Berlin University Alliance

The programme "ProFiL. Professionalisation of Women in Research and Teaching: Mentoring – Training – Networking" for women researchers pursuing a professorship is successfully run by Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin since 2004. The three universities have thus committed themselves to the promotion of young researchers with regard to both excellence and gender equality. The programme's significance was further acknowledged when the three cooperating universities, together with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, won recognition as a consortium with their proposal for the Excellence Strategy competition. As part of the Berlin University Alliance, ProFiL has substantially expanded the number of programme participants and can offer an English programme line.

By combining mentoring, seminars and training sessions on issues of specific interest to academics with strategic networking, the ProFiL Programme promotes the career development of its participants. For a period of one year, they will receive support to further develop their careers and prepare them for the leadership and management tasks of a professor in the context of current forms of higher education management.

The ProFiL Programme is regularly evaluated in order to ensure a continuous quality assurance. In all previous evaluations, the programme received very good ratings and is firmly recommended by alumnae. As indicated in the interim balance, many former participants have in the meantime received calls to professorships and several alumnae have taken on leadership responsibilities in presidia and rectorates.

Target Groups

• scholars with a habilitation
• habilitation candidates
• junior professors
• leaders of junior research groups
• postdocs

based at Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin as well as Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung pursuing a professorship. International researchers based at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin may apply for the English programme line.

With the ProFiL Programme, the Berlin University Alliance aims to overcome still existing barriers that women in academia face and to make use of modern methods of leadership development. The targeted promotion of women researchers contributes to increasing the proportion of women holding professorships. Commitment to strategies promoting diversity and equal opportunities is thus not only a matter of social justice, but also an important principle of higher education policy and a success factor for competitiveness