Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship
The Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship is at the core of the Robert Bosch Academy. It was established in honor of former Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, a long-time member of the Robert Bosch Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
More than a Residency
Time and independence
Fellows decide what they work on during their residency at the Academy. The Fellowship is designed to create the time and institutional independence needed to pursue the projects, research, writing, or strategic reflection that are often difficult to develop in their everyday professional lives. The Academy supports Fellows with a customized program of meetings and conversations, deliberately incorporating less visible perspectives and institutional contexts. Distance from daily routines promotes new ideas and creative approaches.
Germany and Europe in context
Fellows engage with political, historical, economic, cultural, and social developments in Germany and Europe throughout their residency in Berlin. Supplementary programs provide insights into institutions, decision-making processes, and public debates. Fellows’ outside perspectives on German affairs foster mutual learning.
Once a Fellow, always a Fellow
The Fellowship is not limited to the residency in Berlin. Fellows become part of a community that continues far beyond their time at the Academy. A key event in this network is the annual Richard von Weizsäcker Forum, which brings together Fellows from all years to carry forward their work and further expand the conversation.
Where Ideas Take Shape
Conversations lie at the heart of the Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship. They are where ideas take shape, questions become more precise, and experience acquires new meaning. Fellows come to Berlin with a question, a project, or a research agenda. Together with each Fellow, the Academy team curates an individual programme of meetings and exchanges with leading figures from politics, academia, culture, business, and civil society across Berlin, Germany, and Europe.
During their residency, Fellows also take part in weekly Fellows' Lunches, Library Talks, Academy on Tour, the cultural programme Discover Berlin, and—if they wish—a German language course. Public lectures, expert discussions, and workshops complement the programme. One of the highlights of the Fellowship year is the Richard von Weizsäcker Forum, which brings together Fellows from different cohorts alongside around 100 international guests in Berlin.
Become a Fellow
Admission to the Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship is exclusively by invitation. Fellows are selected through an ongoing international nomination process, drawing on the global network of the Robert Bosch Academy and its partners.
The Academy seeks outstanding individuals from politics, academia, culture, business, and civil society whose work shapes public debate in their respective fields. Selection is based not only on professional excellence and international experience, but also on intellectual curiosity and a willingness to engage seriously with different perspectives. The aim is to bring together a Fellowship cohort that reflects a diversity of regions, disciplines, and lived experiences.
Contact
Alexander Thamm
Senior Project Manager
On Richard von Weizsäcker and his impact
Historian Fritz Stern speaks about Richard von Weizsäcker with Roger Cohen, New York Times columnist and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy.
FAQs on the Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship program
How are Fellows selected?
The Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship does not have an open application process. Fellows are nominated by the Academy’s networks, partners, former Fellows, and advisory contacts across different regions and sectors.
What support does the Robert Bosch Academy team offer?
To assist with the practical aspects of your move to Berlin, we provide future Fellows with an official letter of recommendation for visa applications and can connect them with trusted agencies to help them find an apartment.
Furthermore, we act as their strategic partner throughout their Fellowship. Our team serves as a sounding board to help Fellows refine their project aims, facilitates connections to influential figures and key organizations across Europe, and provides the resources and guidance to help you organize workshops, discussions, and other events to share their work.
How long is the Fellowship?
Residencies typically last between three and ten months.
What happens after the Fellowship residency ends? Do Fellows remain connected to the Academy?
Once a Fellow, Always a Fellow. A residency in Berlin is not the end of a Fellowship, but the beginning of a lasting relationship with the Robert Bosch Academy. Fellows remain part of the Academy, contributing to its intellectual life well beyond their time in Berlin.