Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award

The award is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and endowed with 1.5 million euros. It aims to enable German universities and scientific organisations to attract excellent researchers from abroad not more than 15 years after they have completed their doctorate to implement innovative and creative research projects in Germany. The award winner and the German host institution enjoy the greatest possible freedom and flexibility in shaping the framework conditions. In addition, the award winner receives a personal award of 80,000 euros in recognition of his or her overall performance to date.

The prize is awarded annually and alternatingly in the fields of the three sections of the Max Planck Society. The sections also organise the nomination procedure through annually changing nomination committees completely independently and purely guided by science. They fulfil their mandate by identifying three high-calibre international candidates and forwarding the nominations to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

The subsequent selection procedure is in the hands of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. A selection committee, which also includes the presidents of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Society, selects an award winner at the end of the procedure. If the selection committee also confirms the overall performance of up to two other nominees as worthy of an award, they will be awarded a Max Planck-Humboldt Medal and a personal award of 60,000 euros. 

It is not possible to submit personal applications or proposals outside the nomination procedure.

The award replaces the Max Planck Research Award, which the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Society awarded annually to two researchers until 2018.