Doctoral programmes are structured and systematically guide the participants through their doctorates. Candidates are enrolled in a mandatory qualifying strategy in a pre-determined subject area and their academic work is supervised individually. From 2017, the Einstein Foundation Berlin’s new award will honour doctoral programmes at Berlin universities and Charité university hospital, which have already proved particularly successful in practice, thus validating the respective strategy and supervision arrangements and producing promising young researchers in their fields.
The prize money is designed to open up new scope both for promoting young researchers and for structural development. ‘The awards should help to ensure that young researchers in Berlin become even better qualified and that the quality of doctoral training in Berlin acquires yet greater international visibility. In the long run, these young talents will become ambassadors for Berlin,’ says Professor Dr Günter Stock, the Chairman of the Einstein Foundation Executive Board. In addition to the supervision strategy, the number and quality of degrees completed, collaborations with institutions at home and abroad and the visibility of the programme will be some of the aspects assessed.
The best programme will receive prize money of EUR 150,000 per annum for a period of three years. The programmes coming in second and third place will be granted EUR 100,000 and EUR 75,000 per year respectively, also for a period of three years. The prize money can be used for items such as fellowships, doctoral or post-doctoral positions, leave for professors to work on the doctoral programme, travel and extending invitations. The award will be conferred by the Einstein Foundation during a public award ceremony at the beginning of 2017.
There are approximately 100 doctoral programmes in Berlin. Young researchers worldwide can visit www.doctoral-programs.de to search for appropriate offers in their subject in Berlin.
