Georg Forster Research Fellowship

Who can apply

Applications are not currently being accepted at all; the eligibility criteria below describe the programme as it ran through 2026 and would apply only if it reopens
Postdocs: doctorate completed within the last four years, or within six months of completing it with a written summary of findings, with a publication record in internationally reviewed journals
Experienced researchers: doctorate completed within the last twelve years, with an extensive internationally reviewed publication record
If a doctorate is uncommon in your field or country, up to 16 years after a master's or other postgraduate degree, with a commensurate publication record
From a developing or transition country per the OECD DAC list, excluding the People's Republic of China and India
Research must address questions relevant to the sustainable development of the applicant's region of origin
Not previously funded by the Humboldt Foundation

This entry exists to correct the record, not to point you toward an application

The Georg Forster Research Fellowship was one of the more substantial German postdoctoral fellowships aimed specifically at researchers from developing and transition countries, and it is still described as active on a number of scholarship aggregator sites. It is not. The Humboldt Foundation’s own page states plainly that applications stopped “with immediate effect,” attributing this to budget cuts and a change in funding conditions from the body that finances the programme, and gives no date for when, or whether, a redesigned version will reopen.

Built around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, not just postdoctoral merit

The programme’s framing goes beyond standard postdoctoral funding criteria. The Humboldt Foundation describes the fellowship as recognising the role researchers from developing and transition countries play in advancing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and states that its sponsorship level is equivalent to the general Humboldt Research Fellowship rather than a lesser tier. In line with SDG 5 on gender equality, the Foundation says it particularly encourages applications from women, and separately says it expressly welcomes applicants from Least Developed Countries as defined by the UN, a narrower and more specific category than “developing country” in general.

If you already hold one, or were about to apply

If you already hold a Georg Forster fellowship awarded through 2026, nothing changes for you: the Foundation says that sponsorship continues as approved and Humboldt alumni support remains available regardless. If you were planning to apply, the Foundation’s own suggested alternative is the Humboldt Research Fellowship, which is open to researchers of any nationality rather than only developing-country applicants and does not carry the same sustainable-development framing, so check its criteria separately rather than assuming equivalence.

What the figures below are useful for, and what they aren’t

The figures and eligibility rules above describe the programme as it last ran, useful only for understanding what a relaunched version might resemble, not for planning an application today.