Junior and Senior Fellowship Programme 2025

Call for Applications

The University of Bayreuth Centre of International Excellence “Alexander von Humboldt” promotes excellent research at the University of Bayreuth (UBT) and advances the internationalisation of research and networking with the best universities worldwide. Effective immediately, the Centre is offering

Fellowships for the year 2025

– open to all disciplines* –

(Please note the specific rulings for African Studies at the bottom of this page.)

Senior Fellowships: Award sum 40,000 €

Junior Fellowships: Award sum 20,000 €

All Fellows will have the awarded sum at their disposal for covering all costs of project realisation. Fellows accompanied by at least one child receive an additional monthly family allowance of 250 €.

International Excellence – Programme Goals

The Centre supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and younger researchers. Furthermore, the Centre engages in activities opening the research community to society and politics. Successful applicants will become Fellows at the Centre and profit from the lively research environment of the university and its seven faculties. Applicants are encouraged to learn about the University of Bayreuth’s focus areas and research strengths.

Experience Bayreuth – Collaboration with Local Host

We invite the Fellows to carry out their own research projects in Germany in cooperation with a local host at the UBT. Prior to submission of the application, applicants are required to identify a researcher in Bayreuth with whom they aim to carry out their research project. The local hosts provide their Fellows with appropriate office and lab space and an up-to-date infrastructure. Applications are welcome from all disciplines, although exceptions apply.* The total support period of approximately three to six months can be divided into several stages. The Fellow will usually take up the Fellowship at the UBT and reside there during the time of the Fellowship.

Candidate Requirements

We award the Fellowships to individuals from abroad with challenging and innovative research projects of top academic quality through a highly competitive, strictly merit-based selection process. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of both the applicant and the cooperative project.

We view the diversity of our awardees as an asset and are expressly committed to the goal of gender equality. Female scholars and anyone who can help make the research profile of the university more diverse are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information on the application and selection process (required documents, guidelines on eligibility, hosts, evaluation criteria, timeline and stages of the selection process) see our Application Guidelines for Fellowships.

Application Deadline

Please submit your complete application via our online form by October 18, 2024.

Homepage Bayreuth Humboldt Centre

* Members of the Cluster of Excellence (as defined by § 11 [3] of the Cluster Rules) cannot act as host if the research focus of the application is on African Studies. This is due to regulations of the German Research Foundation stipulating that the Centre cannot provide funding to enhance resources of the university’s Cluster of Excellence. In case of doubt, please contact our office before applying.