Certificate program: On track to university professorship

The onboarding module supports you in networking both within and outside your discipline, and helps you to start your career at the University of Stuttgart on a positive note. The module includes the annual Welcome Series for newly-appointed professors organized by the Rectorate, and is supplemented by a mentoring program. The onboarding module provides you with ample opportunities

• to learn about the University of Stuttgart and its management,
• to make contacts outside your faculty or department,
• to learn about selected institutes or
• to get support from established professors to help you get started in your professional career.

As a general rule, you will be personally invited to take part in both programs during your first year of employment at the University of Stuttgart.

Welcome Series
The Welcome Series for all newly-appointed professors each year usually begins by eating dinner together. This is when the university management presents the core values and visions of the University, as well as its overarching philosophy and strategic goals. This is followed by two lunch meetings among the same group held at alternating institutions within the university, which give you an insight into the latest goings-on and research highlights.

If you have any questions about the Welcome Series, please get in touch with the Office of Academic Appointments by e-mail.

Sub-module coordinator:
Martina Takors

Mentoring program
As part of our mentoring program, you will be accompanied on a non-committal basis by established colleagues for a period of two years. This means that during the early stages of your career at the University of Stuttgart you will be given support tailored to your individual requirements and needs related to your career development, settling into your job as a professor or networking across disciplines.

Information on the mentoring program is available on the GRADUS website.

Sub-module coordinator:
Dr. Jürgen Hädrich

The leadership module is based on the University of Stuttgart’s comprehensive leadership program, and supports you to develop your leadership skills in a way which is tailored to you. To obtain the certificate, it is necessary to participate in the annual Foundations of Leadership workshop, as well as in one other event of your choice from the ever-changing offering of the leadership program. Optional extra support is available through the young leaders circle, as well as individual coaching and advisory sessions. Please contact the Personnel Development Department if you have any suggestions for topics for future workshops.

Module coordinator:
Sonja Rapp

At nine contact hours per week, teaching makes up a significant part of the job of a university professor and requires adequate preparation. The reduced teaching load during the junior and tenure-track professorship creates conditions which are conducive to gradually meeting the new challenges with support from the University Didactics department.

The teaching module prepares you for your new role as a member of the teaching staff at the University and imparts the basics of higher education teaching. You can freely select 32 work units from Module 1 and Module 2 of the Baden-Württemberg Certificate in Higher Education Didactics. If you wish, you are also welcome to take advantage of individual teaching coaching and counseling sessions

Module coordinator:
Simone Loewe

The research and transfer module deals with the challenges of the German and international research system in the digital transformation and with the specifics of the University of Stuttgart and the Stuttgart region. In addition to the introductory event on the university's internal research and funding structures, the following events are offered:

• Research data management
  Overview of the requirements for research grants, national (NFDI) and international (EOSC) developments as well as local Stuttgart-based services related to research data management. Individual solutions are developed based on practical examples.
• National and international third-party funding and application
  Presentation of the most important German and international research funding bodies and their requirements (DFG, BMBF, EU etc.) with sensitization for the “typical” pitfalls in the application process and suggestions for a constructive approach. On request, the workshop can be followed by an individual consultation.
• Knowledge and technology transfer
  An interactive, transfer-oriented series of lectures is offered on the many challenges involved in cooperations, inventions and spin-offs, in which you can find out about drafting contracts, protecting intellectual and commercial rights, inventions, patents, etc. and also receive individual advice.

If you have any questions about the research and transfer module, please get in touch by sending an e-mail to the Research and Transfer Division.

Module coordinator:
Dr. Vanessa Hanke

The optional career and lifelong learning module offers you not only a variety of opportunities for development beyond your specialization as part of the extensive GRADUS qualification program, but also individual coaching sessions as well as practical trainings for appointment negotiations, which are offered in cooperation with experts from the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (Deutscher Hochschulverband, DHV).

Module coordinator:
Dr. Jürgen Hädrich