The Elite Network of Bavaria has included three new International Doctorate Programs in its funding and will support them with almost ten million euros over a period of four years. The universities of Augsburg, Bayreuth, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Munich and Würzburg are involved in the three new Doctorate Programs.
Starting in 2021, the Elite Network of Bavaria will fund three new International Doctorate Programs at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the University of Augsburg. The universities of Bayreuth and Würzburg are also involved. This was announced by Bavarian State Minister of Science Bernd Sibler in Munich. The three doctorate programs are in the fields of humanities, social sciences and economics.
"We are investing almost ten million euros to support young scientific talents in their research work. The three new International Doctorate Programs offer a challenging research and training program with a strong interdisciplinary and international focus. We are thus taking innovative paths to create space for creativity, passion and curiosity," Sibler emphasized. In order to find answers to societal challenges, we need young talents with innovative ideas and visions for the future who can devote themselves intensively to their research.
The Bavarian Ministry of Science and the Arts is providing up to eight full positions for each International Doctorate Program as well as an attractive budget for equipment. The Doctorate Programs will be funded for four years and can start in 2021. Each research group is located at a leading university and embedded in a network with other top-class national and international scientific institutions that pool their joint expertise. The aim is also to integrate more extracurricular and interdisciplinary activities and – whenever possible - to establish contacts with the industry.
Every Bavarian state university and the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt can apply for the establishment of an International Doctorate Program within the framework of a call for proposals. Applications are selected in a purely science-driven, two-step process. The funding decision is based on the recommendations of the International Expert Commission of the Elite Network of Bavaria, chaired by Professor Peter Strohschneider.
"International Doctorate Programs expand and differentiate the overall offering of Bavarian universities. They offer appealing research and study perspectives in a particularly attractive scientific environment to talented and motivated doctoral students from all around the world. They make a valuable and sustainable contribution to the innovative strength and competitiveness of Bavaria as a center of science," said Minister of Science Sibler. The high scientific quality of the programs is reflected in the high demands on doctoral students.
Starting in 2022, up to four more International Doctorate Programs are to be established in the fields of natural and engineering sciences, mathematics and computer science, as well as life sciences within the Elite Network of Bavaria. The call for proposals is open until March 19, 2021.
Philology: Practices of Pre-modern Cultures, Global Perspectives and Concepts for the Future
Host university: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Participating universities: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World
Host university: Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Participating Universities: University of Bayreuth, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Um(welt)denken. The Environmental Humanities and the Ecological Transformation of Society
Host university: University of Augsburg
Participating university: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Rachel Carson Center)
Text: Bavarian Ministry of Science and the Arts
