Our concept "Attractive and reliable career paths for excellent researchers" lays the groundwork for lasting change in academic culture, resulting in greater reliability in planning academic careers.
Reliable conditions for excellent doctoral research
Doctoral positions and scholarships are generally limited in time as they support qualifications for academic careers or career paths outside academia. So doctoral researchers can rely on consistent funding, the initial contract period for positions paid from general budget funds will last at least three years (1). An optional deposit system (2), subject to the budget provides the flexibility for externally funded positions to span at least three years. A matching fund (3) provides the opportunity to create positions for scholarship recipients that fall under social security obligation. Up to 13 percent of the funding for these positions can come from the central university budget.
How exactly does this work?
1. Minimum length of employment contract periods
The University of Konstanz's concept "Attractive and reliable career paths for excellent researchers" plans for new doctoral researchers to receive initial employment contracts lasting at least 3 years.
Specific reasons have to be provided for fixed-term contracts for researchers who intend to earn a doctoral qualification. Hiring request form (in German)
To ensure employment contracts can last at least three years also in cases where such positions are financed via external funds, the following deposit system was established.
2. Deposit system counting on further external funding
Especially in projects financed by external funding, it is not always possible to ensure employment contracts last for a reasonable period.
The University of Konstanz's deposit system was designed with such cases in mind. By drawing upon other funding sources at the university (general research budget funds, leftover external funding, retention bonuses and premature use of general budget funds for staffing), it is possible to offer a three-year employment contract to excellent doctoral researchers even if their external funding does not cover the full three years.
To minimize the risk for the researchers, the university has instated the deposit system because it puts confidence in its researchers and their aptitude for acquiring external funding. In general, researchers will be able to pay back the "deposit" funds using external funding they acquire over time. If this, on occasion, is not possible, then the university has the option to prematurely use general budget funds for staffing
Regulations, explanations and a checklist for the deposit system
Application form for funding through the deposit system
For more information, please contact the director of Human Resources, Renate Pfeifer (renate.pfeifer@uni.kn)
3. Matching fund
A matching fund can contribute university budget funds up to a maximum of 13 percent of the cost of an employment contract for scholarship recipients in addition to their scholarship funding. The position should comprise more than 25% of full-time working hours in salary bracket TV-E 13.
Before requesting matching funds, please note the information from Legal Affairs regarding how to ensure that the stipend and employment contract are both compatible and yet distinct from each other (in German).
How to request matching funds:
The person providing the position (usually a professor) submits a request for employment listing the funding sources. This includes:
- the hiring person's cost centre (usually a professor) from which part of the employment expenses will be paid as well as
- the term "matching fund" requesting that 13% of the employment expenses be paid from university funds
Please submit the request to Human Resources and address it to the corresponding contact person.
Important: Human Resources evaluates
- whether the contract period can be limited, and whether the underlying reason is correct
- whether the position's responsibilities are independent of the staff member's doctoral research