The Helmholtz Association has launched a Helmholtz Management Academy to give its managers an even better grounding in the tasks and challenges of research management. 

The training concept

In close cooperation with the Helmholtz Research Centres, the training at the Helmholtz Academy prepares outstanding young scientists and the next generation of managers in infrastructural and administrative fields for their future management responsibilities. The courses impart the specific management skills required to tackle the challenges of a scientific working environment. The programme offers a comprehensive course of training in the principles, tasks and tools of effective management and leadership. The Helmholtz Academy's approach of making knowledge management a professional discipline provides not only employees of the Helmholtz Centres with a good opportunity for professional development, it will also strengthen the Centres' level of scientific excellence by giving them a more competitive infrastructure. Additionally, the Helmholtz Academy offers its training also to outstanding scientists and managers from universities and other research organisations since July 2009.

The Helmholtz programme also includes options for the Helmholtz Association executives: board members, managing directors, spokespersons and directors of institutes. The content of the programmes for young scientists and executives are closely interlinked to promote an integrated management approach at all levels. The specially developed mentoring programme for the young managers, involving top-flight mentors from the Helmholtz Association and business and industry, will help promote the development and expansion of a management network within the Association.

An external partner, the Malik Management Zentrum St. Gallen, is responsible for the content and methodology of the training courses, with a solution tailored specifically to the needs of the Helmholtz Association. Malik MZSG is one of the leading providers of management consulting and management education in Europe. Thus its extensive experience and expertise ensures that the Academy offers course participants a high-quality training product.

Course content

The young managers' training programme lasts one and a half year. It includes on-site seminars and independent learning. A virtual learning platform with online modules and personal tutors supports preparation for the workshops and their subsequent digestion. All initial and continuing training courses take an action-oriented, practical approach. The methodology integrates the knowledge transfer of the independent-learning phase, which is based on management principles, with the projects participants are working on and their actual team and management situations.

Programme

The Academy started in autumn 2007 with 30 young managers from the Helmholtz Centres. Further information on the Helmholtz Academy is available from the Helmholtz Head Office Berlin (see contact).