Who was Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859) was a polymath and explorer who sought to unify diverse branches of scientific knowledge and culture.
He advocated for academic freedom and was a patron of excellent research talents, involving hundreds of scientists in collating information from diverse areas and building an academic network.
“Ideas can only bear fruit if they take root in many minds.”
Key to Humboldt’s unification of knowledge, is his multivolume treatise, Kosmos, published over five volumes from 1845 to 1862.
Purpose of the UK Humboldt Association
The UK Alexander von Humboldt Association supports and represents the UK Humboldt community. It connects UK-based Humboldtians to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange and to maintain links with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
This includes facilitating networking and knowledge exchange across disciplines and career stages, promoting opportunities from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and supporting the visibility and activities of the UK Humboldt network.
The Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation was founded in 1953 by the Federal Republic of Germany. In the spirit of Humboldt, it fosters an international network of scientific cooperation.
The Foundation supports researchers worldwide through fellowship and award programmes that enable research in Germany.
Further information on the Foundation and its funding schemes can be found on the Funding Page and the Foundation’s website.
Relationship with the Humboldt Foundation
The UK Alexander von Humboldt Association was founded by Humboldt alumni and operates independently with the support of the Foundation.
This follows the hallmark of the Foundation:
“Once a Humboldtian, always a Humboldtian”
UK Alexander von Humboldt Association 