CALL FOR NOMINATIONS┋Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation presents approximately 20 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Awards annually to internationally renowned academics from abroad in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments in research. The award is named for German astronomer and mathematician Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (1784–1846) and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
For more information please see the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award programme information.
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Our sponsorship
The award amount is €45,000. Award winners are also invited to conduct a research project of their choice at a research institution in Germany in cooperation with specialist colleagues there. The award enables a total stay of between sixmonths and a full year, which can be split into multiple stays.
We strive to offer our guest researchers individualised support and funding. Amongst the benefits available to award winners are invitations to numerous events or the opportunity to attend language courses. Our alumni sponsorship measures flexibly support every Humboldtian’s individual journey through life, in both their careers and their future collaborations.
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- Support during your research stay
- Sponsorship for alumni abroad
- General regulations and information for research award winners (PDF, 376 KB)
Who may submit a nomination?
Nominations for a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award may be initiated by established researchers at research institutions in Germany. Humboldt Foundation award winners working abroad are also eligible to submit nominations jointly with a researcher working in Germany.
For details of the nomination process please see the web page Information for nominators for the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award. As soon as we receive all the necessary documents, we will confirm receipt of the nomination bye-mail and initiate the review process. All information will of course be treated as strictly confidential. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us (info[at]avh.de). We are happy to help.
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Who may be nominated?
Eligible for nomination are researchers whose outstanding academic qualification is internationally recognised and can be demonstrated through corresponding successes in research. Nominees must moreover offer a well-founded expectation of future outstanding academic achievements that will have a lasting impact on their discipline beyond their immediate research area. The individual nominated must additionally meet the following criteria:
- The nominated individual must have gained her/his doctorate no more than 18 years ago. An exception to this rule may be made where justified
(e.g. in the case of career breaks to raise children). - The nominee may not previously have received an award from the Humboldt Foundation for her/his academic work.
- The nominee must have lived and worked outside Germany for over five years at the time of nomination.
- The nominee must not yet have entered permanent employment in Germany at the time of selection.
Self-nominations are not possible, nor may you nominate close relatives or your marital/registered partner. We particularly encourage the nomination of qualified female researchers.
The selection procedure
The review process takes approximately six months. The independent body that selects the award winners is comprised of around 22 academics of all disciplines; it meets twice a year and makes its decision based on the independent peer reviews and the nominees’ academic qualifications.
The main selection criteria include:
- an excellent research record with scientific achievements that have already influenced the nominee’s field
- reasonable prospects for producing outstanding achievements with an impact that extends beyond the nominee’s immediate field of work
- the significance of the awarding of a research prize in relation to the position of the recipient’s field in Germany
The competition between nominations is independent of discipline. There are no quotas for countries, research areas or the gender of the individuals nominated.
We will inform nominators of the selection decision immediately after the meeting. If your nomination is unsuccessful, we will be happy to provide information on the level of competition and the selection criteria on request.
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- Information on independent peer reviews
- Members of the Committee for the Allocation of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Awards
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Nominees and nominators must always abide by the rules of good scientific practice (PDF) and the principles of scientific ethics.
