Green Talents – International Forum on Sustainable Development 2018 (Fully-funded to Germany)

Deadline: May 23, 2018

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is accepting applications for the Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development to promote the international exchange of innovative green ideas. The award, under the patronage of Minister Anja Karliczek, honours young researchers each year.

Are you an up-and-coming scientist with inventive ideas and a strong focus on sustainable development? Does your research have the potential to change the world? Apply to become one of the 25 Green Talents of 2018!

The award is open to all disciplines as long as they are related to sustainable development. The winners come from numerous countries and scientific disciplines and are recognised for their outstanding achievements in making our societies more sustainable.

Benefits

The prestigious Green Talents programme offers you the unique opportunity to become part of an exceptional world-wide network of outstanding young minds and leading German institutions.

• SCIENCE FORUM: Be invited to Germany for a two-week Science Forum in October 2018 and visit some of the hot-spots of sustainability science. This offers you the unique opportunity to get exclusive access to the country’s research landscape. Thereby, you learn about ground-breaking projects on-site and possibilities for cooperation with German experts and facilities.
• INDIVIDUAL APPOINTMENTS: As part of the Green Talents Science Forum you will meet leading German experts of your choice in individual appointments. By visiting those experts in their retrospective facilities to personally discuss your research, you may lay the foundation for future collaborations.
• RESEARCH STAY IN 2019: You will have the opportunity to return to Germany for up to three months to conduct a research stay at an institute of your choice the year after the Science Forum. Gain new experiences in an inspiring environment and advance your professional career while establishing long-lasting relationships.
• GREEN TALENTS NETWORK: Become part of the unique global Green Talents network of more than 200 outstanding young minds from 57 different countries worldwide. Its active alumni network covers the full spectrum of sustainability science and will help you to exchange your ideas with peers and find new project partners.

The Science Forum and the extended research stay will be fully-financed by the BMBF.

When selected as a “Green Talent”, you will be invited to a two-week Science Forum in Germany (which takes place in October). This means that the BMBF will cover your travel expenses (to/from Germany and during the trip) as well as your meals and accommodation during the Science Forum. Costs for health insurance and visa fees cannot be covered and must be paid by the participants.

They will cover return flights to Germany and also provide a monthly allowance when you return in 2019 for your research stay. This allowance is intended to support you during your stay and will be sufficient for accommodation, insurance, food and your daily needs. However, it is not intended to support your research.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Enrolment in a master’s or PhD programme or a degree (master’s/PhD) completed no more than three years before the end of the application process
• Strong focus on sustainable development and an interdisciplinary approach
• Proven excellent command of English
• Significantly above-average grades
• Not a German citizen nor a resident of Germany (individuals therefore not eligible to apply: German passport holders as well as anyone living in Germany at the time of application even if the residence is temporary)

The Green Talents Competition focuses on outstanding young scientists who are active in the field of sustainable development. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) fosters interdisciplinary approaches in this regard. Applicants can therefore come from any scientific field closely related to sustainability research.

Application

The application consists of the following four parts:

• Forms with personal information and questions about your academic and professional career, including details about university degrees, research work, lists of publications, etc. You will not have to upload a CV.
• Questions regarding your publications and patents. You do not have to hand in full articles. We merely require a list of books/chapters/articles you (co-)authored. Please list your publications in chronological order, naming the titles, potential co-authors, the publisher and the context (book/chapter/article/conference paper etc.).

• Include articles/papers that have been submitted but have not yet been approved.
• Exclude articles/papers under preparation.

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• Questions regarding your motivation to participate in the Science Forum (we recommend that you write your answers in advance and simply copy them into the text fields):

• Please briefly explain your actual research by showing how it relates to sustainable development and demonstrate your interdisciplinary interest.
• What new perspective are you providing to sustainability research? What is your professional goal?
• How is your research/work related to sustainability science in Germany? Please also indicate which of the institutions in this year’s Science Forum are most relevant to you and why.
• What do you expect to gain from the Green Talents Award for your future career?

• Letter of recommendation: letter in which the author assesses the qualities, characteristics and capabilities of the person being recommended in terms of the individual’s ability to perform a particular task or function. This

• should focus on your career as a scientist and activities up until now,
• must be in English,
• should not be older than 6 months,
• can be written by current or past supervisors from either academia or industry.

Applications can only be submitted via an online tool. Documents that are sent to us by email cannot be accepted. Please note that applications cannot be changed once they have been submitted nor can any missing document be handed in after the deadline.