Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship 2026

The Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS) is an international, inter-, and transdisciplinary research institute in Potsdam, Germany. The main focus of the institute is to integrate different types of knowledge to support a transformation of society towards sustainability. Its research approach is transdisciplinary, transformative, and co-creative. As part of its Fellow Programme, the RIFS awards the

Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship 2026 (f_m_x)

**Call for Applications - Reference Number 10110**:
Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer was the Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) - now RIFS - in Potsdam, Germany. With the Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship, RIFS wants to support individuals who, like Klaus Töpfer, are committed to sustainable development and build bridges between science, politics, and society.

The Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship is supported by a discretionary budget of up to 30,000 €, which can be applied to cover travel expenses, publication fees, support for organizing workshops, or production costs for artistic work, for example. The fellowship’s benefits include a monthly stipend and financial compensation to cover additional living costs during the stay in Germany.

**Have we piqued your interest?**:

- A **letter of motivation** (6,500 characters max.), outlining your prior experience at the interface of science and another sector of society, explaining how you intend to build a bridge between different sectors and how you became aware of the call.
- A **project proposal**(15,000 characters max., plus references), outlining the activities you wish to pursue during your 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, and highlight the intended long term impacts.
- A **current CV** (10,000 characters max., plus key publications), outlining your career path and five most important achievements.
- **Two letters of recommendation** (these must include the names and contact details of referees).

The Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS) conducts research with the aim of investigating, identifying, and advancing development pathways for transformation processes towards sustainability in Germany and abroad. The institute was founded in 2009 as the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and has been affiliated with the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences under its new name since the 1st of January 2023 and is thus part of the Helmholtz Association.