Sofja Kovalevskaja Award for Doctoral Research

Dear Sir or Madam,


With the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is offering promising young researchers from all over the world attractive career prospects in Germany. Junior research talents of all disciplines from abroad are given the opportunity to establish working groups of their own at German research institutions. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is delighted to be able to contribute to the further internationalisation of Germany as a research location with this distinguished award for top level academics.

The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award recognises outstanding talent and creative research approaches with exceptional conditions: With an award amount of up to 1.65 million EUR each winner receives valuable starting capital to spend five years pursuing an innovative research project at a research institute of his or her choice - untroubled by administrative constraints. In addition, the establishment of their own junior research team enables the award winners to lay an important foundation for a promising academic career at a very early stage. Eight awards are expected to be granted. The programme is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Outstandingly qualified junior academics of all disciplines from abroad who completed their doctorate less than six years ago are eligible to apply for the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award. It is also possible to submit applications immediately after finishing one's doctoral studies. The programme is also open to German researchers provided that they have been working abroad for more than five years. Applications must be submitted by 1 September 2011.

We should be grateful if you could support us in looking for suitable international research talents by disseminating this announcement at your institution. Attached you will find a brief description of the Sofja
Kovalevskaja Award that you are free to forward or display at your institution. Also, we should very much appreciate if you could request further colleagues to draw the attention of suitably talented junior researchers to this academic award.

Details of the application procedure for the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award can be found on our website at: www.humboldt-foundation.de/skp_en. For individual questions, you are also welcome to contact info@avh.de.

Thank you very much in advance for your support.

Sincerely yours

Dr. Enno Aufderheide
Secretary General,
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation