Humboldt Research Fellowship 2027: Your Own Project, Your Own Host, Any Country
The Humboldt Research Fellowship pays postdocs EUR 3,000 and experienced researchers EUR 3,600 a month to run their own project with a host in Germany. Since 2026 it runs on three calls a year, each capped at 800 applications — the next opens on 15 November 2026.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
4 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
The Humboldt Research Fellowship is the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s flagship grant for researchers from abroad who want to spend 6 to 24 months doing their own research at a German university or institute. You choose the topic. You choose the host. There are no quotas for countries or disciplines — the official programme information says decisions rest on academic qualification alone.
It is a fellowship, not a job. You are not hired by the host institute, you do not teach, and the monthly payment is tax-free in Germany under §3 No. 44 of the Income Tax Act, according to the foundation’s fellowship guidelines.
Two tracks: postdocs and experienced researchers
There is one programme with two lines. Which one you apply to depends on how long ago you finished your doctorate — counted to the day the foundation receives your application, not the day you start writing it.
| Postdocs | Experienced researchers | |
|---|---|---|
| Doctorate completed | Within the last 4 years | Within the last 12 years |
| Monthly fellowship | EUR 3,000 | EUR 3,600 |
| Length | 6–24 months | 6–18 months |
| Profile expected | Peer-reviewed publications | Own research profile, papers as thematic lead, a leadership role (assistant professor, lecturer, independent group leader or higher) |
| Expert reviews from | Doctoral supervisor + one other researcher | Key collaborators and colleagues, ideally outside your country |
Both lines can be split into up to three stays within three years, each at least three months long. Recognised career breaks — including two extra years per child for mothers — can push the 4- and 12-year limits back by up to six years. Details on the eligibility page.
What changed: calls with a cap of 800
Calls & timeline →For years you could apply at any time. That ended because, in the foundation’s words on the official programme page, “the number of applications received … has increased significantly since 2024.” There are now three calls a year, one per selection meeting. Each opens about eight months before its meeting and closes as soon as 800 applications are in.
| Call opens | Selection meeting | Earliest start |
|---|---|---|
| 15 March 2026 | November 2026 | February 2027 |
| 15 July 2026 (full) | March 2027 | May 2027 |
| 15 November 2026 | July 2027 | September 2027 |
The current call has reached its 800-application cap and the portal is not accepting new applications. The foundation says the next call opens on 15 November 2026. You can keep working on a draft already started, but you cannot submit until then.
The foundation expects to approve 20–25% of applications at upcoming meetings. That is its own forecast, published on the programme page, not a historical figure.
What the fellowship pays
Allowances →EUR 3,000 (postdocs) or EUR 3,600 (experienced), paid on the first of each month into a SEPA bank account.
EUR 100/month mobility allowance, EUR 70 or 130/month towards health insurance, EUR 430 initial lump sum, and a travel lump sum by country.
EUR 506/month for an accompanying partner, EUR 259/month per child (if no German child benefit), EUR 400 + 100 for single parents.
A 2–4 month intensive German course before you start (partner too). Your host institute gets EUR 800 or 500 a month towards research costs.
How an application actually moves
- 1Months before the callFind a host and agree the project
No host, no application. You approach a researcher in Germany yourself; the foundation does not match you.
- 2Before you submitCollect two expert reviews
Your reviewers upload their letters directly into your application. You cannot submit until both are in.
- 3Call is openSubmit online
CV (2 pages), research outline (5 pages), publication lists, up to three key publications, doctoral certificate.
- 4After you submitYour host completes their part
The host gets a link, uploads a statement (about 2 pages) and confirms facilities. Only then does the file reach the foundation.
- 54–8 weeks, then 3–6 monthsChecks, peer review, selection meeting
Formal checks, independent peer review, then a vote by a committee of 60–70 researchers.
Where to go next
4/12-year rule, the 90-day Germany limit, Germans abroad, career breaks.
Who can host, who cannot, and how to write the first email.
The five-page outline and what reviewers look for.
The committee, the criteria and the most common reasons for rejection.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, DFG Walter Benjamin, DAAD.
Start on the official site
This is an independent guide. The foundation’s Humboldt Research Fellowship page and its programme information PDF (as of January 2026) are the source of truth. Questions can go to info@avh.de — the foundation explicitly invites them before you submit.