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.

Improved reading: Increase reading speed. Improve text comprehension. Master various reading techniques, strategies, and intensities. Enhance concentration and motivation. Learn specialized techniques for reading scientific texts.

Doing a doctorate: yes or no? The digital interdisciplinary intensive workshop is aimed at Master's students and graduates interested in doing a doctorate who would like to do so in the future or are in the decision-making phase.

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.

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).

Forest bathing - mindfulness in nature incl. nature coaching: The experience in and with nature is an important key to better physical and mental health. A mindful forest experience, holistic yoga and nature coaching are all about immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the forest and enabling you to consciously experience the forest through all your senses. Unfortunately, this profound experience is often not possible in our very fast-moving and technology-based times. Yet the effect is so successful because this natural environment has been familiar to people for millions of years.

Holistic yoga in the forest incl. nature coaching: The experience in and with nature is an important key to better physical and mental health. A mindful forest experience, holistic yoga and nature coaching are all about immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the forest and enabling you to consciously experience the forest through all your senses. Unfortunately, this profound experience is often not possible in our very fast-moving and technology-based times. Yet the effect is so successful because this natural environment has been familiar to people for millions of years.

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.

Individual Consultation on your Writing: Would you like feedback on your writing style? Do you need support to get started? Do you have questions about your argumentation? Anselm Spindler will answer your questions about writing in short individual sessions. Sign up and save a slot.

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.

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.

Writer's Block and Procrastination: When the writing does not flow – which it probably will at some point during a PhD – the terms »writer’s block« and »procrastination« quickly enter into the minds of many academics. However, it’s not obvious what these terms convey beyond the feeling that the writing does not go as one had hoped or expected. In this workshop, therefore, you will have the chance to analyze your writing process in detail: You will identify the things that do work for you, describe very carefully the challenges that you do face, and develop individual solutions for the writer’s block and/or the procrastination that keeps you from writing.    

Writing Abstracts: If an academic text is published, it typically goes with an abstract that sums up its main points. This short text is, next to the title, the reader’s main entry point into our research. Also, the abstract can be a very useful tool for our own writing process. Therefore, we will be looking at the abstract in detail: how it’s typically constructed, what best-practice examples look like, and which writing techniques can help us write our abstracts more easily. Also, you will have the chance to write a short abstract for your current writing project and get some feedback for it.

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.

Clear and Compelling Scientific Texts: The practice-oriented workshop provides the know-how needed to write well-structured, convincing and easy-to-read scientific texts in the STEM research fields.

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.

Setting Sail for Mental Health – Strengthened and healthy through the doctoral thesis: The core of the module is a two-day workshop (no overnight stay) in which you learn how to assess symptoms and effectively prevent the development of crises. A specially developed 3-week format with in-depth assignments following the exam is designed to guarantee that your insights from the exam are also implemented in your everyday doctoral work. A follow-up workshop at the end of the 3-week consolidation phase serves as a final reflection.

Writing Week 2025: 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.