Humboldt Residency Programme

Short-term, intensive programme to foster transdisciplinary and international collaboration and science communication. The programme changes according to annual themes.

Established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation) supports foreign students and researchers during research visits to Germany. The aim of the foundation is to promote academic cooperation between scientists and scholars from Germany and abroad. It also acts as an intermediary for German foreign culture and educational policy and as such promotes international dialogue and academic exchange. The foundation awards more than 700 fellowships and awards each year. Its activities are chiefly financed from resources deriving from government and non-government funders.

The annual Humboldt Residency Programme is designed to promote transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration. It brings together a group of twelve participants from a wide range of backgrounds including researchers, writers, artists, civil society actors and social entrepreneurs, to address a specific topic or challenge. 

The programme takes the form of a six-week residency in Brandenburg and Berlin in Germany where participants meet daily in shared working spaces. The residency is intended to open up time and freedom for knowledge sharing and transdisciplinary collaboration. Included in the programme is also a strong focus on science communication.

Humboldt Foundation issues annual calls with a specific thematic focus.