New Research Training Groups at the University of Heidelberg

Support for young researchers provided by the state of Baden-Württemberg

As of the winter semester 2010/2011, the University of Heidelberg Graduate Academy accepted three new research training groups into Baden-Württemberg’s funding program (Landesgraduiertenförderung) to support young researchers. A total of eleven applications from seven University faculties were submitted to the in-house University competition, which resulted in the approval of the following research groups: “The Boundaries of Civil Society” (Chair: Prof. Dr. Thomas Kern) in the Institute for Sociology and the Centre for Social Investment (CSI), “Symmetry, Geometry and Arithmetic” (Chair: Prof. Dr. Rainer Weissauer) at the Mathematics Center Heidelberg (MATCH) and “Quantum Many-Body Dynamics and Nonequilibrium Physics” (Chair: Prof. Dr. Thomas Gasenzer) in the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy.

Each research training group will receive approx. 80,000 euro annually from the Landesgraduiertenförderung program to fund up to six doctoral fellowships. Additional funding of 5,000 euro is provided for infrastructure measures such as the organization of conferences or for professional development. The new groups will be funded for three years.

With the funding approval for these three research groups, the University of Heidelberg continues its program, which began in 2006, to foster and support structured doctoral programs. The state-funded program promotes transparent structures for doctoral supervision and evaluation and has thereby made an important contribution to improving conditions for doctoral candidates at the University of Heidelberg. The Graduate Academy also provides a wide spectrum of support services related to doctoral training to the University’s young researchers.