly fellowship amount – depending on career stage – €2,000, €2,300 or €2,500, the following benefits can be granted:
  • Mobility lump sum as a subsidy for expenses in connection with necessary conference and research trips, archive and library stays, etc. in Germany and abroad;
  • Subsidy towards the cost of medical and liability insurance;
  • lump sum for travel expenses if the costs are not borne by a third party;
  • Language fellowship for a one- to two-month intensive German language course in Germany immediately prior to the fellowship. When a fellowship has been granted, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation may provide financial support for improving fellows’ existing German language skills while they are still in their own countries. Fellows with little or no knowledge of German are strongly advised to take a two-month intensive language course in Germany;
  • Family allowances for visits by family members staying at least three months;
  • For single parents: flat-rate allowance for accompanying children (under the age of 18) for stays of at least three months;
  • Extension of the fellowship by up to three months if children under the age of 12 accompany the fellow to Germany;
  • Europe allowance for a maximum of one to two months spent researching at an institution in another European country during the fellowship, provided that this is necessary to carry out the research-based project in question;
  • Allowance for research costs amounting to €800 per month for research-based proposals in the natural and engineering sciences and €500 for proposals in the humanities and social sciences;
  • Extensi ve alumni funding after successfully completing the initial stay in Germany, especially support for networking with collaborative partners in Germany du ring the fellow’s entire career.

Target group

Those applying for this program must be working in the field of climate protection or climate-related resource conservation; they should have proven leadership skills, which must be convincingly demonstrated in the application and supported by appropriate references. In addition to applicants with a background in the natural and engineering sciences, candidates who have been engaged in legal, economic, health-related and societal issues relating to climate change are encouraged to apply for this programme.

Eligibility Criteria

• First university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent), completed less than 12 years previously, counting back from the end of the application period (1 February 2023);
• Leadership skills demonstrated by initial experience in leadership positions and/or appropriate references;
• Extensive work experience (at least 48 months at the time of application) in the field of climate protection or climate-related resource conservation; Choice of a research-based project in the field of climate protection or climate-related resource conversation;
• A detailed statement by a host in Germany, including a mentoring agreement; details of the proposal must be discussed with the prospective host prior to application;
• Two expert references by individuals qualified to comment on the candidate’s professional, personal and, if applicable, academic eligibility as well as his/her leadership potential;
• Citizenship of a non-European transition or developing country which is also the applicant’s habitual residence and place of work;
• Very good knowledge of English and/or German, documented by appropriate language certificates
• Eligible applicants must have lived and worked in an eligible country, for at least 12 months during the last 18 months prior to the application deadline.
• All stays outside the eligible countries (including Germany) are taken into account, regardless of their duration and reason.

Ineligible

• Any person who, regardless of their country of residence, has supported themselves for more than six out of the last 18 months with financing from a German institution or who has worked on a doctoral project or studied at an institution in Germany in the last 18 months also is not eligible to apply.
• Applicants who have already received sponsorship from the Humboldt Foundation in the form of a fellowship or award are not entitled to apply to this program but should turn to the appropriate alumni sponsorship programmes. Those sponsored in the context of the International Climate Protection Fellowships are excluded from applying for other fellowships offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

For more information, visit https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/apply/sponsorship-programmes/international-climate-protection-fellowship