Age: No literal age limit; eligibility is based on career stage (within 4 years of a doctorate for postdocs, within 12 years for experienced researchers, extendable for documented career breaks).
Funding: Fully Funded
The Humboldt Research Fellowship pays postdoctoral and experienced researchers from anywhere in the world to carry out their own research project in Germany. It's run by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a German government-backed foundation, and each fellow works with a host researcher at a German university or institute of their own choosing.
The Humboldt Research Fellowship pays postdoctoral and experienced researchers from anywhere in the world to carry out their own research project in Germany. It's run by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a German government-backed foundation, and each fellow works with a host researcher at a German university or institute of their own choosing.
Who can apply
Completed a doctorate within the last 4 years (postdocs) or 12 years (experienced researchers), with possible extensions for career breaks
Open to researchers of any nationality and any research field, currently living or working outside Germany
Not a German national or long-term German-educated resident unless you've lived and worked abroad for 10+ years (or 5+ years with strong ties to your current country)
Must not have spent more than 90 days in Germany in the 18 months before applying
AI Verification
✓ AI Verified
Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.
We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.
76
LOT Verification ScoreSolid
Cross-checked 3 of 4 key facts
Confirmed Our best read Not stated
Good to know
+Money to the fellow: 3,000 euros a month plus benefits for postdocs, 3,600 for experienced researchers, for a 6 to 24 month research stay in Germany
+The benefits go well beyond the stipend: an intensive language course for the fellow and their partner, family benefits, health insurance subsidies and travel allowances
+Open to all nationalities and all research fields
+Unusually honest about odds: they expect 20 to 25 percent of applications to be approved
+The page documents everything in one place, including a long FAQ covering edge cases
+Flexible in a way that matters: the fellowship can be divided into up to three stays within three years
+Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 30,000 people sponsored, with Nobel laureates among alumni
Worth checking yourself
!The closing date could not be confirmed on the organisation's own pages. This listing shows no deadline, which does not mean applications are open indefinitely. Check the official page before you plan around it.
!The record currently shows Rolling. It is not rolling. Applications are closed right now and the next call does not open until 15 November 2026
!There is no deadline you can plan around at all: a call slams shut the moment 800 applications arrive. The practical advice is to apply the day a call opens
!Not a youth opportunity in LOT's usual sense. You need a completed doctorate, which realistically means late twenties at the earliest
!Heavy prerequisites before you can even submit: a German host institution must provide a mentoring agreement, and two expert reviewers must upload reviews personally
!A residency bar catches people already in Germany: you may not have lived there longer than 90 days in the 18 months before applying
!Unforgiving on process: applications missing documents will be formally rejected without further review
What we could not confirm
?Deadline
Sources checked
HUhumboldt-foundation.deApply
LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.
