Technische Universität Braunschweig
Grad.Life Graduiertenprogramm der Lebenswissenschaften
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Grad.Life Graduiertenprogramm der
Lebenswissenschaften
To all PhD students at the Faculty of Life
Sciences
Projektleitung:
Prof. Dr. Martin Korte
Prof. Dr. Simone Kauffeld
Spielmannstraße 7
38106 Braunschweig
Deutschland
17.02.2016
Information on the graduate program Grad.Life
Dear PhD student,
in this circular letter, we’d like to introduce the newly founded graduate
program Grad.Life at the Faculty of life sciences to you.
Grad.Life is a structured program accompanying PhD students of our
faculty during the years of their doctoral thesis.
In addition to your scientific education and research, Grad.Life’s aim is
to bring young scientists into contact with regional companies and
improve their job-related abilities - the so-called soft skills – through
networking and further qualification. For that purpose, Grad.Life offers
a comprehensive portfolio of methodological and technically wellgrounded continuing education opportunities (Trainings). Other
Grad.Life-objects are to provide professional assistance concerning
career decisions, as well as to support the initiation of mentoring
relationships (Mentoring).
Since the meeting of the Faculty’s council on 27th September 2011,
Grad.Life is not any longer a mere attractive offer for PhD students: The
Faculty’s council unanimously agreed in the mandatory participation of
any PhD student of the Faculty in our graduate program Grad.Life. This
mandatory participation applies to all future PhD students admitted to
a doctorate at the Faculty of Life Sciences. This decision is based on the
demands the faculty puts on its PhD students.
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Technische Universität Braunschweig
Grad.Life Graduiertenprogramm der Lebenswissenschaften
In order to preserve academic independence, there is freedom of choice with regard to the
categories in which the PhD students can gain credit points. Thus, a successful participation is
already warranted by the disciplinary tasks of a PhD student during his or her doctoral thesis.
Due to the mandatory character of the graduate program, Grad.Life follows the objectives of
the Federal State of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) who claims its universities for the creation
of general structures and the institutional accountability of doctoral theses. Thereby, the
integration of our graduate program to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is of
particular importance: The ERDF program ‘Innovation in a knowledge-based society’ issued
‘Guidelines on the granting of subsidies to foster innovation and knowledge-based society by
universities, research institutions, institutions of adult education, and vocational colleges’. In
this funding line, we – Simone Kauffeld and Martin Korte – successfully applied for funding the
Grad.Life program along with the TU Braunschweig. As a consequence, our university and
faculty has a decisive competitive advantage for acquiring third-party funds (particularly
Collaborative Research Centers and DFG-funded projects) possessing graduate programs.
Hence, the Faculty of Life Sciences has a substantial interest in the graduate program Grad.Life
which additionally can also have significant benefit for your personal scientific career.
The support of young scientists is the main objective of the graduate program. Grad.Life’s
credit point system provides you with further information about the recognition of scientific
activities. In accordance with the Faculty of Life Sciences, this credit point system is available
online. Besides scientific activities, the PhD students have the opportunity to participate in
special measures of interdisciplinary further qualification offered within the Grad.Life
program. How these measures are credited is shown in the credit point system, too. Such
interdisciplinary further qualification measures significantly contribute to setting up networks
between PhD students and regional companies. Additionally, these measures help to develop
and to expand key competencies which are frequently requested by industry and future
employers. As a matter of course, the Grad.Life program also offers a certain amount of
courses taught in English, like for example Scientific Writing, Intercultural Communication,
Managing Cultures, and more. Thus, Grad.Life is open for participation of non-German
speaking PhD students as well.
Your participation in the graduate program will be attested by a certificate. Since your
participation in professional and interdisciplinary Grad.Life courses will be documented in
detail, this certificate is helpful in job application processes. You demonstrate your potential
employer that you have taken account to your interdisciplinary qualification besides your
professional education.
The Grad.Life credit point system is subject to a continuous extension: For instance, courses at
the HZI Graduate School are open for Grad.Life-students and will be credited as well.
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Technische Universität Braunschweig
Grad.Life Graduiertenprogramm der Lebenswissenschaften
PhD students that have admitted before the 23th December 2011 to a doctorate at the
Faculty of Life Sciences have the possibility to participate in the Grad.Life offer on a voluntary
basis. They also can receive a certificate that lists the fulfilled activities within the graduate
program. A notable positive aspect is the consideration of creditable activities that have been
performed during the doctoral thesis before Grad.Life was established. This ensures the
achievement of 12 credit points required within the program even if the doctoral thesis is at
an advanced stage.
The Grad.Life program is directed by its steering committee. Beside Grad.Life’s management
board and representatives of the Faculty of Life Sciences, there will also be a PhD student
represented in the steering committee democratically. The election of the steering committee
members will take place in the faculty council meeting, and will be announced soon.
Moreover, we are pleased to receive your suggestions, critics, extensions, and feedback,
concerning any existing aspect of the program and its portfolio. Grad.Life is a graduate
program for PhD students, from and with PhD students and the success of our program will
also depend on your willingness to contribute to its development together with the faculty’s
board and the faculty’s senior scientists. We are looking forward to your dedications!
Best regards,
Simone Kauffeld
Martin Korte
(Management Board of the graduate program Grad.Life, which is funded by the European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF))
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