GIGA Wins Alumni Strategies Competition

Hamburg, 17 October 2016. The German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) is among the winners of a competition run by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The Hamburg-based Leibniz institute will receive EUR 100,000 to further develop its research alumni strategy. The GIGA is one of 10 non-university research facilities and universities in Germany to benefit from this support.

Under the leadership of its president, Professor Amrita Narlikar, the GIGA has been pursuing a comprehensive internationalisation strategy guided by the vision of a truly global approach to scholarship since 2015. With the help of the award, the institute aims to build structures for a durable network with its visiting researchers. This is one important element in the ongoing development of the institute’s global agenda.

The GIGA’s researchers are joined by excellent visiting fellows from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and North America in investigating pressing political, economic, and social questions. The goal of the GIGA’s research alumni strategy is to systematically maintain the resulting relationships beyond the end of the researchers’ stays to the benefit of both parties. Plans include the development of a communications infrastructure, a workshop series, and a fund to support joint projects.

The Research Alumni Strategies competition is part of the International Research Marketing project being carried out jointly by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Research Foundation, and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It is part of the Research in Germany initiative.

Additional Information • Visiting fellows at the GIGA • Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Press Release