Max Weber Stiftung – Deutsche Geisteswissenschaftliche Institute im Ausland

The Max Weber Foundation (MWS) is a legal entity under public law directly subordinate to the federal government and is among the ten largest German foundations with an annual budget of approximately 48 million euros. It maintains eleven scientifically autonomous institutes, offices, and cooperation centers worldwide that operate independently in their humanities and social science research. The MWS supports basic and project research, publishes its own series and the open-access platform perspectivia.net, organizes conferences, workshops, and seminars, and provides extensive library and organizational research infrastructures. As part of foreign cultural and educational policy, it serves as a bridge between the German academic landscape and the host countries.

The Max Weber Foundation promotes the internationalization of humanities and social science research, strengthens academic exchange, and fosters the networking of diverse scientific cultures. Its mission is to create excellent conditions at foreign institutes, provide qualification opportunities for early-career researchers, and serve as a link between research institutions abroad and in Germany.

The funding opportunities of the MWS are primarily aimed at researchers in the qualification phase (students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers) in the fields of humanities and social sciences, but also at experienced scholars conducting international research projects. In addition, the staff of the institutes and cooperation partners in administration, library, and museum management benefit from the foundation's offerings.