Excellent trainings for doctoral researchers!

The partner institutions of Berlin University Alliance have teamed up to organize their Graduate Studies Support Program, a broad portfolio of trainings, retreats, conferences and other events. The program is open to doctoral researchers from all subjects, as long as they are affiliated to Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, or Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It is free of charge.

All offers at a glance: https://www.berlin-university-alliance.de/en/commitments/promoting-talent/projekte/graduate-studies-support-program/index.html 

Doctorate course: The doctoral course is not only aimed at doctoral students who are at the beginning of a doctorate or are looking for a topic for their dissertation or term paper. Advanced doctoral candidates can also structure their project once again and receive advice on how to write their thesis.

Doing a doctorate: yes or no? This interdisciplinary intensive workshop is aimed at master's students and graduates who would like to pursue a doctorate at an institution within the BUA network (HU, TU, FU Berlin & Charité) or who are currently in the decision-making phase. For technical reasons, only BUA members can currently register via the booking platform. All others should register by emailing hgs-workshops@hu-berlin.de. In this intensive workshop, you will reflect on questions such as “What do I want?”, “Do I really want to pursue a doctorate?” and “How can I tackle and persevere with this major project?”. The one-day seminar will help you clarify your personal attitude toward your dissertation project and make statements about its feasibility. You will thus develop a sound basis for deciding for or against a dissertation.

Introductory events for new PhD students: In cooperation with the faculties, the Center for Junior Scholars at Technische Universität Berlin organizes annual introductory events for new doctoral candidates (and postdocs). In addition to networking, formal questions about doctoral registration are answered and the most important contacts are introduced, from doctoral offices and faculty service centers to doctoral advisors and representatives on academic committees.

Kick Off Your Doctorate: As a face-to-face event for doctoral students starting their doctorate in Berlin, the Berlin University Alliance offers a two-day retreat. Accompanied by experienced trainers, a selection of key tools will be tested in exercises and opportunities will be identified to explore these in greater depth across institutions in further follow-up workshops. Group-building activities form the core of the event, making the kick-off a valuable networking event.

Secrets of impactful poster design: A guide to the essential steps to designing a powerful poster. What has visual impact – and what to avoid. Practical, easy-to-apply tips to create a professional standard of output. Integrating the principles of visual communication to poster design, and the course leader’s recommendation for easiest software to learn.

Starting your procect with success: Project management for doctoral researchers: Participants will explore project planning and how to break down the enormous task of a PhD project into manageable parts. In interactive activities with colleagues, they will discover how to use project management strategies to achieve goals while maintaining motivation and a healthy work-life balance.

Successful doctoral studies: Creating a draft exposé: An exposé plays an important role at the beginning of a doctoral process: it helps to focus on content and clarify ideas, serves as a means of communication, and can be used as part of an application. In addition, writing an exposé can be seen as a “pre-test” for doctoral studies: Do you have the skills and motivation to start an academic project on your own? Are research and writing given sufficient priority in everyday life? In the writing workshop, key factors in creating an exposé are identified and initial text blocks are written individually. The necessary milestones for the next steps are discussed and set out in an individual schedule.

The Dahlem Research School Podcast: Navigating the Doctorate: The Dahlem Research School podcast for prospective and current doctoral researchers was created to help support individuals who are considering a doctorate or who are already working on a doctorate. Across various seasons of the podcast, you’ll hear from former and current researchers talking about their experiences with the doctorate and in their transition to the job market after completing their doctorate as well as from various experts at the Freie Universität and beyond.

Freie Universität Berlin - Dahlem Research School: Dahlem Research School (DRS) is the central institution for young researchers at Freie Universität Berlin. It coordinates a broad range of doctoral programs, advises on all issues related to structured and individual doctoral studies, and offers an inspiring qualification program.

Humbolt-Universität zu Berlin - Humboldt Graduate School: The Humboldt Graduate School is the central institution for the strategic promotion of scientists and scholars in the early career phase at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Technische Universität Berlin - Center for Junior Scholars: The Center for Junior Scholars acts as a kind of pilot for all questions concerning young scientists from the doctoral and postdoc phases to junior professorships or junior research group leadership.

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin - Doctoral College: The Doctoral College of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin offers students and doctoral candidates of Charité an extensive and free range of student tutorials on basic skills of scientific work.

Berlin University Alliance - Graduate Studies Support Program: The Alliance of Excellence offers a comprehensive qualification program reflecting the different phases of a doctorate. The offerings are free of charge and open to all BUA doctoral students.

Agile Project Management: The compact course is intended to give a quick insight into the world of agile project management and to show its applications in scientific projects. A basic understanding of concepts, mindsets and practices of agile project management will be provided and practiced using the most widely deployed techniques. However, participants are also encouraged to bring in their own preferences and to question and vary the presented methods. All activities will be based on the participants' individual cases, which results in a concrete approach to use agile techniques for their own projects (e.g. the doctorate).

Developing an Elevator Pitch to use in Networking and in Smalltalk at Conferences: One of the most important aspects of a conference is the networking.  You will feel much more comfortable, much more at ease in your networking if you have prepared a good "elevator speech" (i.e., a very short description of one's project, a sort of oral abstract).  In this workshop we will work on developing a good elevator speech.  We will discuss the structure of a good speech and improve the speech you have brought ins.  We will then work on presentation skills, for example, on delivery, articulation, presence, and voice, using materials from the internet (TED talks, for example), academic presentation textbooks, and from theater and improvisation.  By the end of the workshop, you should have a good “elevator speech” (or abstract) that you will have rehearsed a number of times.  We will then also practice the networking and small talk situation at conferences, with role playing and suggestions for how to deal with difficult questions or situations. 

How to give a talk: In this interactive workshop, participants practice presenting in a small group. In addition, this course offers the opportunity for interactive reflection and peer exchange. The language of instruction and presentation is English.

Let’s get into it! - Time and Selfmanagement for your PhD: The long journey of designing, researching, and writing a PhD thesis demands time and self-management skills that are fundamentally different from those required during your MA studies or previous working life. Many PhD researchers find themselves overwhelmed by the scope of their project, struggling with isolation, or caught in cycles of perfectionism. Based on your experiences, needs and questions, group exchanges and input from the trainer, we will explore what you need to not just survive but thrive at this stage of your professional development. The workshop opens up a space for you to reflect on how you can manage the PhD as both an intellectual and personal challenge.

ODT Prompting and Literature Search: Prompting and Literature Search introduces PhD students to practical strategies for using large language models and AI-based search tools. Get hands-on experience through guided examples that help you craft prompts and integrate AI-enhanced search into your research workflow.

Research Integrity: The training aims to foster the internalization of the principles of European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and strives to facilitate the cultivation of scientific virtues among researchers. The program consists of an introduction to the concepts of research integrity, moral conflicts and dilemmas, values and norms, and is enhanced by discussions and interactive exercises.

Research Integrity: Introduction to Data Management in Natural and Life Sciences: Digital research data are generated or collected in almost every research project. Researchers are faced with the challenge of not only managing and documenting these data, but also preserving them and even making them accessible for the public and for further research. The workshop offers a general introduction to the various aspects of research data management in the natural and life sciences. What is considered research data in these disciplines? Which guidelines and good academic practice policies are important to know right from the start and during writing your dissertation? And where can you find support?

Self-care during your doctorate: In addition to academic demands, the time spent on a doctorate can also mentally be very challenging. Pressure to perform, high demands on your own structure and the one or other obstacle? In this workshop, we would like to talk about methods of self-care and strategies to not lose sight of yourself.

Social Media for Researchers: Getting your work on social media may be easy - but making it popular and meaningful is more challenging. This workshop takes you through the main social media channels and looks at how to use them in strategic ways. Discover how to use social media to foster meaningful interactions; share your work more widely and enhance research outputs. From short written posts to creative videos, this interactive session is packed with ideas of how to maximise your use of social media as a researcher. This session is ideal for people who are either interested in using social media more strategically or are curious about getting started on some of the main platforms. No experience is required, but a passing familiarity with the main plafroms is helpful.

Statistics with SPSS: Sooner or later, (almost) every doctoral thesis involves statistics. In the course, participants review the most important statistical basics as well as the execution and interpretation of the most important statistical tests in SPSS.

Academic writing for doctoral candidates: A surprising number of scientists are only confronted with longer scientific prose texts when writing their theses. This can have noticeable consequences during the doctoral and postdoctoral phases—for example, in the form of negative peer review reports on articles submitted to journals or problems with writing the dissertation itself.

Career Day: The Career Day is an annual event organized by the Berlin University Alliance. It is primarily designed for doctoral candidates in Berlin who are looking to expand their horizons and learn about the various career options available to them. It is an excellent opportunity for doctoral candidates in Berlin to explore future perspectives and meet exciting guests. The Career Day will provide an opportunity to meet and speak directly with professionals from various industries and sectors. Participants will be able to attend round table discussions and world cafés, as well as meet with professionals who can provide valuable insights and advice on their future prospects.

Good scientific practice: Ethical challenges and strategies: The workshop will sensitize participants to ethical issues relating to their own scientific work. It will enable them to identify and analyze specific problem areas within their research work. Participants will develop action strategies for the cases they have brought with them.

How to write a paper: In this tutorial, participants will learn how best to write a paper, what things are important to keep in mind, and how to stay as motivated as possible.

Make a convincing impression with your self-presentation in your application and during the interview!: An important preliminary step in your application process is to become more aware of your individual skills, strengths, and resources. The next step is to present your profile in your application documents in a way that is as concise, attractive, and informative as possible. In the interview, professionalism and commitment become effective tools for persuasion through authentic body language. However, we often find it difficult to present our messages in an assertive manner.

Parenting and Academia: Managing the Mental Load: How do we juggle work life balance when “life” comes with such a huge mental load? When the family to-do list is three mes as long as the work to-do list and it is you feel like you are always the one that has to remember. The thinking part of having children is permanent and it’s exhausting. It’s invisible, unmeasurable and often inescapable. How do we thrive at work whilst navigating the worry and guilt of managing a family at home? How do we learn to share the planning and management of our homes and not just the delegation of a never-ending task list in our minds? It is possible.

Thesis Defense Training: In the first part of the course the participants get practical tips for their thesis defense presentation: how to structure the presentation, how to build a sound argument, what language to use, etc. The second part of the course addresses problems that can occur during the discussion. We look at various types of difficult questions and discuss strategies that the participants can use to respond to them. In the third part, participants get the chance to practice their presentation and to receive feedback from the group and from the trainer. To participate in the course, doctoral students don't need to have their thesis defense presentation prepared yet, and they don't need to be in the final weeks before the defense. The goal of the course is mainly to help them prepare central elements for the summary of their research that they have to present in the thesis defense, so the course can also be helpful for participants who are still in the writing-phase.

Writing Week 2026: Book an entire week to learn about Self-management for the scientific writing process, discuss about procrastination and just write – alone and in tandems! Use the opportunity to establish writing groups.