Important information for scientists in early career phases and external offers

Information

Doctoral Ombuds Committee

The Doctoral Ombuds Committee is available to all doctoral candidates who have problems with their doctorate as a first and low-threshold point of contact.

You can find the website of the Doctoral Ombuds Committee here.

Information for those interested in a doctorate

This page will be filled in gradually and is intended to simplify the beginnings of your research. It is not legally binding. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: zgapl[at]rptu.de or the TU-Nachwuchsring gf[at]nachwuchsring.uni-kl.de

In principle, a doctorate requires:

There are several financing options for living expenses, which are described under "Financing".

Under the following link you will find a further test that can give you an idea of whether a doctorate suits you: Test: Are you the type for a doctorate? – academics

There are different types of doctorates.

On the one hand, a distinction can be made between a monographic and cumulative doctorate.

  • Monographic means that a complete text is written on one (doctoral) topic.
  • A cumulative doctorate consists of several articles that are published in recognised specialist journals.

A further distinction can be made in the type of supervision:

  • Individual doctorate
    This form of doctorate means that future doctoral candidates independently find a supervisor for their doctoral project.
  • Structured doctoral programmes
    In these programmes, there are often additional offers in the interdisciplinary and "soft skills" area for an additional qualification.
  • External doctorate
    In this case, the doctoral candidates do not have an employment relationship at the chair where they are doing their doctorate. They usually have another job. This means that they often have fewer ties to the university. 

There are several ways to finance a doctorate:

  1. Jobs at the university usually combined with another activity (e.g. teaching ).
    (Job offers and careers - RPTU University of Technology Kaiserslautern-Landau can be found here)
  2. Third-party funded positions or scholarships (here are good contacts for possible doctoral supervisors)
  3. Graduate College
    (existing graduate programmes at the RPTU can be found here: Coordinated Research – RPTU University of Technology Kaiserslautern-Landau)
  4. Scholarships
    On the following pages you can find general information about scholarships. In the scholarship database you can research which scholarships are suitable for your subject.
    General information: Homepage (stipendiumplus.de)
    Scholarship databases: http://www.mystipendium.de
    Scholarship database of e-fellows.net - e-fellows.net
  5. So-called external doctoral studies:  Financing your livelihood through another employment
  6. Co-operation in the private sector

When financing a doctorate, please note that scholarships are usually not subject to social security contributions. It is best to inform yourself in advance about the topic of "social insurance" in order to be able to make a good decision.

A useful FAQ on the use of artificial intelligence and good scientific practice from the Ombudsman for Science can be found here:
https://ombudsman-fuer-die-wissenschaft.de/13211/faq-kuenstliche-intelligenz-und-gute-wissenschaftliche-praxis/

PhD Pathfinder

You’re planning your PhD or supervising a PhD? This tool will guide you through the process of planning your PhD in Germany. Learn more here: 

PhD Pathfinder tool

External offers

Start-up funding of the Clausthal University of Technology

Funding of PostDocs in early career stages

TU Clausthal is offering start-up funding for young postdocs (R2) with the aim of developing scientific independence and preparing their own third-party funding application.
Funding of up to €300,000 will be provided over a period of 3 years. Your research topic must fit the key topic of Circular Economy. You can find all further information here: https://www.postdoc-office.tu-clausthal.de/en/career-planning/development/anschubfinanzierung

Applications are possible until 31.08.2025!

Event series „ECHO”

First Edition: Circular Economy Research Forum; 19. – 20. May 2025

The “Circular Economy Research Forum” will take place on May 19 and 20, 2025 at the University of Liège. This forum marks the start of the new event seriesECHO”, initiated by the University of the Greater Region (UniGR). The aim of this initiative is to promote cross-border exchange between young researchers from the seven UniGR partner universities.

📅 May 19-20, 2025
📍 University of Liège, Campus du Sart-Tilman, Belgium

The event is organized in collaboration with the UniGR-CIRKLA project, which is funded by the Interreg VI A Greater Region programme.

Registration is possible until May 5.

Summer School “Sustainable Construction: Materials, Circularity, and Innovation" - 01.-05.09.2025 in Luxemburg

Das Interdisziplinäre Kompetenzzentrum CIRKLA der Universität der Großregion veranstaltet vom 01.-05-09.2025 (in Luxemburg) mit UniGR-Partern eine Summer School zum Thema „Sustainable Construction: Materials, Circularity, and Innovation“, die sich an Master-Studierende, Promovierende, Post-Docs und Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen wendet. 

Interessierte können sich bis zum 31.05. bewerben. Die Teilnahme ist kostenlos. Einige kostenfreie Übernachtungsplätze stehen zur Verfügung (begrenzt).

Alle weiteren Informationen sind hier zu finden: CIRKLA Summer School 2025 - European School of Materials | EUSMAT | Saarland University

Website of the UniWiND-AG on Open Science

The UniWiND working group “Open Science in the doctoral phase” has published a new website (www.openscience.uniwind.org) that provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the complex topic of Open Science, including a glossary, FAQs and linked resources for early career researchers and science managers.

Information on the use of AI and good scientific practice

A useful FAQ on the use of artificial intelligence and good scientific practice from the Ombudsman for Science can be found here:
ombudsman-fuer-die-wissenschaft.de/13211/faq-kuenstliche-intelligenz-und-gute-wissenschaftliche-praxis/

Equal Opportunities in Appointment Procedures

An Unconscious Bias Training

Biases can occur in appointment procedures, which influence the procedure as bias effects. The training on bias in appointment procedures with a focus on gender bias is aimed at members of appointment committees.  It is the result of a cooperation project between the Technische Universität Berlin and the Berlin University of the Arts and was funded by the Berlin Programme for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Women in Research and Teaching.

The training lasts around 40–60 minutes and consists of 9 animated scenes that can be viewed in both German and English. Further information can be found on the TU Berlin website.

WissKon25 – die NaWik-Konferenz für kommunizierende Forschende

On 2 December 2025, WissKon25 - the NaWik conference for communicating scientists - will take place in Karlsruhe.

With the WissKon conference, the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik) offers an annual platform for an open and creative exchange. It is all about researchers and their dialogues with the public and the media. Registration for the WissKon is possible from autumn 2025.

Further information can be found at:
www.nawik.de/wisskon/die-wisskon-2025/

Current events at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences

Dieses Format der virtuellen Kaffeepause bietet in drei Teilen à 45 Minuten spannende Einblicke in den Karriereweg an Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW). Es richtet sich an alle, die sich für eine Professur an einer HAW interessieren. Neben wertvollen Inputs der Referent*innen gibt es Raum für Fragen und einen offenen Austausch.

Dieses Format der virtuellen Kaffeepause bietet in drei Teilen à 45 Minuten spannende Einblicke in den Karriereweg an Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW). Es richtet sich an alle, die sich für eine Professur an einer HAW interessieren. Neben wertvollen Inputs der Referent*innen gibt es Raum für Fragen und einen offenen Austausch.