20 Years of Research Training Groups
Matrix for New Doctoral Cultures:
Innovative, Interactive, International

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20 Years of Research Training Groups
Matrix for New Doctoral Cultures:
Innovative, Interactive, International

4

20 Years of Research Training Groups

Introduction
20 Years of Research Training Groups . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

5

From Model to Success Story
Research Training Groups: Doctoral researchers quickly recognised the merits . .  .  .  .  .  .

6

An Important Model, Right for Our TimeInterview with Professor Dr. Reinhard Jahn . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

10

A Good Idea Has Caught On
Prof. Dr. Peter Strohschneider, German Council of Science and Humanities  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

11

Part of a Big Researcher Family
In 1990, the Ruhr-University established one of the first Research Training Groups .

12

Making Walls Talk
A winning team of architects, architectural scholars and art historians .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

14

The Spirit of Research Training Groups Is as Alive as Ever
Friedrich Eisenbrand’s rapid research career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

Building Bridges Between Disciplines
Ulrike Dufner still draws on her RTG experience .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

17

Broader Perspectives and Stepping Stones to Careers
Former doctoral researchers speak about their experience . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

18

Diversity Instead of “One Size Fits All”
The strengths of Research Training Groups have made a far-reaching impact .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

20

When the Chemistry Is Right
PhD students from Japan and Germany collaborate on molecular research  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

24

Cooperation Without Borders
International Research Training Groups focus expertise . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

26

Doctoral Training, Industrial-Style
Research Training Groups work within commercial businesses  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

27

From Research Training Groups to Graduate Schools
The path of the Giessen model is organic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

Facts and Figures
Research Training Groups are backed by a powerful organisation  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

29

Innovative

Introduction
20 Years of Research Training Groups
Twenty years ago the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) began to fund Research Training
Groups (RTGs). Their introduction rang in
profound changes. For example, doctoral
trainees would now be supported not onlyby their thesis advisors, whose responsibility was strengthened, but also by other senior researchers as well as the host university.
Since then, Research Training Groups havedeveloped new forms of qualification foryoung scientists and scholars. The DFG has
always emphasised research performance inthe doctorate, and Research Training Groups
have been able to establish research-oriented
standards for doctoral training while allowing
flexibility to accommodate the specific needsof the various disciplines.
This brochure, whose contributors I would
like to thank, looks back on the success story of Research Training Groups. Reading thestatements from both RTG coordinators andalumni, I find it very gratifying that, independently of each other, they confirm thistrack record. RTGs help young researchers to
pursue targeted doctoral training, become independent early on, network internationally,and broaden their horizons. They don’t justfocus on the topic of their thesis projects but
also gain a deeper understanding of their own
subjects and other disciplines by taking partin the training group’s discourse, often acrossdisciplines. These skills contribute significantly to future success, be it in science andacademia or elsewhere.
I am especially pleased that Research Training
Groups have done such a great job of involving doctoral researchers in the universities’
ongoing research, and that the training they
offer is very much practice-oriented – notleast because RTGs have increasingly been cooperating with partners in industry, businessand culture.

I would like to thank everybody who has
helped make Research Training Groups a success. My thanks also go to Germany’s federal
and state governments, which not only fundthe programme but have also played an ongoing part in shaping and supporting it throughthe DFG’s statutory bodies.
Enjoy reading!
Best regards,

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner,
President of the DFG

5

20 Years of Research Training Groups

From Model to Success Story
Research Training Groups:
Doctoral researchers quickly recognised the merits
The Beginning: 20 Years Ago“Molecular Life Sciences” was the title ofGermany’s first Research Training Group, established in 1985 by the University of Cologne
and funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.
It was the beginning of a success story: Just
one year later the German Council of Scienceand Humanities proposed using ResearchTraining Groups to foster young researchers. The idea was to move away from traditional individual doctoral training, encourage
early independence, and make doctoral programmes more structured as well as shorter.
Based on this idea, 15 additional model RTGs
were launched in the late 1980s – seven ofthem initially funded by the Federal / State
Commission for Educational Planning andResearch Promotion, eight by the Volkswagen Foundation, and one by the Robert Bosch
Foundation.

1988, things started happening quickly: The
DFG would provide all future funding for
RTGs. The general policy decisions by the
DFG Senate followed one year later; in early
1990 the agreement between the federal andstate governments on RTG funding went into
effect, laying the legal foundation for the
programme.
In May 1990 the DFG Senate Committee on
Research Training Groups met for the firsttime. It was decided that each RTG should include about 20 graduates who would conduct
research together with their advisors and beoffered additional qualification opportunities. A network of researchers would ensurea transparent selection process.
The German Council of Science and Humanities was hoping that RTGs would trigger a reorganisation of academic teaching. “Reforming
higher education from the bottom up turned
out to be difficult; that’s why the German

After another recommendation by the German Council of Science and Humanities in

Number of
Research Training Groups
350
300
250
Engineering Sciences

200

Life Sciences

150
100

Natural Sciences

50

Humanities andSocial Sciences

09

08

20

07

20

06

20

05

20

04

20

03

20

02

20

01

20

00

20

99

20

98

19

97

19

96

19

95

19

94

19

93

19

92

19

91

19

19

90

0
19

6

Innovative

Council of Science and Humanities wanted
to start at the top,” says Bruno Zimmermann,
who was in charge of Research Training
Groups at the DFG until 2004, first as headof division and then as head of department .
But the DFG Senate Committee rejected thisstrategy: “RTGs just weren’t in a position to
tackle this on top of everything else,” says
Zimmermann .
Just one month after the first Senate Committee meeting, the Grants Committee, also
in its inaugural session, approved the firstResearch Training Groups . Demand exceeded
all expectations: The DFG received over 100
proposals, 51 of which were accepted . The
following year, the committee granted funding to another 47 RTGs, and in 1993 as manyas 194 RTGs were approved . Total funding increased from 23 million DM in 1991 to about
65 million euros in 2001 .
Doctoral researchers quickly recognised themerits of Research Training Groups and, contrary to what critics had predicted, were notin danger of losing their freedom to overly
regimented doctoral programmes . Somescholars in the humanities were concerned

about the quality of doctoral training because
RTGs seemed to sacrifice close collaboration
between advisors and their doctoral students .
The DFG compromised by allowing smaller
RTGs . Subject areas like computer science,
still in its infancy at the time, used ResearchTraining Groups to raise their profiles . “Especially in Aachen, the RTG helped computerscience become a similarly respected discipline as engineering,” says Otto Spaniol, professor of computer science at RWTH Aachen
University and formerly the speaker of one of
the first Research Training Groups .

The programme continues to evolve
Since 1999 the DFG has also funded International Research Training Groups . They areusually based at two universities, one in Germany and one abroad, and pursue a common
research programme . Each partner is responsible for its own funding . Doctoral researchers
on both sides have co-advisors at the respective partner university, where they can also
conduct part of their research . In addition,
they benefit from binational events and insome cases are awarded dual degrees by both
universities . Today, RTGs involve universities
in over 20 countries . Differences in academic

Number of Research Training Groups byscientific discipline Development since 1990
The total number of Research Training Groups
peaked in the late 1990ies based on rapid
growth in the initial phase of the programme.
Subsequently, it decreased when the firstgeneration RTGs ended upon completion of
the maximum funding period of nine years.
While the demand for the programme in the
Humanities, Social sciences and Natural Sciences was strong from the beginning onwards,
its appeal to the Life Sciences and Engineering
Sciences has increased steadily over the years.

As of 2009 Engineering
Sciences

37

Humanities andSocial Sciences

61
Natural Sciences

53
Life Sciences

65

7

8

Innovative

culture always pose great challenges to International Research Training Groups . Yet it isfor this very reason that they are so successful
in fostering research networks across borders .

wanted to increase this amount to 1,900 DM
to make it competitive with compensatory
pay . However, this goal was not achieved until 2002, when the basic fellowship stipend
was set at 1,000 euros per month . “In disciplines with a shortage of doctoral researchers,
such as computer science, it was possible even
before that time to use three fellowships tofund two trainees,” says Gerit Sonntag, DFG
programme director for computer science,
who has been in charge of numerous RTGs
for many years . In 2002 it also became possible to offer postgraduate positions in shortage
subjects . This was done to make RTGs more
attractive, especially to engineering scientists
who usually held well-paid university positions and industrial cooperation partners –which meant that RTG fellowships were notparticularly enticing to them . In 2009 the
DFG expanded position funding to all subject
areas .

The first Research Training Groups had broad
topics like “Applied Mathematics” or “Computer Science”, but as time went on, RTGs
tended to focus more narrowly . In response
the DFG passed a new policy in 2001: “Topics
shouldn’t be defined so narrowly that everybody ends up working on the same project,
yet they should be specific enough to allow
doctoral researchers to communicate witheach other at a scientific level,” says DFG programme director Anselm Fremmer .

Positions instead of fellowships
Initially, doctoral researchers in RTGs received
monthly fellowship stipends of 1,400 DM . As
early as 1990, the DFG Senate Committee

Well Integrated
related Collaborative Research Centres. In 2006
the DFG therefore brought RTG elements into theCollaborative Research Centre programme, thus
creating Integrated Research Training Groups.
Hence, structured training programmes are now
also available to doctoral students in Collaborative Research Centres.

In 1990 the DFG decided to fund Research Training Groups as independent programmes rather
than as a part of Collaborative Research Centres, as some DFG senators had suggested. This
strengthened the visibility and importance of
RTGs. Meanwhile over the following years, RTGs
have often become interlinked with topicallyDistribution of “Collaborative Research Centre-integrated Research Training Groups” by scientific disciplines
Humanities and Social Sciences
Engineering Sciences
3

10

18
12

Natural Sciences

Life Sciences

Innovative“Not least because of the Excellence Initiative,
universities have been using their experiences with Research Training Groups to sharpen
their profiles and restructure their doctoral
programmes,” notes Annette Schmidtmann,
who currently heads the DFG Research Careers Division . New impulses also comefrom interdisciplinary, international or nonuniversity collaborations, which have been
increasingly pursued by RTGs since 2006 in
response to a suggestion by the DFG Senate
Committee . The committee decided to continue using Research Training Groups as a pilot programme .

certain bachelor-degree holders directly totheir doctorates, as envisioned under the
Bologna Process . Some RTGs are now eventackling higher education reform . A case inpoint: Medical and engineering scientists at
the universities of Heidelberg and Karlsruhe
are currently working to improve their doctoral programmes and create a new master’s
programme in medical technology .
Boris Hänßler

Today almost all of the 216 Research Training Groups maintain international contacts,
collaborate with partners in industry, business or culture, integrate researchers andgraduates from universities of applied sciences, involve students in research, or leadInternational Research Training Groups: world-wide networks(number of cooperation partners by countries)

Denmark

FranceUSA
1

France/Switzerland

4

8Great Britain

1
2South Africa

Japan/USAJapan

Italy/Austria
1

1

Mexiko
Korea

Italy
1

1

New Zealand12Netherlands

8

1
3
1
1

India

Norway

1
5

2

China
1

1

1

Hungary
Czech Republic

Spain

3
Switzerland

1

3
SwedenSweden/Estonia

PolandRussia9

10Innovative

An Important Model,
Right for Our TimeInterview with Professor Dr. Reinhard
Jahn, director at the Max Planck Institutefor Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen,and speaker of the Göttingen Graduate
School for Neurosciences and Molecular
Biosciences (GGNB)

How do you assess the impact of Research Training Groups on German universities?

What is the role of Research Training Groups
within the Bologna Process?

Research Training Groups have contributed significantly to the popularisation of
structured doctoral programmes. They havealso helped build the structure for graduate
schools that have now become reality under
the Excellence Initiative.

Especially in view of the changes brought
about by graduate schools as larger units, theconcept of Research Training Groups should
be reassessed. At universities with little structured training, RTGs in their current form arestill an important model. Universities whose
doctoral programmes are more advanced may
take the concept to the next level. I could imagine RTGs becoming less focused on individual research projects and more integrated into
broader doctoral programmes.

Research Training Groups, research schools,
graduate schools – how does this diversity affect structured doctoral training?

Crucial progress has been made particularly
with the relationship between professor anddoctoral researcher: the strong dependency
characterising it has been loosened, and instead, a whole group of researchers is now
responsible for the doctoral researcher. I can’t
say whether this is a good strategy for all subject areas. But my impression is, however,that Research Training Groups have beenvery well received in the humanities and social sciences as well.
What is the effect of Research Training Groups
on academic research and higher education?

As far as higher education is concerned, I
don’t see a lot of influence on universities.
But I do see an impact on research. ResearchTraining Groups foster a culture of intensive
scientific exchange, also at the international
level. This stimulates research enormously.

Why are there such differences in the degree
to which structured doctoral programmes are
evolved?

By no means do all of my colleagues agree
that this form of doctoral training is superior
to traditional doctoral qualification. We still
have a lot of persuading to do. Structured
training will certainly have to be tailored
more closely to the culture and needs of a given subject area. I do consider doctoral training a part of higher education that should involve the university or a group of professors.
This basic concept, I believe, is appropriate
and right for our time.
Interview: Uschi Heidel

Innovative

A Good Idea Has
Caught On
Research Training Groups complement
other forms of doctoral qualification

It is well known that failure is an orphan
while success has many fathers. No surprise
therefore that many “parents” offer their congratulations on the 20th birthday of the DFG
funding programme for Research Training
Groups. And the German Council of Scienceand Humanities, which had recommended
this funding format in 1986, is among thoselining up to congratulate.
Research Training Groups are a true successstory. Two decades ago they introduced acompletely new type of doctoral qualification
to Germany by bringing together establishedand early-stage researchers in topic-based
research teams, embedding doctoral thesis
work in a comprehensive research context,
and supplementing this training with systematic study programmes. The intensification ofresearch training is then combined with individual supervision.

An influential programme
In other words, a good idea has caught on.
Several foundations tested it initially in pilot trials. Since 1990 it has been one of themost important DFG programmes and has
shaped the training structures for young researchers at German universities. ResearchTraining Groups have made this impact eventhough only about ten percent of all doctoral
researchers are members of RTGs, and eventhough this instrument of doctoral training
is used with varying intensity by the different academic disciplines. Initially there wereconcerns that RTGs would bureaucratise

doctoral training, meddle inappropriately
with higher education, and be entirely unsuited as a format in certain subject areas. But
these worries proved unfounded, as RTGs are
an instrument that can be used very flexibly.
They don’t replace other forms of doctoral
qualification but rather complement them ina sensible way.
Research Training Groups have certainly
helped raise the level of scientific and personal support available to young researchers.
This observation can be made even though
the benefits of structured doctoral programmes versus individual doctoral training
are difficult to measure statistically. Statistics
only tell us how many doctoral researchers
finish their theses, not how many graduates
set out to do so. But this much is clear: Theavailability of doctoral positions and fellowships encourages young researchers to switch
universities when they begin their doctoral
training. Many excellent graduates, also fromother countries, now have the opportunity tofind just the right research context for their
thesis project. A number of individual elements introduced by RTGs have long since
been adopted by other organisational formsof academic qualification and research.
So the child has grown up. Its parents andproviders have good reason to be proud of it.
Prof. Dr. Peter Strohschneider
Chair of the German Councilof Science and Humanities

11

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20 Years of Research Training Groups

Part of a Big Researcher Family
In 1990, the Ruhr-University Bochum established
one of the first DFG Research Training Groups
Twenty years ago, the Ruhr-University in
Bochum opened the door to a completely
new form of doctoral supervision: One of thefirst Research Training Groups was set up to
improve research outcomes and speed up thetime to degree. “It was the end of one-on-one
togetherness between a doctoral researcher
and his or her advisor, doing research in private,” remembers Professor Elmar Weiler, theformer speaker of the first RTG in Bochum
and today rector of the Ruhr-University.
“Suddenly doctoral students were part of a
big family of researchers.”
This had far-reaching consequences. Graduates had to deal with professors and doctoral
researchers from different departments andtake an interdisciplinary approach to theirwork. They were now being supervised by
two teachers, one from their own department
and one from another. Regular exchange with
doctoral researchers from other subject areas
was now a given. “Doctoral students had tolearn to appreciate other disciplines rather
Elmar Weiler, rector of the Ruhr-University of Bochum

than see themselves as the centre of the universe,” says Elmar Weiler. Their reward wasthat the structures of all departments were
now open to them. They also took part in
the RTG’s decision-making process. “This is
the kind of collaborative research I wanted tohelp shape as a speaker and coordinator,” says
the rector.
In 1988 Elmar Weiler took the chair of plant
physiology in Bochum. Two years later his Research Training Group was launched and ran
until the year 2000. It was the first time that
biologists were joined by medical scientists
and physicists to investigate the “Biogenesis
and Mechanisms of Complex Cell Functions”.
Departmental boundaries became a thing of
the past. “The topic was experimentally driven. There was no way for one department
alone to provide the technical diversity thatwas needed, but several departments in conjunction were able to pull it off,” remembers
Elmar Weiler, who supervised many RTG students. “Everybody had access to everything.
The Research Training Group functioned likeone big lab.”

Open structures
In the Research Training Group, a dozen professors took care of as many doctoral students
each year. In order to foster a community
based on team spirit and exchange, the trailblazers had to create the necessary structures
first. “It wasn’t easy because our workload as
advisors doubled,” says Elmar Weiler. “As coordinator I had to convince my colleagues that
greater effort would yield better results.” In
addition to regular teacher meetings, doctoral
students presented their findings every otherweek in colloquiums. Supervisory issues werediscussed openly. “Everybody quickly realisedthat this new type of training produced outstanding theses that also benefited the professors’ own research.”
From the beginning, students welcomed theconcept. “The colloquiums would help themmove along when they got stuck in their topic,” says Elmar Weiler. Doctoral researchers

Innovative

would also present their work at conferences and invite national and international researchers to Bochum. “It helped students geta sense of how they compared internationally,” says the rector. Moreover, such events
offered great opportunities to make valuable
contacts with visiting researchers. “We professors would intentionally abstain to lower
the threshold for conversations.” But the professors involved also benefit to this day fromthe networks with foreign researchers thatdeveloped back then. Elmar Weiler: “I supervised a student jointly with a colleague fromthe US. We’re still in touch today.”
The RTG also taught doctoral researchers important soft skills like leadership, teamwork
and accountability. “The young scientists
learned how to present their work so that doctoral researchers from other disciplines could
understand it, too,” says Elmar Weiler. “Bysetting up conferences they gained important
experience in collaboration and project
management.”

Nucleus of a culture of support
As a rector, Elmar Weiler enjoys the fruit of
the pioneering labour that was done at thattime. The first RTG was the nucleus of aflourishing culture of support. Today, RuhrUniversity offers a variety of similar, in somecases international programmes, with financial support from the Max Planck Society,the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, or theEuropean Union, to name a few. The university has also set up its own research school.
Like the RTG, it is reserved for select doctoral
researchers, but this does not mean that it isan exclusive circle. “Courses are open to allstudents to allow as many as possible to benefit,” emphasises the rector. To expand this effect, the university plans to make the researchschool as a funding instrument available to all
doctoral students in 2010.
“Thanks to the Research Training Group,
doctoral training has become one semester
shorter on average, and the quality of doctoral theses has increased enormously,” says
Elmar Weiler. “One of my doctoral researchers now works in Göttingen as one of Germany’s most popular cell biologists.” The first
RTG even spawned a Collaborative ResearchCentre in Bochum. “There’s one area where

we would probably do a better job today:
alumni work. That’s where we fell short,”says Elmar Weiler self-critically. “Other thanthat I’m very pleased. The Research Training
Group has generated an irreplaceable added
value for our university and the doctoral
trainees. That’s true to this day.”
Sabine Wygas

13

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20 Years of Research Training Groups

Making Walls Talk
A winning team of architects, architectural scholars and art historians
On the steep, vine-covered slopes of the river Saale near Naumburg, Cistercian monks
founded the monastery of Schulpforta in
1137. It was one of the wealthiest monasteries
in Central Germany when 400 years later theelector of Saxony dissolved and transformed
it into an academy. Friedrich Nietzsche andLeopold von Ranke would later go to school
here. In spite of structural modifications overthe course of its history, the huge monasterycomplex has been preserved in its entirety. In
the year 2000, this historic building became
accordingly the focus of a ten-day interdisciplinary workshop held by the ResearchTraining Group “Aesthetics – Architectural
Research – Preservation of Historical
Monuments”.
“The architects in the group benefited immensely from the fact that our history colleagues could easily decipher the various inscriptions on the walls and placethem historically,” recounts architect Dirk
Dorsemagen, who participated as a doctoral
researcher. “This provided us with references
to benefactors and thus to different construction phases, which we identified in the structure using our own methods.””Excursion in Syria”: expert talks during an excursion to Syria

As the idea matured of setting up a ResearchTraining Group combining disciplines as diverse as art history, architecture and architectural history, the initiators from the Universityof Bamberg and the Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin) were confronted with critical questions: What is your common agenda?
Which problem are you trying to solve? “Weweren’t investigating one single issue,” says
Johannes Cramer, Professor for the historyof architecture and urban development at
TU Berlin’s department of architecture, who
served as the RTG speaker. “We were about
interdisciplinary methodology – that is, theability to solve problems of historic preservation as a team. That was the idea.”
Orientalists, archaeologists, art historians andarchitects – the graduates who joined the RTG
between 1996 and 2005, all worked on different topics for their doctoral theses. The common link between ancient edifices, mediaeval
churches and 20th century film theatres wasthat everything revolved around buildings.
Historic architecture is of great significance inEuropean society, whose culture is based on
tradition. The preservation and conservation

Interactiveof authentic structures is valued highly. But
there had previously been no systematic training opportunities for preservation specialists.
It used to be personal interest that led architects and art historians to work at historicpreservation agencies – where decisions
would often be based on individual criteria.
“We wanted to change that and enable ourdoctoral researchers to make systematic decisions, no matter which historic structure theywould be dealing with,” says former speaker
Johannes Cramer.

Johannes Cramer. About 20 jobs in preservation agencies have been filled with RTG
alumni, who still work closely together. They
can also be found teaching at German universities in five or six recently launched historicpreservation programmes.

The method sounds simple enough. It begins
with taking inventory and documenting thechange process. Already here, the interdisciplinary approach becomes crucial. Each researcher learned the methods that the others brought with them from their respective
subject areas – and benefited from them.
“We were no longer lone fighters,” says Dirk
Dorsemagen. “Researching sources in an archive, reading old documents – I wasn’t used
to doing these things in my traditional training as an architect.” In return, he was able toteach art historians how to make drawings of
the walls, precise to the brick. An architectural researcher’s trained eye can detect tiny
traces of modification in the joints or mortar,and draw conclusions about different construction phases. Once these findings havebeen compared to text or image sources, theresult of the search for clues becomes evermore precise and colourful. Finally, says thearchitect, a complete picture emerges: “Thewalls begin to tell their story.”

Snatched from the hands of the RTG“Our alumni’s expertise is pretty much
unique to Germany,” says Johannes Cramer,
not without pride. Indeed, young researchers have been snatched from the hands of
the RTG. “We were asked impatiently, ‘Who
do you have doing this or that?’” Interest
in interdisciplinary qualifications was especially strong in other European countries. Of
just under 100 graduates who participatedin the Research Training Group during its
nine-year run, a consistent 20 percent camefrom abroad. They wanted to learn specifically these preservation methods and strategies not standard in their home countries.
But Germans, too, work in France and Italy
today – “and they have a lot to do there,” says

Dirk Dorsemagen has been working as an architect for the historic conservation division of
the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg since 2003. Thislarge foundation has numerous specialised
divisions, and minor skirmishes between
them are inevitable. When they happen,
Dirk Dorsemagen is also in demand as a mediator, moderator and networker, thanks to
his enthusiastic appreciation for diverse approaches and for interdisciplinary collaboration that sheds multi-coloured light on oldarchitecture.
Bettina Mittelstraß

15

16

Interactive

The Spirit of Research Training Groups Is as Alive as Ever
Friedrich Eisenbrand’s rapid research careerFriedrich Eisenbrand does research at the interface of mathematics and computer science.
He develops software that can calculate theoptimum decision from many alternatives.
Such a program plays an important role inhospital management, to name one example. How can a shift schedule be designed
so that there are always enough workers on
duty but never more than necessary? To arrive at the best result, countless factors must
be taken into consideration – for instance, anurse scheduled for a nightshift should get
the next day off before she works anotherdayshift. “The software has to play throughall the options without taking half a year to
do so,” says Friedrich Eisenbrand. The scientist’s programmes are much in demand.
A large aeroplane manufacturer employs
Eisenbrand’s methods to make sure humanand material resources are used effectively
and economically.

In search of the optimum:
aiming high with mathematical Algorithms

Friedrich Eisenbrand started to investigate
this topic early on. He studied mathematics
and computer science at the University of
Saarland. Initially, he began his doctoral thesison optimisation algorithms at the Max Planck
Institute (MPI) for Computer Science in Saarbrücken. Then, in 1997, he got a fellowship in
the Research Training Group “Efficiency andComplexity of Algorithms and Computer Systems” – a perfect fit for the young researcher’s topic. “I discovered many connections toother branches of computer science,” he says.
“The RTG is one of the reasons why I continue to work across disciplines to this day.”
The Research Training Group was a major
stepping stone for his career. “We were able tofocus completely on our research and didn’t
have to cope with a teaching load. That wasa privilege we enjoyed.” Friedrich Eisenbrandcompleted his doctorate quickly and subsequently, climbed the career ladder rapidly.
After research visits in Rome and Berlin, heheaded an independent junior research groupat the MPI in Saarbrücken. In 2003 he habilitated at the University of Saarland. One
year later the DFG awarded him the Heinz
Maier Leibnitz Prize for his work. Further engagements took him to Delhi, Dortmund undPaderborn, before he accepted an appointment to the École Polytechnique Fédérale deLausanne. Its computer science department
is number one in Europe according to the
Academic Ranking of World Universities by
Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Friedrich Eisenbrand passes on his RTG experiences to his students. “I want to enable mydoctoral researchers to do what I was enabled
to do, which is to concentrate on research.
They are involved in teaching, but I try tospare them administrative chores and to impart the spirit of Research Training Groups tothem.”
Boris Hänßler

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Building Bridges Between Disciplines
Ulrike Dufner still draws on her RTG experience
When she studied political science in the
1990s, she was already a human rights activist for Turkey. For six years she served as anadvisor to the German Parliament; for two
years she worked at the Turkey department ofGermany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today
Ulrike Dufner heads the branch office of theHeinrich Böll Foundation in Istanbul. “I’ve
always been a border crosser who wanted tobuild bridges,” she says. “It was especially myfellowship in the Research Training Group
that brought me closer to this goal.”

The RTG in Erlangen was one of the first. Its
topic: “Interdisciplinary Research of Transformation Processes in Middle Eastern Societies between Tradition and Renewal”. The
RTG spanned two universities. In Erlangen as
well as in Bamberg, political scientists worked
hand in hand with turkologists, ethnologists,
economists and islamologists – a portfolio ofexperts from various disciplines, which Ulrike
Dufner drew on from 1990 to 1995 whileworking on her doctorate.
“We had many, sometimes fierce discussions
and an ongoing in-depth exchange across disciplines that opened new perspectives,” says
Dufner. One of the doctoral researchers investigated the significance of urban space for
the Islamic movement. “Without the group it
would never have occurred to me to include
a geographer’s perspective in my research,”
she says. “Especially at the present time, I am
really benefiting from this border-crossing experience, because we’re working on a similar project at the Heinrich Böll Foundation. It
deals with social change and religion.”
The political scientist would have welcomeda bit more internationality in the ResearchTraining Group. “We had to write our dissertations in German.

She also built a bridge with her doctoral thesis, in which she compared the political ideasof Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood with those ofTurkey’s Welfare Party. “Back then, all Islamic
political movements were lumped together inGermany. But I wanted to take a closer look.
The Research Training Group in Erlangenprovided me with the ideal environment todo so,” says Ulrike Dufner.

It wasn’t possible to do your doctorate in English, which made it harder to get into international research institutions,” remembers
the 47-year-old. But this was a minor blemish, clearly outweighed by the advantages of
the research training period. “During research
visits in Egypt and Turkey I learned how I asa woman need to approach people who initially reject me,” says Ulrike Dufner. “To doso, I have to really understand my own sociocultural background, and this helps me tremendously in my work today.”
Sabine Wygas

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20 Years of Research Training Groups

Broader Perspectives and Stepping Stones to Careers
Former doctoral researchers speak about their experienceDr. Meltem Avci-Werning

Prof. Dr. Ruth Schmitz-Streit

Expert on issues such as the prevention of ethnic conflict inschools; currently head of the Department of School Psychology on the Lower Saxony State Board of Education, RTG “Cognitive and Social Representation of Problems and Conflicts,
Their Genesis, Predication and Control”, University of Münster

Department of General Microbiology, University of Kiel,
RTG “Enzyme Chemistry”, University of Marburg

In the Research Training Group, fellows and instructors experience intense scientific work – with all its
highs and lows. For me it was very special to collaborate with researchers from different countries.
My DFG-funded research visit in Israel influenced mestrongly on top of this.

Key impulses for my experimental doctoral thesis
came from the group. Both my outstanding experience with interdisciplinary work and the collaboration with international experts have substantially influenced my scientific career.

Dr. Steffen Egner

Prof. Dr. Karl SchmidFounder and managing director of MediaAnalyzer Software &Research GmbH

Institute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics, University of Hohenheim, RTG “Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Development”, Ludwig Maximilian Universityof MunichBeing part of the Research Training Group was avery positive experience for me. Working across disciplines ignited my great passion for research, which
extended far beyond the RTG and led to a DFG research fellowship and ultimately the establishment of
my own business.

The Research Training Group influenced my career
deeply and positively. Interacting with doctoral researchers and professors from other working groups
helped me build a network and expand my scientifichorizon. During meetings the trainees cheered eachother on, and we received guidance from excellent
scientists.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Siegmund

Prof. Dr. Anne Röthel

Mathematics, Dresden University of Technology RTG “Nonlinear Problems in Analysis, Geometry and Physics”, Universityof Augsburg

Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, RTG “Environmental andTechnical Law”, University of Trier

The Research Training Group was my first encounter
with the liberties that come with third-party-funded
research. Our weekly interdisciplinary collaboration
with physicists was very stimulating. As a postdoc I
became the group coordinator and gained interesting insights into the organisation of major projects.
These experiences helped me when it came to proposing and leading my own Emmy Noether Independent Junior Research Group.

As a doctoral student in the Research Training GroupI met many people for whom living and working as a
researcher was self-evident. For me, this opened thedoor to an academic career. Without this experience
I wouldn’t have obtained my habilitation. I foundinterdisciplinary thinking so captivating that I try tomaintain it even today.

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Dr. Jens Romstedt

Dr. Martin Daumer

Scientist at ESA/ESTEC, RTG “Origin and Evolution of the Solar
System”, University of Münster

Director of SLCMSR and managing director of Trium GmbH,
Munich, RTG “The Interaction of Mathematics with Physics”,
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Rutgers University,
United States

It was the interdisciplinary character of the groupthat appealed to me especially. The conferences andmeetings as well as the numerous national and international involvements of the Institute for Planetology
made it easy for me to establish contacts within thescientific community. Thanks to my wonderful fellowship I was able to work quickly and purposefully
toward my PhD.

In the Research Training Group I was able to put
my interdisciplinary investigations into quantummechanical scattering theory from the perspectiveof Bohmian mechanics into effect. Through the earlyscientific independence and flexibility the group offered, I was able to make a lateral move into medicine, form the company Trium, and set up the multiple-sclerosis research institute SLCMSR.

Dr. Gero Poetsch

Dr. Steffen R. Giessner

Head of the Department of Vehicle Dynamics and Energy Consumption, Deutsche Bahn AG, Frankfurt am Main, RTG “Parallel Processor Networks in Production”, University of Paderborn

Associate professor of organisational behaviour, Rotterdam
School of Management, IRTG “Conflict and Cooperation between Social Groups”, University of Jena, University of Kent
at Canterbury, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, andUniversity of Sussex

I was excited about the interdisciplinarity of the Research Training Group. Ongoing interaction withcomputer science, engineering and economics aswell as the natural and social sciences prevented
one-sided specialisation. Looking beyond my area ofexpertise was a very rewarding experience in termsof my scientific as well as my personal development.

The fascinating thing about the Research Training
Group was working on an innovative topic with international researchers. We also had a valuable option of inviting experts to our summer schools. Thisdefinitely opened new perspectives on my research.
The networks I formed during that time are still
active today.

Dr. Joanna Warchol

Prof. Dr. Carmen Cardelle de Hartmann

Legal advisor to the European Parliament in Brussels,
RTG “Transformation of Regulatory Systems and Integration of European Economies in Joining Europe”, University of
Heidelberg

Mediaeval and modern Latin philology, University of Zurich, RTG“Textual Criticism”, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

I was fascinated to be doing research with the best
professors and having a lot of international encounters. The Research Training Group taught me that welawyers have a special responsibility for the qualityof the European legal framework. Extensive practicalexperience helped me make a smooth transition into
professional life – as the first Polish office manager fora member of the European Parliament, and then in thelegal service of the European Parliament.

Within the Research Training Group the dialogue
with other subject areas in the group had a profoundeffect on me. It sensitised me to their peculiarities
and problems. I learned how to ask my questions in a
way that can be understood across disciplines. Since
then I’ve always been looking for those vanishingpoints where different subjects meet. In addition, theResearch Training Group made it possible for me toreturn to academia after my family leave.

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20 Years of Research Training Groups

Diversity Instead of “One Size Fits All”
The strengths of Research Training Groups have made a far-reaching impact
They were the speakers of some of the firstResearch Training Groups and have led other
RTGs off and on over the course of 20 years. A
conversation about success, impact and opportunities with professors Amélie Mummendey,
Otto Spaniol and Helmut Willems:
How have Research Training Groups evolved?

Spaniol: Through the new DFG guidelines,
Research Training Groups have become more
focused, which has narrowed down the topics
and the pool of supervising professors. I think
I would have preferred things to have stayed
the way they were in 1991 when I had myfirst group. The second RTG was also definedquite broadly, but today we have some with amuch narrower research focus.
Willems: Research Training Groups have
proven themselves as a place for structured
doctoral training. In our case, the trend goes
especially towards more internationality. In
our second Research Training Group we are
now working with researchers from different European countries as well as the UnitedStates, from the Massachusetts Institute ofLively discussion: Otto Spaniol (left) and Helmut Willems.

Technology. Naturally, our range of topics
is diverse, not least because of our close affiliation to collaborative research centres andother centres of research.
Mummendey: It’s all about enabling synergies
by having doctoral researchers work together
on one comprehensive topic. This means that
other people’s research has to be not onlyinteresting but also beneficial for one’s own
doctorate. Looking back at the last 20 years,
it’s clear that Research Training Groups area successful model and have inspired otherforms of structured doctoral training, albeit
not as quickly as originally intended. In thecurrent discussion about improving conditions for doctoral training it’s precisely thefeatures typical of Research Training Groups
that are held up as examples.
Each subject area has its own culture, including
doctoral training. What does this mean for Research Training Groups?

Spaniol: These cultures vary enormously.
In some subjects, three years aren’t enoughfor a doctorate because the necessary

Interactive

experimentation can’t be done in that timeframe. In yet other subjects, individual doctoral training is so dominant that it’s hard to
integrate Research Training Groups.
Mummenday: The range of attributes that characterise doctoral training in Research Training
Groups is just as productive for researchers in
the humanities as it is for natural scientists.
The various cultures are reflected in the different designs and emphases of the study programmes. It’s not “one size fits all”.

the work process and keep people from getting off on the wrong track. At regular Coffee & Science meetings, problems can be addressed early on and informally. More thanin the past, the reality of the academic job
market comes into view as well. Researchers learn how to write proposals and handle
project management and career planning.
This may well encourage them to do theirdoctorates quickly, too. And it all pays off, as
evidenced by low dropout rates. But of course
it is an enormous challenge to get it done
within three years.

Willems: Research Training Groups have to respond to changes in the scientific community.
In the earth sciences, for example, cumulative
doctorates increasingly take the place of monographic theses. For our RTG students, structured doctoral training means that they publish early on in internationally high-ranking
journals, sometimes already after one year.
A study suggests that researchers in the humanities benefit more from Research Training
Groups than natural scientists when it comes tothe length of doctoral training and the age at
which they get their doctorates. What has been
your experience?

Mummendey: It’s difficult to compare, because
humanities researchers have been the exception in Research Training Groups so far. In
this respect, these few could gain particularvalue. Of course, it is also possible that theiradvisors are especially dedicated. In the natural sciences, on the contrary, this type of doctorate is the prevailing standard.
Willems: In the earth sciences, Research Training Groups have helped a lot to speed up theprocess due to their stringent approach. Mostof our PhD candidates successfully complete
their work after three years.
Spaniol: As a scientist I consider it impossible
for every student in a training group to finish
their doctorate within three years. You can’t
guarantee that your research will be finishedwithin a certain time span. We’re happy whenpeople get it done within four years.
Willems: Research and study programmes, butalso soft skills like science writing, presentation skills or time management help organise

How helpful is it for a Research Training Groupto have its own identity?

Mummendey: I think it’s very important. It
takes time for this identity to form, but by
designing and organising things like workshops together, students do develop a senseof belonging. The fact that our International
Research Training Group is housed in its own
building has significantly strengthened its
identity. People meet there, talk shop, havediscussions with international guests – thiscreates something like a concretely locatedreputation. On top of that, traditions developthat help new doctoral researchers feel safe
and at the same time call on supervisors toshow commitment.
Spaniol: A major advantage of RTGs is indeed
the possibility of inviting external experts.

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20 Years of Research Training Groups

Our students often organise this on theirown, a very valuable experience. They work
together and know each other well, but there
is no particular RTG identity. At our weekly
seminars where doctoral researchers discuss
their work, people occasionally have to betalked into sharing. RTG students are sometimes less motivated, yet more adjusted thanin the past. In my first Research Training
Group, students would often quarrel intensively, but in a constructive way. Controversial discussion of extraneous topics was very
productive for all participants.

Willems: At the University of Bremen we had
structured doctoral training even before DFG
Research Training Groups, so that the launchof the DFG group went smoothly. In particular,
the courses on soft skills and the option of inviting researchers of international standing toworkshops and appointing them for dual supervision was new for us. All of this has helped
RTGs to make a lot of headway and has madean impact on other forms of doctoral training as well. Thus, the DFG has done a great
job of promoting structured doctoral training
generously.

Willems: Identity begins with a common research topic. Our big annual workshop is a
crystallisation point for that. Findings, postulates and ideas are discussed at a two-day
retreat with all international partners, andcontacts are made at all levels.

What advantages does a doctoral student havein an International Research Training Group?

Willems: International mobility and international exchange. Doctoral students usuallyspend half a year at the partner institution
and get to know other work cultures, not tomention other contacts.
Mummendey: Exactly: International networking is guaranteed, also at the doctoral level.
Essentially this is a Research Training Group
that extends beyond national borders. And
these contacts are enormously successful. Today many of our alumni work for our partners, on familiar territory.
Spaniol: We don’t have an International Research Training Group, but we get a similar effect by encouraging our trainees toactively attend international conferences.
The DFG funds these trips. This allows doctoral researchers to practice scientific discourse at an early stage and to meet potential
collaborators.

Research Training Groups are supposed to further upgrade structured doctoral training. What
has actually changed?

Spaniol: Well, for example, we emphasised
dual supervision from the very beginning,with two supervisors from different departments. This has fostered interdisciplinary collaboration between professors significantly.
These days, supervisors also look for second
reviewers from other countries. Dual supervision or at least dual review is all but standard
in Germany today.

Have Research Training Groups spawned concepts for graduate schools?

Willems: Research Training Groups require
flexibility and thinking outside the box. Old
ways of teaching, old ways of thinking are being
discarded. This has smoothed some transitions, for example from diploma programmes
to the new bachelor’s and master’s programmes. Experience from Research Training
Groups does also provide a good foundation
for designing graduate schools.

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other from Research Training Groups. In
Aachen we have a speaker’s council, which
I currently represent externally. Those whowant to can present their proposals andinitiatives to the council. Thereby we exchange
know-how, experiences and tips, whichhave proven very helpful for proposals, forexample on graduate schools and clusters of
excellence. Research Training Groups havealso taught us to place a greater emphasis on
interdisciplinarity.
What do you think about uniting all forms of
doctoral training under one umbrella?

Spaniol: I’m afraid that centrifugal forces
would eventually become too strong in sucha structure. But from a purely organisational
point of view, there might be a basic criticalmass that could justify an umbrella.
Mummendey: The key characteristics of good
doctoral training, such as excellent supervision in an excellent environment with acritical mass, can also be found in graduate
schools. Research Training Groups have provided a role model here.
Spaniol: Research Training Groups can spawn
concepts, but it’s pretty rare. The good thing
though, is that the researchers who try to
make graduate schools happen know each

Mummendey: An umbrella organisation canhave a positive effect if it promotes adherence to quality standards. The Jena Graduate
Academy makes a point of supporting different forms of doctoral training, but in combination with a commitment to a range of corefeatures based on experience in ResearchTraining Groups. But this doesn’t mean simplification – it’s still all about diversity.
Moderator: Uschi Heidel

Discussion group
Professor Amélie Mummendey teaches and researches social psychology at the University ofJena. She led one of the first Research Training
Groups and was the speaker of the International
Research Training Group “Conflict and Cooperation between Social Groups”. Today she is
the vice-rector in charge of the university-wide
Jena Graduate Academy. For six years Amélie
Mummendey was a member of the DFG Senate and Grants Committee on Research Training
Groups representing psychology.

Professor Otto Spaniol is a computer scientist at
RWTH Aachen University. He was the speaker of
one of the first Research Training Groups anduntil 2010 headed the Research Training Group“Software for Mobile Communication Systems”.
For six years Otto Spaniol represented computerscience in the DFG Senate and Grants Committee
on Research Training Groups.
Professor Helmut Willems teaches and researches
historical geology and palaeontology at the University of Bremen. He has been guiding ResearchTraining Groups since 1990, including “Proxies inEarth History”, one of the first International RTGs.

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20 Years of Research Training Groups

When the Chemistry Is Right
PhD students from Japan and Germany collaborate on molecular research
Chemistry is complex in two ways: For one
thing, researchers investigate complicatedmolecules and the different ways in which
they interact. For another, outstanding research can no longer be performed by just
one university, let alone one department. Research is increasingly cooperative, even acrossborders. The International Research Training Group “Complex Functional Systems in
Chemistry” at Westphalian Wilhelm University in Münster, Germany, stays abreast of
this trend. Nine teams in Münster and another nine in Nagoya, Japan, are working together to understand and control interactions
between molecules in order to create newmaterials with special properties. The International Research Training Group in Münster
is funded as Research Training Group 1143 by
the DFG.
The leader of the IRTG, Professor Gerhard Erker,
dates its birth to the year 2005. Back then, heand researchers in Nagoya had the idea thateven during doctoral training, students should
get something akin to a postdoctoral experience – which sounds like a contradiction,

Complex structures: The metal-binding protein apo-ferritin is
one of the molecules in focus of the IRTG researchers.

strictly speaking. But the researchers agreed
that it can’t hurt to get international experience early on. Yet they were also awarethat setting up a joint Research Training
Group would not be easy. “The funding systems of the DFG and its Japanese counterpart, the JSPS, were not very compatible at thetime,” says Gerhard Erker. The proposal still
got through, not least because the DFG president at the time, Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker,
and JSPS president Motoyuki Ono had negotiated a memorandum of understanding.
The IRTG in Münster was launched on 1 January 2006; the Nagoya group had already started a few weeks earlier. Every year since then,six to eight doctoral researchers from Münster
have worked in Nagoya for six months; anaverage of six come to Münster, where theyusually stay for a slightly shorter period. In
addition, IRTG participants can invite professors of their choice to hold guest lectures andselected courses. They also organise high-level international symposia. “The programme
worked excellently from the very beginning,”says Gerhard Erker, surprised that the different systems turned out to harmonise so well.

Unhindered flow of knowledge
In Münster, nine working groups on chemistry, food chemistry and pharmacology benefit
from the Research Training Group. The programme is very interdisciplinary and designed
to allow an unhindered flow of knowledge
between the working groups in Münster andNagoya. Doctoral researchers in these groups
can apply for one of the coveted slots in the
IRTG. “We’re swamped with applications,”
says Gerhard Erker. A total of 25 doctoral
researchers are currently in the programme.
They have passed the demanding admission
process, which requires them to give a presentation, among other things. Gerhard Erker
wants to make sure only the best doctoral researchers are accepted: “For them it’s a great
opportunity.” When they return from Japan,
they have mastered many challenges and become more mature.

International

Young scientists at work.
International cooperation in Research Training Groups continues to grow.

To avoid wasting six months on orientationin the foreign country instead of using themfor intense research, the German researchers attend the Institute of Intensive Language
Training in Bochum before they take off. Not
only does it teach them basic Japanese; it also
helps them keep the culture shock to a minimum and avoid social blunders. “It’s wonderful they get this preparation. I can’t say
enough good things about the institute,” says
Gerhard Erker.
Kirsten Spannhoff agrees. She is in Erker’s
working group dealing with metal complexes
as catalysts. She was in Nagoya in the spring of2009. “It was a unique experience.” She was
fascinated by the way research is done in a different cultural sphere, by how problems areapproached and decisions are made. In Japan,
Kirsten Spannhoff was able to connect the topic of her thesis to other aspects of chemistry,
thus giving new impulses to her doctorate.

Despite all the focused work, cultural exchange was not neglected. Via internet,
Spannhoff found Japanese friends withwhom she went camping and attended festivals, and even planted rice. Her stay in Japan
won’t have been the last. “Once I finish my
PhD, I plan to target job offers that allow me
to go back to Japan.”
The Research Training Group is currently set
to expire in June of 2010. Over its first funding period, the DFG has contributed about 1.5
million euros. A renewal proposal has been
submitted because, as Gerhard Erker points
out, such an expensive programme cannot
be supported by university funds alone at
this point. “Still, universities will have to offer more such programmes in future, because
top-level research is getting more and moreinternational.”
Bernd Müller

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International

Cooperation Without Borders
International Research Training Groups focus expertise
Research is global – this is the challenge the
DFG takes on with its International ResearchTraining Groups. It is important to put theparticipating universities on equal footing,

Volker Berghahnsays Volker Berghahn, professor at Columbia
University in New York, and keep logistics
simple, in spite of the big distance, by limiting thegroup to two locations. This is certainly the casein the transatlantic Research Training Group“History and Culture of the Metropolises in the20th Century”. What’s more, the objects underinvestigation can be found right on the doorstep, because the participating institutions
are three universities in New York and three
in Berlin. The idea for the collaboration camefrom New York; the Berliners were eager to be apart of it; and in 2004 the bilaterally developed
concept was approved by the DFG. Twentyfour doctoral researchers and four postdocs
have since been awarded fellowships for three
years each – “with ideal working conditions,”
says Berghahn.
The Research Training Group New York / Berlin
arose virtually out of nothing – the partners
had not collaborated much in the past. This
makes it somewhat of an exception, as mostInternational Research Training Groups tend

Calum Sutherland

to have longer histories. A case in point: theRTG “The PI3K Pathway in Tumour Growthand Diabetes”. Biomedical researchers fromthe universities of Tübingen, Germany, andDundee, Scotland, have worked together since2006 to examine cells for the key processes
causing cancer and diabetes. Both universities

are world leaders in this area, pursuing
different strategies that complement eachother very well, says Dr. Calum Sutherland,
one of the cooperation partners at Ninewells
Hospital in Dundee. Seven students from
Tübingen have meanwhile done research at
the Scottish laboratories. “We worked on
our topic and learned new techniques andapproaches,”says Antje Grotemeier, speakerof the RTG researchers from Tübingen.
The collaboration in the RTG “Transformationof Regulatory Systems and Integration of European Economies in Joining Europe” goes backeven further, to the mid-1990s. Twelve years
ago, Jagiellonian University in Krakow established a school for German law, and four years
later it launched a school for Polish commercial
law – the foundation for the Research Training
Group, including the universities of Heidelberg
and Mainz. In Krakow, German and Polish

Jerzy Pisulinski

law students get to know the legal system of
the other country. Between 12 and 18 German
students and doctoral researchers go to Krakow
every year for six months, while Polish students
come to Germany to research German andEuropean law. The doctoral theses written in
the Research Training Group are usually legal
comparisons. So far, 21 Polish students havebeen awarded doctorates in the RTG. This
Research Training Group expires in 2010. It
is set to be continued with the Universities of
Heidelberg and Mainz, but with a different
focus. Jerzy Pisulinski, professor at Jagiellonian
University and RTG coordinator: “Poland is
now a member of the European Union, which
results in new challenges. Thus, differentiatedlegal integration in an expanded Europe, forexample in consumer law, will be the main
topic of the new Research Training Group.”
Bernd Müller

Innovative

Doctoral Training, Industrial-Style
Research Training Groups work within commercial businesses
Innovative enterprises often pose questions
that can be interesting to young researchers.
A case in point is the collaboration between
Evonik Industries (formerly Degussa) and
two Research Training Groups at the universities of Erlangen and Duisburg-Essen. It’s awin-win situation: Doctoral researchers workat the company, which in turn gains insights
into current academic research. Positive experience with this type of cooperation has
spawned two Science2business centres in
Marl: for nanomaterials in electronic components and for biotechnology.
In 2004, Evonik erected a building specifically for this purpose, in which 120 scientists
and developers, including 30 doctoral andpostdoctoral researchers, collaborate today.
The young scientists receive support from the
DFG and the German Ministry of Education
and Research, and stay with the company for
two to three years. Within the framework ofcooperation agreements, the DFG has funded things like scientific instruments, which
belong to the university but are temporarily housed by Evonik. The company pays
for the infrastructure and the research doneby its own employees. All public funds areearmarked for the university. Both partners
benefit from the jointly generated research
results.
The idea of linking up Research Training
Groups with Evonik / Degussa is the brain
child of Andreas Gutsch, DFG Senate member
and former innovation manager at Evonik.
“In industry, decisions happen more quickly,
but there’s little time to do basic research,”says Andreas Gutsch. Degussa at the time wasfacing many open questions concerning nanotechnology. That is why the company approached universities and Collaborative Research Centres, offering a complete research
infrastructure in which young scientists investigate issues important both to the university and the enterprise. Under this agreement,
researchers are allowed to publish their findings freely as usual.

How productive this kind of collaboration canbe is demonstrated by Li-Tec Battery, a joint
venture between Evonik and Daimler. It develops batteries for electric cars using a typeof ceramics technology invented with thehelp of doctoral researchers. Cooperation between universities and businesses in ResearchTraining Groups is a definite success story
and worth imitating, says Andreas Gutsch,
who served until recently as Li-Tec’s executive director: “We have created 250 jobs withit.” The DFG knows from surveys that many
RTG alumni pursue industry careers following completion of their doctorates.
Bernd Müller

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Innovative

From Research Training Groups to Graduate Schools
The path of the Giessen model is organic
Ansgar Nünning is convinced that the successof structured doctoral training depends on
three qualities: diversity, continuity and networking. “In Germany we’re testing different
models right now. Ten years ago there was virtually nothing outside of DFG Research Training Groups.” The Giessen-based professor isan expert in doctoral training. He has worked
with three Research Training Groups, established the Giessen Graduate Centre for the
Humanities (GGK), and on this foundation heand his colleagues developed a proposal for a
graduate school under the Excellence Initiative – successfully. The International Graduate
Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) has
been up and running since 2006. “The paththere was organic,” reports Ansgar Nünning,
who also serves as the speaker of the GCSC.
In the process, the experience gained with
RTG research and training programmes
provided valuable essentials for the GCSC.
“Early on we were pondering the question of
how we could continue to have the kind of
success we were having with Research Training Groups,” says the scholar of English andcultural studies. All doctoral researchers in
A systematic approach to the doctorate:
The GCSC is breaking new ground.

the humanities should be able to benefit fromstructured doctoral training – this was thepremise of the GKK. In 2001, when it began,
it was considered a novelty. In the meantime,it serves as a prototype for doctoral trainingreform in Germany. At the University of Giessen, it was the force behind the International
Graduate School for the Life Sciences. Anothergraduate school – for the social sciences – iscurrently in planning.
Whereas the GGK has a regional focus, the
GCSC operates at the international level. Outof several hundred applicants from all over
the world, a selection committee chooses the
30 to 40 best candidates each year.

Within a circle of like-minded researchers
Compared to Research Training Groups, graduate schools under the Excellence Initiative
are much broader and more interdisciplinary
in their thematic scope. “Today’s key issues
in the humanities and social sciences canonly be tackled across disciplines,” says the
GCSC speaker. Still, he believes that RTGs areequally valuable for successful doctoral training. It all comes down to collaboration withlike-minded researchers and the availabilityof diverse opportunities within a structured
doctoral training programme. Common obstacles like writer’s block can thus be moreeasily overcome. And attending target-groupspecific courses is far superior to working on
a dissertation all alone in one’s room. At the
GCSC Teaching Centre, for example, students
learn professional teaching methods – great
preparation for a career in science and thehumanities.
Ansgar Nünning’s thoughts have alreadyextended far beyond individual graduate
schools. The future, he believes, lies in networking. A first step has already been taken.
Together with graduate schools in Finland,
Sweden, Portugal and Italy, the GCSC has
created the European PhDnet “Literary andCultural Studies”.
Uschi Heidel

20 Years of Research Training Groups

29

Facts and Figures
Research Training Groups are backed by a powerful organisation
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG,
German Research Foundation) is the selfgoverning organisation for science and research in Germany. It serves all branches ofscience and the humanities. In organisationalterms, the DFG is an association under private law. Its membership consists of German
research universities, non-university research
institutions, scientific associations and theAcademies of Science and the Humanities.
The DFG receives the large majority of its
funds from the states (Länder) and the federal government, which are represented in
all Grants Committees. At the same time,the voting system and procedural regulations
guarantee science-driven decisions.
From an annual budget of over 2 billion euros, about 5 percent are currently going to the
support of Research Training Groups.
Research Training Groups can be funded for a
total of nine years, in two funding periods of
4½ years each. Funding is contingent on theapproval of proposals submitted by universities. A review panel composed of researchers
from other universities and research institutions evaluates the research and training plan.
During an on-site colloquium, reviewers also
engage in discussions with participating professors, university administrators and, if the
proposal concerns the renewal of a previously
established group, with participating doctoral
researchers. Based on the outcome of the review, the DFG Senate and Grants Committee
on Research Training Groups then make thefunding decision.

DFG On-Site Review:
The universities do their task to ensure a quiet working environment.
(“Quiet please – review board meeting in progress” / “Please turn off all cell
phones and buzzers”)

30

20 Years of Research Training Groups

At the DFG Head Office, the Research Careers
Division is in charge of programme development, the proposal and decision process, andthe DFG-funded Research Training Groups.
It works closely with the relevant scientificdivisions and the Budget and Accounting
Division.

Meike Andermann, Petra Berger, Jürgen Breitkopf, Nora
Brüggemann, Anjana Buckow, Katja Fettelschoß, Anselm Fremmer, Gernot Gad, Dietmar Gehrmann (Budget and Accounting
Division), Sebastian Granderath, Inge Grätzig, Irene Khder,
Sascha Klein, Gisela Kolbe, Sylvia Krupp (Budget and Accounting Division), Christoph Limbach (trainee), Saskia Miele, Sabine
Mönkemöller, Myriam Poll (trainee), Manfred Nagel (Budget
and Accounting Division), Barbara Riesche, Annette Schmidtmann (head of division), Dagmar Scholz, Rolf Stengert (Budget
and Accounting Division), Britta Stinton, Gerlinde Wawrok.
Not in the picture: Karl-Heinz Becker, Michaela Dreike, Susann
Gierz, Achim Haag (contacts for humanities and social sciences), Sabrina Houbor, Frank Kiefer (contacts for physics,
mathematics and geosciences), Astrid Lippstreu, Ursula Michel,
Daniel Pursche (contacts for chemistry and process engineering), Evelin Salzbrunn, Gerit Sonntag (contacts for engineeringsciences), Nana Ueffing (contact for life sciences)

Further information:
http://www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/programmes/coordinated_programmes/research_training_groups/index.html

Picture credits
JSMC, University of Jena (Titel), E. Lichtenscheidt ( pp.5, 20, 22,23), Böttcher-Gajewski (p.10), German Council of Science andHumanities (Wissenschaftsrat) (p.11), Ruhr-University Bochum(p.12), sciencephotolibrary (p.13), Research Training Group“Aesthetics – Architectural Research – Preservation of Historical
Monuments” (p.14), Fotolia (p.15), Bosse und Meinhard (p.16),
Andrea Kroth (p.17), private (p.18 (5)), Oskar EYB (p.18 centerright), private (p.19 (5)), Ronald van den Heerik Fotografie (p.19
center right), Peter Scheere, University of Jena (p. 21), Abe,
M., Ueno, T., Hirata, K., Suzuki, M., Abe, S., Shimizu, N.,
Yamaoto, M., Takata, M., Watanabe, Y. – PDB (p.24), David
Ausserhofer/Intro (p.25), private (p.26 (3)), LiTec (p.27), Tanja
Nitzke, GCSC/GGK (p.28), DFG (p.29, 30)

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 · 53175 Bonn · Germany
Postal address: 53170 Bonn · Germany
Phone: + 49 228 885-1
Fax: + 49 228 885-2777
postmaster@dfg.de
www.dfg.de