7th Networking Event for Doctoral Supervisors

To begin the meeting, Prof. Dr. Klaus Becker, Vice President for Research and Knowledge Transfer and Head of the Graduate Center, welcomed all participants and informed them about the current developments regarding the Graduate School for Applied Research in North Rhine-Westphalia (PK NRW) and the number of doctoral researchers at TH Köln.

Afterward, Prof. Dr. Stefan Herzig, President of TH Köln, provided information about the Plan_CV project. As an impulse, Prof. Dr. John Creemers from KU Leuven gave a short lecture on "KU Leuven’s integrated communication approach to convey the value and essence of doctoral education." The focus was on the question of how doctoral supervisors and opportunities within and outside the university can contribute to preparing doctoral researchers well for career paths in and outside academia. Afterward, there was time for exchange and networking.

Currently, 249 doctoral researchers are registered at TH Köln, they are supervised by 100 professors. In addition to a variety of networking activities for doctoral researchers and supervisors, the Graduate Center offers regular office hours for those interested in doctoral studies and counseling for doctoral researchers, postdocs, and supervisors. In cooperation with various institutions of TH Köln, coaching programs for doctoral researchers, a doctoral qualification program in German and English, language learning opportunities, and several funding programs are offered.

The continuous improvement of offerings and working conditions for researchers at all career stages is a strategic goal of TH Köln. To this end, the university has been participating in the European Commission's initiative "Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R)" for the implementation of the principles of the European Charter for Researchers since 2011 and was the first German university to be awarded the quality seal "HR Excellence in Research" in 2014.