The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Application Deadline: 23 May, 2017 12 p.m. CEST

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) hosts the prestigious ” 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 Professor Johanna Wanka, honours young researchers each year. The winners come from numerous countries and scientific disciplines and are recognised for their outstanding achievements in making our societies more sustainable. Selected by a high-ranking jury of German experts the award-winners are granted unique access to the country’s research elite.

Are you an up-and-coming scientist with innovative ideas and a strong focus on sustainable development? Does your research have the potential to change the world? We challenge you to convince the high-ranking expert jury and become one of the 25 Green Talents 2017!

Requirements:

• The award is open to all disciplines as long as it is related to sustainable development. In 2017 the award has a focus on “Sustainable Production and Consumption” and this year’s Science Forum, taking place in October, will integrate sustainability hot spots in Germany related to this theme.
• Nevertheless, Green Talents highly welcome applications from all (not connected) research areas.

•  Before you start please make sure, that you do not hold a German passport or live in Germany.

   

• Applicants for the “Green Talents” competition must be enrolled in a Masters or a PhD programme in any field related to sustainable development or must have completed their degree with significantly above-average grades in a similar programme no more than three years before the end of the application process.

   

• During the application process you will be asked to upload a current letter of recommendation or expert opinion focusing on your career as a scientist and activities to date (letter must be in English and should not be more than 6 months old). You will furthermore be requested to provide your latest academic qualification transcripts as well as proof of your English language skills.

Benefits:

The 2017 Green Talents award includes:

• An invitation to the fully funded two-week Science Forum 2017, consisting of
• Visit to leading German science and research facilities with unique insights from experts at these institutions.
• Individual appointments with German experts of the winner’s choice to discuss opportunities for research and cooperation.
• Networking opportunities at the festive award ceremony.
• A fully funded research stays of up to three months at an institution of the award-winner´s choice in 2018.
• Exclusive access to the Green Talents alumni network.

Application Procedure:

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 papers under preparation
• Questions regarding your motivation to participate in the 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.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Green Talents 2017– International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development