GRADE - Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers

06/09/2026

🎓 Calling all postdocs / junior professors! 🎓

Are you a W1 Assistant Professor or leading a junior research group (Emmy Noether, ERC Starting Grant, or similar)? Working in natural sciences, engineering, medicine, or psychology? 🔬🧬

The Hector Research Career Development Award is now open for applications!

💶 What you get:
✅ €25,000 flexible personal research funds
✅ Funded doctoral position + material expenses (up to €9,500/year, for 4 years)
✅ 5 years of membership in the Hector Fellow Academy — join a network of top scientists

📌 Your profile:
▪️ W1 professorship or junior research group leader
▪️ PhD completed less than 7 years ago
▪️ Temporary position at a German university/research institution
▪️ Eligible to supervise doctoral researchers

📅 Application period: September 1 – October 30, 2026

Self-applications only. No third-party nominations.
Link in highlight “Career” for full program details! 🔗

03/09/2026

🌳 Step out of the city and discover Hesse’s history!
Our colleagues at the Goethe Welcome Centre invite doctoral candidates of Goethe University Frankfurt to join them for a day trip to Hessenpark Open-Air Museum on 12 September 2026.

Explore historic buildings, get a glimpse of everyday life in centuries past, and discover the cultural heritage of the region, with an English-language guided tour organized especially for the group.

📅 12 September 2026
📍 Meeting point: Frankfurt Central Station
🕥 Meeting time: 10:45 a.m.

🎟️ Participation fee: €10
🗣️ Guided tour in English
👥 Limited to 20 doctoral candidates

Interested? Make sure to secure your spot early!
📩 Register by 5 September via [email protected]

A great opportunity to explore the Taunus, learn more about your new home region, and meet fellow doctoral candidates along the way.

03/09/2026

📣 CALL FOR FELLOWS 📣

JQYA Academy Topic 2026/27 «Thresholds and Extremes»
The Johanna Quandt Young Academy (JQYA) at Goethe University is opening applications for its new Academy Topic: Thresholds and Extremes 🌊⚡️

✨ What is JQYA?
An independent academy supporting outstanding Early Career Researchers on their path to scientific independence — through interdisciplinary exchange, tailored support, and real funding.

🔹 Interdisciplinary exchange across research fields
🔹 Courses, workshops & the annual Academy School
🔹 Chance to organize/join conferences & workshops
🔹 Up to €10,000 in research funding
🔹 Sabbatical Fellowship option (GU Fellows): up to €32,000 for teaching replacement, up to one semester release

💡 Academy Topic: Thresholds and Extremes What happens when systems reach their limits — or move beyond them? What knowledge emerges at the edges, in extreme zones, in moments of transition?
This topic explores critical transitions, polarization, and tipping points across ecological, social, technological & epistemological contexts.

🎯 Who can apply?
Advanced R2 & R3 Early Career Researchers (postdocs, independent group leaders, W1/W1 TT assistant professors) from Goethe University Frankfurt, Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) and partner institutions

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2026

🔗 Learn more & apply - link in Highlight “Career”

27/08/2026

27/08/2026

⛴️ Sunshine, skyline, and great conversations, that was the RMU Social boat tour on the Main! 🌉

At the end of May, doctoral candidates and postdocs from across the Rhine-Main Universities set sail from Eiserner Steg, cruising past the Museumsufer and ECB toward Osthafen and back, with drinks, snacks, and Frankfurt’s skyline as the backdrop. ☀️

On board, researchers from wildly different fields (biomedical cancer research, engineering, electronics, economics) found they had a lot more in common than expected. Talk ranged from career paths in and outside academia, to AI’s growing role in research and writing, to the best swimming spots in the region. 🏊 Plus one very chill future researcher, fast asleep in her stroller for most of the trip 👶

This is what RMU Social Welcoming Events are all about: connecting early-career researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt, and JGU Mainz across disciplines and institutions, one event at a time. 🤝

Missed the boat? Search for our upcoming RMU Social Events under hashtag and join us next time. Next time we’ll visit EUMETSAT, the European operational satellite agency for monitoring weather, climate, and the environment from space! 🛰️

26/08/2026

🚨 Neue Förderausschreibung: „Bildung und KI“ 🤖📚

Die Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft schreibt für 2027 ihr Format „Sandpit“ mit dem Schwerpunkt Bildung und Künstliche Intelligenz aus! 🎯

Gesucht werden neue Forschungsfragen und -ansätze rund um:
✨ Auswirkungen von KI auf Lernen, Lehren & Prüfen
✨ Bildungsgerechtigkeit & Teilhabe
✨ Verantwortung im Umgang mit KI in der Bildung

👥 Wer kann sich bewerben?
Forschende aller Disziplinen ab der Promotion an deutschen Universitäten – die Ausschreibung ist bewusst interdisziplinär angelegt!

💰 Die Förderung:
Bis zu 50.000 € pro Antrag
Insgesamt 500.000 € Fördervolumen

🧠 Das Sandpit-Format bringt Forschende unterschiedlicher Disziplinen zusammen, um gemeinsam unkonventionelle und innovative Forschungsansätze zu entwickeln.

📅 Frist: 31.03.2027 (online)

Mehr Förderungen für PhDs und PostDocs sowie weitere spannende Stiftungen und Ausschreibungen findet ihr außerdem immer aktuell auf unserer Website- Link in der Bio!! 🌐✨

25/08/2026

📣 Our new training program for the winter semester 2026/27 is here!
Build new skills, move your research forward, explore career options or simply find some fresh inspiration: the new GRADE Training Program offers plenty of opportunities for your professional and personal development this winter semester.

The program is open to doctoral candidates, postdocs and R3 researchers at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and the Rhein-Main-Universitäten (RMU).

🔎 What’s on offer?
🔸 Qualitative & quantitative research methods
🔸 Coding & research data management
🔸 Academic writing & presentation skills
🔸 Networking
🔸 Career paths beyond academia
🔸 Coaching & personal development
🔸 Mental health & well-being
🔸 Training for academic career paths

Whether you want to strengthen a particular skill, prepare for your next career step or try something completely new: explore the program and put together your own training schedule for the winter semester!

👉 Check out the full training program: https://tinygu.de/grade2627
👉 Program for RMU affiliates: https://tinygu.de/gradeRMU

Please note: To participate, you need to be registered with GRADE: https://tinygu.de/registerGRADE

We look forward to seeing you in our workshops and training sessions!

24/08/2026

💼 Die Professur an einer Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften bietet viele Vorteile: Flexibilität und Freiheit in Forschung und Lehre, Arbeit in kleinen Lerngruppen, die Möglichkeit, die Lebensläufe von Studierenden und den gesellschaftlichen Wissenstransfer mitzuprägen, sowie die Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf.

Doch wie wird man eigentlich Professor*in an einer HAW? Was sind die Voraussetzungen und wo kann man die notwendigen Qualifikationen erwerben?

🎤 Diese und andere Fragen klären wir in unserem Online-Workshop, den wir regelmäßig anbieten: Gemeinsam mit Professor*innen aus unterschiedlichen Fachbereichen der Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences zeigen wir, wie vielfältig die Wege zu einer HAW-Professur sind und warum es sich lohnt, diesen Schritt zu wagen.

Am Gespräch nehmen teil:
🔸 Prof. Dr. Sibel Altin - Professur für Gesundheits- und Pflegemanagement
🔸 Prof. Dr. Jannis Kreß - Kooperative Professur für Fahrzeugmechatronik und virtuelles Testen

📅 Donnerstag, 24. September 2026, 12:00 Uhr
🌐 Online
🔗 Anmeldung unter https://lnkd.in/eWqgb59J

🎉 Die Veranstaltung findet statt im Rahmen der Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany 2026 und ist einer unsere beiden Programmbeiträge. Sie wird in Kooperation von GRADE und dem Projekt PROFfm durchgeführt, das im Rahmen des Bund-Länder-Programms „FH-Personal“ gefördert wird.

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

👉 Weitere Infos und das volle Programm der Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany 2026 finden Sie hier: https://lnkd.in/ey__QNY4

22/08/2026

🎉 Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) 2026 is coming up!

Postdoc Appreciation Week is an annual, global celebration of the contributions and achievements of postdoctoral researchers. First launched in 2009 by the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) in the US, PAW has since grown into an international event, with institutions across Canada, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, the UK, and more recently Austria and the Netherlands taking part. Held every year in the third week of September, the week features seminars, workshops, social events, and more, all aimed at recognizing the vital role postdocs play in advancing research and innovation — and giving them a chance to connect, share experiences, and celebrate their achievements together.

🎓GRADE is proud to take part again this year, organizing two Career Talks as part of the celebration:

🔸 How do you actually become a professor at a HAW (University of Applied Sciences)? What are the requirements, and where can you acquire the necessary qualifications?

With Prof. Dr. Sibel Altin (Professorship for Health and Care Management) and Prof. Dr. Jannis Kreß (Cooperative Professorship for Vehicle Mechatronics and Virtual Testing)

🔸 Education for Sustainable Development and Global Learning
With Dr. Johanna Lochner Dr. Johanna Lochner

We’re really looking forward to it and if you’re a postdoc (or work with postdocs), this is a great week to get involved. Definitely worth checking out! 👀🎓

21/08/2026

We kindly invite you to the 8th UCT Mainz Mini-Symposium in Translational Oncology (MiTraC) sponsored by Merck Healthcare KGaA, which will take place from 1 to 6 pm on September, 24th in the lecture hall 102 at the University Medical Center Mainz.

In the Mini-Symposium series we aim to address important areas of cancer research linked to translational oncology. The topic of this year’s symposium is “Mechanisms of Tumor evolution and progression”. The talks will cover major topics of many research groups at the UCT Mainz and our partnering institutions and clinics.

You can find the event flyer including the program in highlight Events🤩
Registration is open now!
Please register until 17th of September 2026. Link in the highlight Events😊