The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) awards up to ten German Chancellor Fellowships annually to young, prospective leaders from the USA, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China with funds made available by the German Federal Foreign Office. The fellows must have shown outstanding potential for future leadership in their previous careers. The program is established under the patronage of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and addresses applicants from all professions and fields of study giving preference to the humanities, law, social and economic sciences.

The aim of the programme is to give young leaders from the countries mentioned above the opportunity to spend an extended period of time in Germany at an early stage in their careers. After returning to their careers in their home countries, they have the potential to become - because of their intensive experiences in Germany - intermediaries between their home countries and Germany as they assume important positions in the fields of economics, science, politics and society.