Personnel Development and Research Funding

The professional development of all employees – in a research or research-support role – is a central interest of the WZB.

The Office for Personnel Development and Research Funding offers extensive advisory services for all kinds of questions concerning individual development. The portfolio ranges from providing further training and education to advising on individual and third-party funding strategies for researchers. Furthermore, the office organizes advanced trainings for entire employment groups or research units. It is also responsible for internal instruments for career development, for instance, travel stipends, flexible funding (such as completion funding for a dissertation), didactic qualification as well as for issues like annual staff appraisal meetings, initial training processes and switching contracts from fixed-term to permanent. All services relevant to doctoral candidates and postdocs are outlined in the “Guidelines for Career Development”.

Furthermore, the Office for Personnel Development and Research Funding coordinates the implementation of the personnel development concept.

We regard research funding as an instrument of personnel development, because, besides the implementation of a research project, the funds raised also contribute at best to the professional advancement of applicants, project leaders, and project employees.

The WZB also cultivates networks of doctoral and postdoctoral candidates within the WZB, cooperation with graduate schools in Berlin, and exchange with scientific institutions throughout Germany and abroad.