Humboldt and YIN – a win-win-constellation

The eleventh Humboldt Day at KIT showed how junior research group leaders and Humboltians can profit from each other.

As Humboldt hosts, YIN members can get excellent researchers from abroad to join their teams or apply themselves to the Humboldt Foundation, for instance for a Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship. YIN in turn provides young group leaders from abroad with an international peer community giving support and advice. In addition, a specially tailored continuing education program for junior research group leaders is open to them. YIN member Dr. Julia Syurik outlined the support she had gotten, when she just arrived from Russia and had to build up her own research team.

 

YIN members as hosts

Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers for 6-18 months
Doctorate completed less than 12 years prior to application

The group of Dr. Roswitha Zeis has a visitor from Canada at the moment: Aimy Bazylak is professor at the chair in Thermofluidics for Clean Energy at the University of Toronto and now conducts research at the Helmholtz institute Ulm for 11 months. The two scientists got to know and value each other at a Gordon Conference on fuel cells in the USA.

Experience as host
„The keyword ‘Humboldt‘ itself opens many doors and faciliates administratve procedures, for example with the Foreigners Authority,“ reports Roswitha Zeis. Furthermore, everything is really well organized by Humboldt.

Benefits for host and group

  • Unique exchange of experiences – scientifically as well as on management issues
  • Exchange of master and PhD students
  • Opening of new research fields (through guest’s experience and contacts)
     

What Humboldt covers

  • Monthly payment for guest: 3,150 Euro (experienced researcher) and 2,650 (postdoc)
  • Traveling expenses
  • Monthly support for hosting institut: up to 800 Euro
     

What needs to be done by the host

  • Contribution to the application: Rating of the scientific profile of the guest (approx. 5 pages in writing)
  • Write invitation to apply for visa
  • Providing working place and laboratory


YIN-member as Humboldt-Fellow (from abroad)

Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers for 6-24 months
Doctorate completed less than 4 years prior to application

Dr. Guillaume Delaittre came to Germany and the KIT with a Humboldt-Fellowship: For two years, he was a visiting researcher at the Zoological Institute and the Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry. Today his junior research group is allocated at the latter as well as at the Institute for Toxicology and Genetics.

Experience as Humboldt-Fellow
„I was extremely pleased with the Humboldt Foundation. Until this day I now and then take part in network activities, conferences organized by Humboldt and the annual meeting in Berlin. I could image very well to welcome a Humboldtian in my group.“
 

YIN-Mitglieder als Stipendiaten (from Germany)

Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship (Hosts need tob e Humboldtians themselves!!)
For Postdocs and experienced researchers

Dr. Jörg Overhage spent his research stay at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His host was Prof. Robert Hancock from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Experience as Humboldt-Fellow
„The application has to be scientifically convincing, but can be relatively short in comparison. Furthermore, it is very pleasant to be supported by the Humboldt Foundation throughout the visit abroad and after the return to Germany. I personally found the experience extremely helpful: for establishing my own research group and my academic career as well as for my personal development. Culture and research in Canada are a whole lot different than in Germany. Moreover, I could work quite independently at my host institute and started developing my own research profile even as a postdoc.”  

What Humboldt covers

  • 2/3  of monthly payment, the amount depending on host country and family situation (1/3 is covered by the host): all in all e.g. 2,887 Euro (California, USA), 2.810 (Canada)
  • Traveling expenses
  • Publication costs, congress fees, etc.