Calling all applicants for Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship 2026 !!
Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship 2026
The Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS) is an international, inter-, and transdisciplinary research institute based in Potsdam, Germany. The institute focuses on integrating various types of knowledge to support the transformation of society toward sustainability. Its research approach is transdisciplinary, transformative, and co-creative.
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As part of its Fellow Programme, RIFS is offering the Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship 2026 (f_m_x). This fellowship honors Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), now RIFS. The fellowship aims to support individuals who, like Klaus Töpfer, are committed to sustainable development and building bridges between science, politics, and society.
RIFS is seeking applications from highly talented mid-career professionals, both from Germany and abroad, who have at least ten years of experience working on sustainability issues and have the potential to act as change agents. The proposed project should have a long-term impact and extend beyond the duration of the fellowship. It should address a particularly relevant aspect of sustainability, using effective methods, planned events, or communication channels, or tackle an issue that has received insufficient attention. Applicants should bring innovative ideas from their respective fields—whether science, the arts, civil society, business, politics, or other sectors—and should have gained professional experience in different countries and cultures.
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The Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship is awarded for one year and will begin in the first quarter of 2026. The fellowship can be adapted to the candidate’s life situation, such as being divided into intervals. The selected candidate is expected to carry out the project on-site in Potsdam for the entire term and contribute to the work of the institute.
Location:
GermanyBenefits
- Financial support through a monthly stipend and financial compensation to cover additional living costs during the stay in Germany.
- Access to a discretionary budget of up to 30,000 €, which can be used for travel expenses, publication fees, organizing workshops, or supporting artistic work.
- The opportunity to create a long-term impact with a project that extends beyond the fellowship, addressing critical sustainability issues.
- Networking opportunities with experts at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) and collaboration across various sectors including science, the arts, civil society, business, and politics.
- A flexible fellowship structure that can be adapted to the candidate’s life situation, such as being divided into intervals.
Eligibilities
The Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship is open to highly talented mid-career professionals who meet the following criteria:
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- Have at least ten years of experience working on sustainability-related issues.
- Possess the potential to serve as change agents in the field of sustainability.
- Have professional experience in different countries and cultures.
- Are from Germany or abroad.
- Propose a project that will have a long-term impact and address a relevant aspect of sustainability, especially areas that have received insufficient attention.
- Bring innovative ideas from fields such as science, the arts, civil society, business, politics, or other sectors of society.
Application Process
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
- A letter of motivation (6,500 characters max.), outlining prior experience at the interface of science and another sector of society, explaining how the applicant intends to build a bridge between different sectors, and describing how they became aware of the call.
- A project proposal (15,000 characters max., plus references), detailing the activities the applicant wishes to pursue during their tenure as a Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow. The proposal should specify the project title, activities, research fields, expected outputs/aims, work plan, financial and/or physical resources, and timeline, while highlighting the intended long-term impacts.
- A current CV (10,000 characters max., plus key publications), outlining the applicant’s career path and five most important achievements.
- Two letters of recommendation, which must include the names and contact details of the referees.
Application Deadline: March 31, 2025 (18 Days Remaining)
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