Well qualified scientists and academics are needed to work in academia as well as in government, civil society and industry.
It is therefore a key aim of the Federal Government to maintain the quality of training of young scientists and academics at a high level and to enable internationally attractive career pathways and prospects.
The Federal Government and the Länder contribute to improving the employment conditions for young scientists and academics and to initiating and furthering structural and cultural change in the academic system in particular through a proposed reform of the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (WissZeitVG), as well as through the Tenure-Track programme, the Women Professors Programme, the FH-Personal programme (for universities of applied sciences staff) and the Future Contract for Strengthening Studying and Teaching in Higher Education.
Early career academics (ECAs) are academics who are working on a PhD thesis having already gained a requisite graduate degree or who continue to work in academic research after concluding their PhD in order to become established in their specialized subject. This includes PhD students, post-doc junior academic staff, junior research group leaders and junior professors or tenure-track professors working at universities or non-university research institutions. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) directly or indirectly funds a large part of the German programmes to support young scientists and academics. This includes institutional funding of science and intermediary organizations and, in the context of Federal Government-Länder cooperation, the Pact for Research and Innovation, the Tenure-Track programme, the Women Professors Programme, the Strategy for Excellence in Higher Education, FH-Personal and the Future Contract for Strengthening Studying and Teaching in Higher Education.
What is meant by 'early career academics'?
How does the BMBF support early career academics?
Degrees awarded (not including PhDs) in Germany (2022) Number of doctoral students at German higher education institutions in 2022 (Source: Statistics of PhD Students, Federal Statistical Office) PhDs awarded in Germany in 2022 Full-time academic staff (including professors)