For the 2023–2025 Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Program, applications are now being accepted. The Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Program uses an integrated strategy to help young conservationists from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia strengthen their personal skills.
The program actively promotes participants’ commitment to and contributions to the delegating institutions while placing high-potential individuals at the center of capacity development.
The Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Programme is implemented by the German Federal Agency for Nature
Conservation (BfN) – the central scientific authority of the German federal government for both national
and international nature conservation – in partnership with IUCN, the CBD Secretariat, the Secretariat of
the CMS, and UNEP-WCMC. The programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the
Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the
Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) for Environmental Protection in Central and Eastern Europe, the
Caucasus and Central Asia.
Costs:
- Participation in the Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Programme is free of charge. Participants will
receive free board and accommodation at the training venue and during excursions, as well
as a contribution towards their travel expenses. - Health insurance during stays in Germany and visa application fees will also be covered by
the programme. Nevertheless, participants have to make a contribution towards their travel
expenses. The proportion of expenses to be covered by participants or their home
organizations is based on a scheme, which relates to the gross domestic product of the
respective countries.
Eligibility:
Open to early-career conservation professionals (Government, NGOs, Academia or similar),
from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, who preferably have at
least three years of professional experience and preferably are not older than 35 years.
In order to be eligible for participation in the programme, applicants need to fulfil the following criteria:
- Submission of a complete application before the deadline.
- Nationality and place of residence in one of the eligible countries: Albania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Georgia, Hungary, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian
Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan. - University diploma in a field that is relevant to the programme and its focus (Biology,
Geography, Agriculture, Silviculture, Landscape Planning, Nature Conservation,
Environmental Policy, Macroeconomics, Law – or other similar subjects relevant to nature
conservation practice). - 3+ years of working experience in applied nature conservation (work experience in parallel
to academic studies can be taken into account). - Currently working in an institution concerned with nature conservation.
- Age should preferably be under 35 years, and should not exceed 40 years.
- Be fluent in English, both written and spoken.
- Endorsement of application by current employer.
- Low likelihood of absence from one or several course modules, as the modules build upon
each other and as participation in the programme requires continuous attendance. - Have developed a concept for a personal transfer project benefitting from the course, which
would improve the effectiveness of their organisation. And the ability for continuous work
on the transfer project and assignments in between the modules on a weekly basis, during
the whole programme period. - Regular internet access with stable internet connection and high bandwith.
Application:
The following documents are required for application:
- Completed application form.
- Diploma of highest academic degree.
- Language diploma if available – highest level obtained.
- Note that English language skills are a prerequisite to participate in the programme. If no
language diploma is available, language skills may be tested via telephone interviews and/or
online examinations. - Curriculum Vitae
- Nomination letter of employing institution
- Endorsement form filled in by employing institution and one additional person
- Scan copy of passport
- Mark all application documents with your name (e.g., application_firstname_lastname.doc) and send the documents as word or pdf files electronically to ktf@bfn.de.
