Nominations are now open for the Georg Forster International Research Award 2025 in Germany. Each year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation presents up to six Georg Forster Research Awards to internationally outstanding researchers from developing and transition nations to recognize their lifetime academic record to date. The award aims to support the long-term promotion of exceptional scientific multipliers in transition and developing countries whose research will improve living conditions in their home countries.

Award details

• Nomination deadline: 31 October 2025
• Award organizer: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• Funded by: Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
• Country: Germany
• Number of awards: 6
• Nomination range: International
• Award stay duration: 6 to 12 months
• Award value: € 60K

Benefits of the Georg Forster Research Award

The award recipients will:

• Award amount: €60,000.
• This includes a research stay in Germany (6-12 months, flexible scheduling), with expenses covered (e.g., travel and language courses).
• Opportunity for up to €10,000 additional funding to involve female junior researchers from the awardee’s home country.
• Supports outstanding researchers from transition and developing countries working to improve conditions in their home regions.
• Award winners receive personalized support, event invitations, and language course opportunities.
• The Alumni network provides flexible career and collaboration support for awardees’ ongoing projects.

What are the award winners expected to do?

Award winners are invited to carry out a research project of their choice at a research institution in Germany in collaboration with specialist colleagues there. The award provides a total stay of between six months and a full year, which can be divided into multiple stays. Also, if required, the foundation will provide additional funding of up to €25,000 to support academic collaboration, particularly to cover the costs of participating in educational conferences, material resources at the home institution, or junior researchers.

Eligibility Criteria

Who may submit a nomination?

• Established researchers at German research institutions may nominate applicants for a Georg Forster Research Award. In addition, Humboldt Foundation award winners working overseas can also submit nominations jointly with a researcher who works in Germany.

Who may be nominated?

• Researchers whose essential explorations, new theories, insights, or findings have significantly impacted their discipline beyond their immediate research area.
• Researchers who will continue to contribute to generating research-based approaches to the specific problems of developing and transition countries are eligible to apply.

The individual nominated must additionally satisfy the following criteria:

• The nominee’s academic accomplishments must bear international recognition and proof by corresponding successes in research such as publications, etc.
• The nominee may not previously have won an award from the Humboldt Foundation for her/his academic work.
• Must be a national of a developing or transition country
  (excluding PR China and India),
• The nominee must have resided and worked in one of these countries for at least five years at the time of nomination.
• Finally, the foundation particularly encourages the nomination of qualified female researchers.

Reminder: Self-nominations are impossible, and applicants may not nominate their close relatives or marital/registered partner.

Evaluation Criteria of the Georg Forster Research Award

The Selection Committee makes its decisions based on the following:

• Outstanding international reputation as a researcher.
• Research impact that reaches beyond the immediate field.
• Relevance to developmental goals (e.g., UN’s Sustainable Development Goals).
• Influence on research, teaching, science management, and development-related areas outside the research field.

Additional Information

• Nominators are informed promptly after selection decisions.
• Feedback on competition levels and criteria is available upon request.

Selection procedure

The independent Selection Committee, consisting of researchers from all disciplines, generally meets once a year to decide on and select the award winner. It reviews the nominations soon after they are received.

Notification of results

After its selection committee meeting, the foundation will inform the nominees of the selection decision.

How do you nominate for the Georg Forster Research Award?

Nominations for the award may only be submitted online.

Nominate Now

If you have any questions, feel free to contact (info@avh.de).

Visit the Humboldt website for more nomination information, required documents, and general regulations for the award.

More opportunities you may be interested in:

Georg Forster Research Award for Researchers from Developing, Transition Countries (€60,000)

UBC International Scholars Program Awards 2025/26 in Canada

NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program for Ph.D. Students (Award: Up to $60,000)