Excellent promotion of young talent is very important to the Helmholtz Association. It has therefore developed a strategy for supporting such individuals at every stage of their education and careers.
Promoting young researchers is a major priority for the Helmholtz Association. Its qualification schemes for young researchers are geared mainly towards PhD students, postdocs and young managers. In addition, the Association organises activities for children, teenagers, undergraduate students and apprentices to help ensure there will be plenty of qualified researchers in the future.
The Helmholtz Association has set high standards for its talent management. Its strategy begins with targeted recruitment of highly qualified staff at all levels, followed by comprehensive support aimed at further developing their potential. Ensuring equal opportunities is an essential element in all talent management activities undertaken by the Helmholtz Association. After all, people – men and women – are a scientific organisation’s most important asset, and this principle must be upheld and developed. The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation provides the Helmholtz Association with the funds it needs to promote young women and men in science, administration and infrastructure using the measures outlined.
Current Calls for Applications and more than 900 current job vacancies at the Helmholtz Association
Use our job vacancies page to quickly find the right opportunity and the right person to contact. You can also search calls for applications, which are coordinated by the Helmholtz Association’s head office.
Vocational Training at Helmholtz
Besides having programmes geared towards researchers at specific stages in their education and careers, the Helmholtz Association is also involved in professional training. We have the highest training quota of any non-university research organisation in Germany, which means we are contributing to the country’s reputation as a location for research and innovation.
More information about vocational trainig in the Helmholtz Association
Doctoral Training Programmes: Helmholtz Graduate Schools and Helmholtz Research Schools
Helmholtz Graduate Schools and Helmholtz Research Schools put PhD students in a challenging academic environment that equips them for a career in science or business. While the Graduate Schools form an interdisciplinary umbrella structure for all PhD students at a centre, the Research Schools are smaller units where PhD students pursue research on a common topic. The majority of Helmholtz centres have set up Research Schools and/or Graduate Schools, which means they offer PhD students structured, top-quality training. A funding programme is being planned to help set up these schools at all Helmholtz centres.
Go to Helmholtz Graduate Schools and Helmholtz Research Schools
Helmholtz Postdoc Programme
Talented young academics who have completed a promising doctoral thesis can take advantage of a new Helmholtz Association programme designed to help them further develop their scientific excellence effectively. They will receive a grant for a period of two to three years directly after earning their PhD, enabling them to work independently on a research topic of their own choosing and establish themselves in their field of research, e.g. by publishing on the topic.
Go to Helmholtz Postdoc Programme
Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups
Funding for Young Investigators Groups is a key element in promoting talent. It is aimed at researchers who have received their PhD in the past two to six years. Successful applicants lead their own research group while also gaining the skills they need for a university career. The Helmholtz Association offers them an environment that is unique in Germany: independence in their scientific work early on, and the option of tenure following a successful evaluation. Since the programme started in 2003, a total of 150 applicants have received funding. The coming years will see that number increase further as a result of annual calls for applications.
Go to the Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups
Helmholtz Management Academy
The Helmholtz Association’s activities for promoting young talent go far beyond the typical target groups of graduate students and those with PhDs. To prepare managers for the special demands of research management, the Helmholtz Association founded the Helmholtz Management Academy in 2007. The programme comprises courses for young researchers, young administrative staff, senior management at the Association, executives, managing directors, programme spokespeople and institutional heads. Course design and execution is handled by an external partner with outstanding references: Malik Management of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Go to Helmholtz Management Academy
Promoting women and making work compatible with family life
Programmes to promote young talent must also keep in mind that more women are filling management positions and that a scientific career is compatible with family life. Among the instruments that the Helmholtz Association created to respond to this situation is the Network Mentoring Programme for young female researchers and administrators. Every year since 2005 up to 20 young women receive one year of career-planning support from experienced managers from other centres. To make it easier for women and men to return to work after parental leave, the Helmholtz Association has committed itself to systematically creating positions tailored to the situation and to introducing flexible work schedules.
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