Expanding Cooperation. Japan and the Activities of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Dr. Georg Schütte

Secretary General

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Connecting academic excellence worldwideKnowledge transfer and cooperation at the highest level

Melanie Schmitz:

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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

Academic Excellence

sole selection criterion: academic excellence

sponsorship for people, not projects flexible sponsorship programmes for cutting-edge researchers

at all stages of their careers

no quotas for countries or subjects

free choice of academic host/collaboration partner in Germany

worldwide excellence network of Humboldtians

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

Humboldtians and their families as ambassadors for Germany

“Once an Humboldtian, always an Humboldtian”

Five out of twenty-three thousand

Robert Grubbs – 2005 Nobel Prize for Chemistry

László Sólyom – President of Hungary

Tricia Striano – Sofja Kovalevskaja Award Winner

Hamadi Boga – Georg Forster Research Fellow

Erin Taylor – German Chancellor Scholar

Humboldt Foundation Financing

AA: Federal Foreign Office BMZ: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and

Development BMBF: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The annual budget is approx. 60 mill. EUR, more than 97% of which is publicly financed by the Federation. Financing is distributed as follows:

Sponsorship Programmes at a Glance

Humboldt Foundation Programmes

Flexible sponsorship programmes for cutting-edge researchers at all stages of their careers

for postdoctoral researchers

(scientists who completed their doctorate less then 4 years ago) Research Fellowships: 6 to 24 months

for junior resarch group leaders(scientists who completed their doctorate less then 6 years ago)

Sofja Kovalevskaja Award; 1.65 million EUR

Humboldt Foundation Programmes

for experienced researchers

(scientists who completed their doctorate less then 12 years ago) with an own, clearly defined academic profile

Research Fellowships: 6 to 18 months Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award; 45,000 €,

nomination

for internationally recognised cutting-edge researchers

Humbold Research Award; 60,000 €; research stays in Germany over a period of 6 to 12 months (may be divided into segments); nomination

Research Fellowships

for research stays abroad

Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship for postdoctoral researchers / for experienced researchers

worldwide, all subjects, no quotas

Humboldtians as hosts

host contribution

Research Fellowships Japan/Taiwan

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)research visits lasting 12 to 24 months in Japan and

National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC)research visits lasting 6 to 12 months in Taiwan

In the framework of the Feodor Lynen Programme, the Humboldt Foundation is responsible for the pre-selection of German postdoctoral researchers for the fellowships of the

Application requirementsPostdoctoral researchers

doctorate

academic publications

agreement by academic host

autonomous research project

knowledge of German and/or English

Experienced researchers

own, clearly defined academic profile

comprehensive list of academic publications

agreement by academic host

autonomous research project

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

duration of procedure: approx. 3 to 6 months

Sponsorship provisions

travel expenses

language courses or allowance towards language course *

fellowship

family allowance additional funding for project costs and scientific equipment

(*not applicable to Feodor Lynen Research Fellowships)

Sponsorship provisions

Intensive and individual mentoring in Germany and abroad by personal contacts at the Humboldt Foundation

Study Tour*, Network meeting, Annual meeting

Alumni Sponsorship

Return Fellowships for specific regions

(*not applicable to Feodor Lynen Research Fellowships)

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

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

Network Sponsorship

Renewed research period (up to 3 months):

to continue or complete earlier projects or initiate new ones

Network Sponsorship

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

guest visits by academics from Germany to Humboldtians’ institutes abroad

research visits by German junior researchers to Humboldtians abroad (Feodor Lynen Programme)

book and equipment donations

Network Sponsorship

long-term research cooperation (Institutional Partnerships, TransCoop Programme)

colloquia abroad

Humboldt Kollegs

Humboldt Associations

Network Sponsorship

Fellowship for Japan-Related Research

jointly established by the Humboldt Associations in Japan and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to strengthen academic cooperation between Japan and Germany

for German doctoral candidates who are conducting research on a Japan-related subject

single grant of 5,000 EUR to undertake a research visit to Japan

Philipp Franz von Siebold Award

donated by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany

awarded annually to a Japanese academic under 50 years of age for outstanding services to enhance mutual understanding of culture and society in Germany and Japan

prize: 50,000 EUR; research stays in Germany of up to 12 months

nominations by presidents of Japanese universities and former Siebold award winners; Humboldt fellows may make nominations via the Vice Chancellor of a Japanese university

Statistics

Origin of Guest Researchers

2002 - 2006: a total of 2,478 new research fellows from abroad

(5% from Japan)

Destination Countries of Feodor Lynen Fellows

USA: 60%

Canada: 3%Australia: 3%

New Zealand: 1%

Great Britain: 3%

Suisse 1%

Italy 1%

Japan: 15%

France: 4%

Others (50 countries): 9%

1979-2006: a total of 2,715 Feodor Lynen Fellows

Disciplines of Guest Researchers

2002 - 2006: a total of 2,478 new research fellows from abroad

Disciplines of Japanese research fellows

1953 - 2006: a total of 2038 research fellows from Japan

Humboldt Network in Japan – Main Institutions

Number of Humboldtians

Kyoto University 83

University of Tokyo 65

Kyushu University 48

Tohoku University 41

Nagoya University 34

Osaka University 30

Hokkaido University 28

Kobe University 27

University of Tsukuba 21

Niigata University 20

Other Fields of Activity

German Mobility Centre

Germany’s role in the EU-wide network of mobility centres (ERAMORE) to facilitate cross-border, research-related mobility

Information and personal counselling for internationally mobile researchers: fellowships and funding resources job offers immigration and residence, taxation

Internet portal and contacts: www.eracareers-germany.de

National Contact Point (NCP) Mobility

Taskinformation and counselling for German institutions and researchers on the facets and actions in this field, especially the Marie Curie Actions

Marie Curie Actionssupport for research training and transnational mobility for researchers, knowledge transfer and excellence in research

Frontiers of Research Symposia

bi-national, interdisciplinary conferences involving outstandingjunior researchers (USA, Japan, Great Britain, China)

Form

3-day conferences for scientists (with the USA: for engineers and humanities scholars, too)

in cooperation with foreign partner organisations

annually-alternating in Germany and the partner country

matching funds from both sides

Contact

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Jean-Paul-Straße 12

53173 Bonn

Germany

Tel: +49 228 833-0

Fax: +49 228 833-199

www.humboldt-foundation.de

info@avh.de