2 LOREM IPSUM www.research-in-germany.org www.research-in-germany.org/newsletter facebook.com/research.in.germany twitter.com/ResearchGermany linkedin.com/company/research-in-germany

5 GOOD REASONS WHY 1. Germany’s universities are considered among the best in the world. Why not benefit from Germany’s global reputation and long tradition of outstanding academic research and teaching? Germany’s great universities and research institutions have much to offer! 2. Germany is open to innovation Germany is one of the world’s top innov- ators, as well as home to some of the world’s leading science and technology clusters. This provides the ideal spring- board for a successful research career. 4. Good support and funding opportunities Simplified regulations apply to highly- qualified international researchers – and their family members. You will also find a wide range of support available from funding organisations. 3. Strong networks and interdisciplinary research At Germany’s higher education institu- tions and research centres you will have the chance to work with researchers from all over the world on all kinds of interesting projects, many of which will be interdisciplinary in nature. 5. Opportunities to research and teach EU-wide A German residence permit for research purposes also allows you to spend a limited period of time researching and teaching in almost any other EU country.

A PHD IS JUST THE START

10 A PHD IS JUST THE START Starting out as a postdoc in Germany

12 A PHD IS JUST THE START What you should clarify before applying: What special skills, knowledge and past successes can I offer? What is the subject of the advertised project, and what interests me particularly about it? Who is in the research group to which I am applying? What is the profile of its members? What is special about the institution or company to which I am planning to apply? What are its research objectives, and what form does research there take?

14 A PHD IS JUST THE START that

BECOME AN ESTABLISHED RESEARCHER

BECOME AN ESTABLISHED RESEARCHER 18 Make your way to a leader- ship position You

P E T S R A C G N O L A a r c h l o o k s L I G I B L E F O R P R O F E S S O R S H I P E S I N G O C E R C O D T S O P D E S I N G O C E R E S T A B L I S H E D P O S T D O C E S T A B L I S H E D P O S T D O C Y ! t a e r G y d e d n a l e v i f r o f o i t i s o p h c r a e s e r e d n u f - G F D u o Y . t j c e o r p m a e t a f o t r a p e r a u o Y h c r a e s e r r o a m a t a j g n i k r o w , e t u t i t s n i s r e n t r a p h t i w y l e s o c l d n a s e i t i s r e v i n u m o r f y l i h g h a n o y r t s u d n i . t j c e o r p g n i t s e r e t n i a r o f d e i l p p a e v a h u o Y e g r a l a t a b o j e d c e n s e u c o f - s r a e y e e r h i r e p x e g n i r i u q c a i t g n d n e p s e r a d n a y n a p m o c h c r a e s e r t j c e o r p d e i l p p a n i . h c r a e s e r t - u p . v a t i n c h v a e n s e a r c h d e p a r t m e n t . h e a d o f i t s r e - o m i s i i n s t i t u l e p o f y o u r t n g e . , p o s i t i o n o f d e p u t y p r o m o t i n g y o u t o t h e Y o u r c o m p a n y i s a c a d e m c p o s i t i i o n . y o u r s e l f f o r a s e n o r i y o u t o p r e p a r e p r o f e s s o r s h i p a l l o w s A t e m p o r a r y Y o f t o h r a p l e a r d e T r s u s u c e c r e e q s s f u io f r e e u ll h r o h i p s s o e w r p s y m m n e e t t s a g o h i p o s iti o a i n ! n . r C H A N G E F I E L D D L E I F E G N A H You have been awarded a research grant for a neighbour- ing European country. It allows you to pursue your own research idea. Move forward two spaces! C H A N G E F I E L C CHANGE FIELD D Thanks to your excel- lent research project, you will be accepted onto the DFG’s Emmy Noether Programme and will lead your own young research group. Congratulations! You have been appointed as junior professor at the university of your choice! P h e w , y o u’v e big ste p! N o w y o u h a v e co m plete d th e first join e d th e ra n ks of th e rese arch ers. Thro w th e dice a g ain! esta blish e d

BECOME AN ESTABLISHED RESEARCHER 22 by

Female scientists often face gender inequality at different levels. Dr Phuong Glaser has been coordinating the Interna- tional Female Scholars Mentoring Program (IFS Mentoring) at the University of Cologne since 2016. Founded in 2012 at the Welcome Center and since 2015 affiliated at the Human Resources Department for Researcher, this programme was the first in Germany to exclusively address female scientists from abroad. Dr Glaser, why do international female scholars require par- ticular support? Doing research and building up a career in a foreign country can be very challenging. For example, there is a lack of social contacts and support, as well as of information about the formal and informal structures in German academia and the requirements. Female scientists often also face gender inequality at different levels, which leads to their underrepresen- tation in leading positions. IFS offers hands-on support to female scholars – what does it look like? The IFS Mentoring Program matches the scholars with experienced mentors from the desired working fields in one-on- one mentoring relationships. This mentoring is accompanied by career-relevant workshops and networking meetings, and by in- dividual coaching sessions, if required. Furthermore, the support provided by the programme covers psycho-social aspects such as encouragement and confidence building. What should female scholars consider when they come to Ger- many? Scholars should start by finding out whether there are programmes to support them at the target university. Upon arriv- al, they should expand their networks, for example by joining groups of like-minded female scholars. Coaching is worth apply- ing for, especially if you face a challenging situation at work or in your personal life. Learning German and frequently reflecting on possible cross-cultural differences would be very helpful. If you are planning to stay longer in Germany, it is important to prepare for different career options, both in and outside academia. www.ifs-mentoring.uni-koeln.de

MOVING BEYOND THE POSTDOCTORAL LEVEL

MOVING BEYOND THE POSTDOCTORAL LEVEL 28 Ready for the next step Are

MOVING BEYOND THE POSTDOCTORAL LEVEL 30 non

SET UP YOUR OWN COMPANY

34 SET UP YOUR OWN COMPANY Become a doctoral entrepreneur Do

36 547,000 entrepreneurs launched their own business in 2018. 11 percent of them were innovative entrepreneurs engaged in R&D, while 22 percent were digital entrepreneurs using digital technologies. 1,776 university- based start-ups were recorded by the start-up radar compiled by the Stifterverband in 2017. Graduates are involved in more than 50 percent of university spin-offs, while students take part in 43 percent. Roughly one in four university-based start-ups is a business in the IT services sector, while the figure for new businesses in general is around 30 percent. In 2018 Celonis, a spin-off from the TU Munich, became the first EXIST-funded “unicorn” start-up, i.e. a business valued at over one billion euros.

38 About „Research in Germany“ “Research

WWW.RESEARCH-IN-GERMANY.ORG