Max Planck Research Award
Excellent scientists and scholars of all nationalities who are expected to continue producing outstanding academic achievements in international collaboration - not least with the assistance of this award - are eligible to be nominated for the Max Planck Research Award.
On an annually-alternating basis, the call for nominations addresses areas within the natural and engineering sciences, the life sciences, and the humanities.
The Max Planck Research Award 2010 will be awarded in the area of life science in the field of Human Evolution.
The deadline for nominations is 26 October 2009.
With the help of modern scientific methods from the widest possible range of disciplines, new questions can be explored down through the long periods of human evolution, such as issues relating to society, settlement history, living conditions, and the influence of the environment, for example. The aim of the Max Planck Research Award is to create a heightened awareness of the enormous role scientific research plays in the discussion of a subject that was previously viewed from a largely cultural perspective.
Every year, the Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Society grant two research awards to one researcher working in Germany and one researcher working abroad.
The Presidents/Vice Chancellors of universities and the heads of research institutions in Germany are eligible to make nominations (c.f. list of eligible nominators). Direct applications are not accepted. As a rule, each award is endowed with 750,000 EUR and may be used over a period of three to a maximum of five years to fund research chosen by the award winner.
Other important details
- Complete nomination documents (PDF/RTF)
- Programme information (PDF)
Further information
- The nominee must be recognised internationally as an outstandingly qualified academic (e.g. awards, positive responses to publications, etc.).
- Expectation of continued outstanding academic achievements in international collaboration − not least with the assistance of the award.
- Nomination by a person entitled to make the nomination (c.f. list of eligible nominators).
- Expert reviews by important international and German collaborative partners and/or academics.
- The Humboldt Foundation assumes that candidates will abide by the Rules of Good Scientific Practice during the application and sponsorship periods.
Nominations may be sent to the following address by 26 October 2009:
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Selection Department,
Jean-Paul-Str. 12, 53173 Bonn, Germany
The deadline is not an exclusion date; however, it may not be possible to process nominations which arrive late or incomplete. The Selection Committee meeting will take place in Spring 2010. Reviewing the applications takes four to six months.
It is the nominator's responsibility to ensure that he or she has submitted all the necessary documents. Nominations not submitted as a single entity will take longer to process. The documents required in addition to the nomination documents, i.e. the confidential statements by the expert reviewers, can be submitted to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation directly, at the same time as the nomination.
An independent Selection Committee composed of academic peers makes the final decision on the nominations received. The Selection Committee makes its decision solely on the basis of the nominees' academic qualifications.
Nominees will be notified about the Selection Committee's decision immediately after the meeting.- Complete nomination documents (PDF/RTF): Format DIN A4, Format US Letter
Specifically
- Programme information (PDF): Format DIN A4, Format US Letter
- Nomination form (RTF): Format DIN A4, Format US Letter
- Sample publication list (PDF): Format DIN A4, Format US Letter
- Regulations on the use of funds (PDF): Format DIN A4, Format US Letter
Further information
- Members of the Selection Committee for the Allocation of Max Planck Research Awards 2009
The appointments for the members of the selection committee for the allocation of Max Planck Research Awards 2010 are still ongoing - Email advisory service: leilani.orate(at)avh.de
One of our hallmarks is the degree of support we try to provide for every single guest researcher. This is why we offer you extra benefits in addition to the award amount: from invitations to events to language courses.
Further information
- Regulations on the use of funds (PDF): Format DIN A4, Format US Letter
- Information booklet: Information and Recommendations for Award Winners (PDF)
- Support during research stay
Once an Humboldtian, always an Humboldtian: Even after your initial research stay has come to an end, we shall still maintain close contact with you. Our alumni sponsorship is flexible and designed to support every Humboldtian’s particular path in life and development as well as collaborations between individuals.
Further information
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