The joint research award of the Max Planck Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is granted to exceptional scientists and scholars outside of Germany in recognition of their academic achievements and their outstanding Research and Collaboration Proposal together with a German research institution.
For further information on the aim and scope of the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award, please see the Programme Information (German version).
If you are interested in the previous award winners and their research, please visit our website (German website).
Please also read the Regulations on the Use of Funds (German version) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Information and Recommendations for Award Winners (German version) and Rules of Good Scientific Practice (German version).
For general information on the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal, which is endowed with a total of EUR 60,000 pers. award, please click here (German version).
A statement of Prof. Dr. Martin Stratmann, former President of the Max Planck Society, and Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Pape, former President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, on the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award can be found here.
In order to participate in the selection process, shortlisted candidates and their host institution(s) will be asked to submit information via this online platform. Detailed information on the timing and components of the proposal is provided below.
Firstly, shortlisted candidates and their host institution(s) will need to create a new account to register for our online platform (see box on the left 'User Login / Request new password').
Once you have created an account, you will be able to fill in the different sections of the online form and upload all the necessary supporting documents. You can save and edit the information as many times as you like before submitting it. Once you have submitted information, you will not be able to change the data and/or files provided.
The following documents must be provided by the shortlisted candidates by the following deadlines:
By 11 July 2025: Personal Information
- Personal information including information on your home institution and a short vita (up to 600 characters).
- Curriculum vitae including all positions and career breaks with exact dates.
- List of publications
- List of key publications (not to exceed two pages). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to identify five key publications from their entire body of work and to explain why each of these key publications reflects their innovative research potential.
By 25 August 2025: Information on the selected German host institution(s)
Please note that we will contact your host(s) as soon as we have received the contact details and ask to submit a Host Statement in support of your research proposal (deadline for the Host Statement is 8 October 2024, please also see below).
By 9 October 2025: Full Research and Collaboration Proposal
- Up to five key terms defining the research project and an abstract (up to 1,200 characters).
- Research and Collaboration Proposal detailing the proposed collaboration with one or more German host institution(s) (must not exceed fifteen pages, including references). Please refer to the List of questions for the Research and Collaboration Proposal for further information.
- Five-year Budget Outline (up to 3,000 characters) and completed Budget Table. For further information, please refer to the Regulations on the Use of Funds for the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award.
The German host institution(s) selected by the shortlisted candidates will be contacted and asked to submit a Host Statement by 9 October 2025.
If the candidate intends to collaborate with more than one host institution, each institution must submit a separate letter of support. Please refer to the List of questions for the Host Statement for further information.
Please upload all documents in PDF format.
Please name each file as follows: LastName_FileName.pdf (e.g.: Curie_CV.pdf; Curie_List_of_publications.pdf; etc.) Please do not upload any encrypted PDFs.
Please ensure that your email and contact details remain valid until the end of the selection process. If this is not possible, please inform the Award Manager of your updated contact details at mphf@gv.mpg.de.
An overview of the selection process and timeline for the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award 2025 can be found here.
All complete Research and Collaboration Proposals will be evaluated by independent experts. For this purpose, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation will obtain three to four international peer reviews per candidate.
In addition, all shortlisted candidates together with the representative(s) of their German host institution(s) will be invited to a 1.5-day Selection Symposium in Berlin to present their Research and Collaboration Proposals to the Nomination Committee of the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award. The Symposium will be held in March 2026. At the end of the Symposium, the Nomination Committee will select up to three candidates to be nominated to the Board of the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award.
The Board, a joint, independent selection committee of the Max Planck Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, chaired by the President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, will convene in June 2026 and decide on the selection of the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award winner. If the selection committee confirms that the entire academic career of the up to two other nominees is worthy of recognition, they will be awarded the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal.
The shortlisted candidates will be informed about the outcome of the selection after the meeting of the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award Board.
All considerations will be based solely on the candidate's outstanding academic profile, their extraordinarily successful, unconventional and innovative research to date and the quality and originality of their Research and Collaboration Proposal. Please note that the work of the Nomination Committee and the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award Board is confidential. All decisions made by the Committee and the Board are binding collective decisions and no individual feedback will be given.
Please click here for the FAQs.
If you have any further questions about the award or the selection process, please contact the Award Manager at mphf@gv.mpg.de.