Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers e.V. (GSO)

Wildcard #SeedFunding- Open Call: Hit the Jackpot 2025 – Up to €10,000 for Postdoc Networking Projects! Postdocs at FU, HU, TU, or Charité — and everyone working with them: this is your chance to turn bold ideas into funded #networking #projects. Got a bold idea to #build your #network and #boost your #career? This is your chance. After two successful rounds, Hit the Jackpot is back for 2025 — funding self-initiated networking projects with up to €10,000. ➡️ The goal? Help you connect across borders, disciplines, and sectors while focusing on your own career growth. ➡️ What kind of projects? ✅ Anything that creates meaningful connections and supports your career development: ✅ Interdisciplinary or discipline-specific ✅ Regional, national, or international ✅ Focused on science, socially relevant themes, or career topics ✔️ Creative formats welcome — from workshops to exchange programs to something no one’s tried before. ➡️ Who can apply? ✅ At least two postdocs from different BUA institutions (FU, HU, TU, Charité) as project leads ✅ Additional partners from Berlin-Brandenburg or abroad are welcome, but not required ➡️ What’s in it for you? ✅ Up to €10,000 for material resources (2026 budget) ✅ A chance to grow your network, gain visibility, and shape your career path on your terms 📍 Deadline: Friday, 10 October 2025 Find more information in the first comment. Where to apply: Send the application form + CVs of project leaders as one PDF to postdocs@berlin-university-alliance.de Selection criteria: Career relevance, beneficiaries, feasibility, and potential long-term impact. Results announced in November 2025.

Becoming a Junior Group Leader: How to Gain Independence after Returning from Abroad? On the path to #professorship, #leading a #researchgroup is a key milestone in Germany, often seen as equivalent to a habilitation and a step toward #academic #independence. ➡️ For Andrea Kirsch, this step came after five years as a postdoc in Copenhagen. Through the #NRWRückkehrprogramm, she returned to Germany and is now Junior Professor at Ruhr University Bochum, developing functional oxide materials for future energy systems. “Without a network, it’s really tough.” Her story shows what independence takes: building connections, navigating applications, and turning funding into a lasting position. Andrea’s advice for future junior group leaders - from peer to peer: ✅ Build #networks and #mentors who open doors ➡️ Andrea learned about the NRW call because a befriended professor in Aachen pointed her to it. She also chose her postdoc in Denmark after hearing the PI was a strong mentor, aside from her scientific excellence. The people around you can make opportunities visible. ✅ Treat #applications as training grounds ➡️ Andrea started applying for professorships one year after finishing her PhD. Although rejections were discouraging, they sharpened her proposals. By the time NRW Program opened, she could apply in three days. ✅ #Negotiate for what really matters to you ➡️ NRW Program offers an advantage: because the funding is tied to the researcher, not the host, Andrea could approach several universities and negotiate for a Tenure Track. ➡️ What helped her succeed? Clear priorities, transparency without oversharing, and the sense this chance might not come twice. ✅ Communicate clearly in front of juries ➡️ When juries span different fields, like in the NRW Program, clarity is key: keep explanations simple, avoid overload, and rehearse with non-specialists to test your delivery. ✅ Set #boundaries to protect yourself ➡️ Directly after her PhD, Andrea decided she would try for six years to secure a junior professorship. If it didn’t work, she would move to industry. This boundary gave her clarity and prevented endless uncertainty. Closing her story, Andrea reflects on the steep learning curve of the first year as a group leader: ➡️“Everything takes longer than you think - hiring, equipment, administration. It is both challenging and rewarding”. #Patience and boundaries helped her keep energy for what matters most: #science and #people. Independence is not just about opportunity, but about the capacity to use it well. If you’ve returned to Germany and established a research group, what helped you, or what do you wish you’d known? __________ About the #NRWRückkehrprogramm: Since 2007, the Ministry of Culture and Science of NRW has promoted the return of outstanding young scientists from abroad. Around 60 researchers have received up to 1.25 million euros over 5 years to establish research groups in North Rhine-Westphalia. Next #OpenCall in Autumn 2025!

📣 Join our #PAW2025 Webinar GSO at Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany | Understanding the German Research System Navigating a #career in #academia is challenging and in #Germany it comes with its own set of #rules and #opportunities. To make informed decisions and strategically plan your next step, you first need to understand how the #system works. We’re excited to contribute to Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany (PAW 2025) with a session led by Anne Schreiter, Ph.D., Executive Director of GSO*. With experience both as a postdoctoral #researcher at University of California, Berkeley and a #nonprofit leader, she’ll guide participants through the key aspects of the German research system and career landscape. ➡️ Because knowing how the system works isn’t just helpful. It’s essential for planning your career from #postdoc to #group #leader and beyond. ➡️ This session will provide clarity and open space for your questions, so you can plan your next steps with #confidence. You’ll leave with a clearer picture of: ✅ Academic career paths in Germany ✅ Specifics of the German research system ✅ Funding opportunities for researchers ✅ How to manage expectations and tap into resources ➡️ This session is designed for PhDs, postdocs, and junior faculty who want to explore career options in Germany and learn how to navigate the system strategically. 📅 Date & Time: September 18, 2025, 4:00 - 5:15 pm (CEST) 📍 Online | Registered participants receive the #Zoom link one day before the event 💡 Part of PAW 2025 - a week dedicated to recognizing and celebrating postdocs across Germany. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eeTT3k-x #PostdocAppreciationWeek #PAWGermany #AcademicCareers #Funding #ResearchCareers

Fifteen Bold Ideas. One Boost for Each: Meet the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellows 2025 With the KT Boost 6 series, we’re spotlighting fifteen researchers whose projects push the boundaries of their fields. Each #KTBoostfellow represents not only bold scientific ideas but also the curiosity, persistence, and leadership that shape the future of research. Three Questions to… Pascal Hunziker, Heidelberg University, Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg / Plant Biology. What potential lies in underutilized crops when it comes to addressing #climate #change, #food #security, and #nutrition? Pascal is studying #Mashua — a high-yielding Andean tuber more nutritious than potato — to unlock its potential as a next-generation crop. Using #multi #omics, his project aims to identify the biological basis of Mashua’s undesirable flavors and limited cultivation range, paving the way for #targeted #domestication and new #resilient #food #sources. ❓What problem does your research tackle? ➡️Developing next-generation crops that address climate change, food security and nutrition requires expanding our understanding of underutilized species. Mashua, a high-yielding Andean tuber more nutritious than potato, serves as a test case for unlocking the potential of such crops. However, its adoption is limited by undesirable flavors and its cultivation restricted to certain latitudes. Using multi-omics, we will study the biological basis of these traits to enable targeted domestication. ✅This project demonstrates how modern breeding can transform underexplored crops into resilient options. ❓How does the #KTBoostFund support you and your #project idea? ➡️The KT Boost Fund provides a unique opportunity to advance my research and grow as a scientist. It will allow me to develop #expertise in genome sequencing and bioinformatics while fostering #collaborations with experts in metabolomics and crop science. Additionally, the funding will give me valuable #leadership experience by coordinating a small team, helping me build the skills needed to drive #independent research projects in the future. ❓If I had more time for things other than research, I … ➡️…would spend more time with family and friends, do more sports, and enjoy fishing, hiking, bouldering, cooking, and snowboarding. _______________________ 🚀The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund is a joint program by GSO and Klaus Tschira Stiftung offering flexible funding and career development to promote researchers in the #Biology, #Chemistry, #ComputerScience, #Geosciences, #Mathematics, #Neurosciences, or #Physics. The Call 2026 is open until October 1, 2025, 23:59 (CEST). #BoostFellows #KTBoostFund

📣 Open Call – Wiko Early Career Fellowships Are you an early-career researcher looking for the time, space, and intellectual freedom to take your work further? The Institute for Advanced Study (Wiko) is now accepting applications for its #Early #Career #Fellowships — offering researchers from the #humanities, #social #sciences the opportunity to spend 10 months in #Berlin developing bold new ideas, refining ongoing projects, and engaging in daily exchange with an #interdisciplinary community of scholars. ➡️ What makes a Wiko Fellowship unique? 🔹 A full academic year (September–July) free from teaching and administrative duties 🔹 Daily interaction with an intellectually diverse group of fellows 🔹 The freedom to choose and design your own research project 🔹 A campus in Berlin’s Grunewald district that fosters focus, collaboration, and new perspectives ➡️ Who can apply? ✔️ Early-career researchers who have completed a #doctorate in humanities or social sciences ✔️ Scholars with intellectual curiosity beyond their own field and a readiness for cross-disciplinary dialogue ✔️ Applicants with at least two high-quality publications (or one for early-career candidates) ✔️ Candidates from outside Berlin-based research institutions ➡️Deadline: September 1, 2025 ➡️Format: 10-month residency in Berlin Applications must include a CV with a list of publications, recent articles, and a project description. Tandem applications are welcome — especially from partners across different disciplines. 📌 Learn more and apply online: https://lnkd.in/dZAk3RMV #ResearchFunding #AcademicCareers #FellowshipOpportunity #Humanities #SocialSciences

Full House at GAIN25 — Meet Us in Boston (or Online)! GAIN German Academic International Network is fully booked this year — and we’re looking forward to connecting with postdocs from across the USA and Canada in Boston from August 29-31! Where you can meet us: Saturday, August 30 🔸 8:30–9:45 AM (Dartmouth) "Rückkehrstrategien aus erster Hand: Erfolgreich nach Deutschland zurückkehren" Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. will moderate a panel on practical advice and lessons from researchers who have successfully returned to Germany. 🔸11:15 AM–12:30 PM (Salon A–E) Talent Fair & CV Checks We’ll be at our booth together with Deutscher Hochschulverband (DHV) — ready to review your CV and talk about your next career move. 🔸2:00–3:15 PM (Dartmouth) "Navigating the Path to Group Leader (& Professor) in Germany: Facts, Myths & Advice" Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. will host this session to shed light on facts, myths, and practical steps in the German academic system. Sunday, August 31 🔸11:15 AM–12:30 PM (Wellesley) “Karriere planen in Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft & Gesellschaft” With Dr. Hanna Proner (academics) — a joint session on realistic job profiles and how to apply. Whether you’re exploring career options or curious about the next step in Germany, we’d love to see you there. 👉 Can’t make it to Boston? Join us online at GAIN25 Digital Workshops, September 25, 2025. 📍 Online | 9:00–16:15 EDT | 6:00–13:15 PDT | 15:00–22:15 MESZ Register here: https://lnkd.in/e6znm3zE 🔎 PS: If you’re in the Boston area, you can still join the Saturday afternoon program (Aug 30) for free — including the Talent Fair, workshops, and the Science Slam. Registration is required. Click here for the program and registration: https://lnkd.in/ewFDnJiq GAIN German Academic International Network

🎉 A Tribute to All Our Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany Supporters! The success of Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany #PAWde is made possible by our large community of supporters – from postdocs and postdoc representatives to group leaders and science managers! 🙏 Every year, these motivated individuals contribute their time, ideas, and energy to co-create our vibrant and diverse program. Without their commitment and initiative, we wouldn’t be celebrating the fourth edition of PAWde this year! This and next week, we want to put a spotlight on some of these incredible supporters, multipliers, and participants. We’ve asked them to share what #PAWde means to them – and we can’t wait to share their stories with you. ✨ Here's Part 1 of our supporter series – stay tuned for more! ✨ Let us know what motivates you to join the #PAWde and what you are looking forward to this year! #PostdocAppreciationWeekGermany #PAWde #Postdocs Britta Hoyer Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Fiona Brown-Burke, PhD DKFZ Careers & Alumni Relations Helmholtz Association Postdoc Network (HAPN) Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers e.V. (GSO) Dr. Ina V. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - German Research Foundation Filipe Dias Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) Annabel Friedrichs Forschungsservice Leibniz Universität Hannover Judith Münch Alexandra McCormack German Postdoc Network Research in Germany

📣 Join our #PAW2025 Webinar GSO X Alma.Me at Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany Beyond Bragging: Using LinkedIn Strategically This year, we’re joining Postdoc Appreciation Week Germany (PAW 2025) with a session that goes far beyond the “brag” post — and straight into the strategic potential of LinkedIn. We’re excited to partner with Elena Hoffer, PhD, founder of Alma.Me and a master at turning LinkedIn into a space for real networking, career exploration, and professional storytelling. Together with Birte Seffert, she’ll show how researchers can make #LinkedIn work for them — with #purpose and #precision. ➡️ Because LinkedIn isn’t just where you list your achievements. It’s where you shape your #professional #narrative, find the #rightpeople, and #opendoors you didn’t know were there. ➡️ In this session, we’ll explore how to use LinkedIn not only to connect with people you already know, but to build your own “bubble” of peers, institutions, and ideas. From researching future employers and career paths to sharing your work in accessible ways — learn how to use LinkedIn intentionally, whether you're just getting started or want to take your presence to the next level. You’ll leave with concrete ideas for: ✅ Finding and connecting with relevant people ✅ Using LinkedIn for career research and CV development ✅ Sharing your work without self-promotion pressure ➡️ This session is designed for PhDs & postdocs who want to use LinkedIn as more than a #digitalCV — and turn it into a space for #discovery, #exchange, and #visibility. 📅 Date & Time: Tuesday, September 16, 12:00-1:15pm 💡 Part of PAW 2025 — a week dedicated to recognizing and celebrating postdocs across Germany. Register here via Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/ek4AbnV2

Not every research event fits neatly into one box. This one didn’t even try. On 30 July 2025, more than 100 researchers gathered at the DKFZ Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum German Cancer Research Center — and tuned in online — for the #Science and #Career #Event “Boosting Synergies in Immuno-Oncology: Science Meets Career Insights.” ➡️ It wasn’t just about cutting-edge #immunooncology research. It was about the people behind it — and the #careerdecisions that shape where science happens next. Organized by Klaus Tschira Boost Fellow Stefanie Bärthel (BioMed X Institute) and moderated by Birte Seffert, the day unfolded in two acts: ✅ Act 1 – Science & Careers on the Table Expert talks covered new #developments in immuno-oncology – each followed by not only a #scientific #Q&A but by a personal #careerquestion from Birte to each of the speakers, which they replied to in #honesty, giving early-career researchers the chance to understand that #science is also about personal #career #decisions. ✅ Act 2 – Careers in Real Life The afternoon began with a different kind of question: ❓ What was a #careerstep that took #courage? Answers came in through Mentimeter: 🔹 moving to a new country 🔹 changing research topics 🔹 choosing a lab for a PhD 🔹 leaving a job 🔹 having a child 🔹 working part-time 🔹 or starting over entirely. We also asked:  ❓ Who or what supported you? Some named #mentors, #colleagues, or #family. Others said no one — except themselves. From there, the career panel picked up with questions that rarely make it into conference programs: ➡️If I leave academia, will I stop thinking creatively? ➡️How do I highlight my skills for an industry R&D job that “requires experience”? ➡️How do you deal with regrets? ➡️How much does instability push people out of academia? The discussion didn’t promise simple answers — but it showed that the challenges are shared, and that solutions are often collective.  What we’re taking with us: ✅ Science moves forward when we make space for the human side of research. ✅ Career choices are as much about values and support networks as they are about job titles. ✅ Sometimes, the most important conversations happen after the official program. Thank you to everyone who contributed — in talks, at posters, in the chat, or simply by listening with intent - Dr. Saskia Haupt Eva-Maria Markutzik Jens Puschhof Thomas Rueckle And to the Klaus Tschira Stiftung for the #KTBoostFund  - for making space where science and career planning can meet without losing either side of the story. 📷 Photography: Joe Pohl

Fifteen Bold Ideas. One Boost for Each: Meet the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellows 2025 With the KT Boost 6 series, we’re spotlighting fifteen researchers whose projects push the boundaries of their fields. Each #KTBoostfellow represents not only bold scientific ideas but also the curiosity, persistence, and leadership that shape the future of research. Three Questions to… Florian Hubrich, Junior Research Group Leader Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) and Universität des Saarlandes / Natural Product Biosynthesis. What potential drug leads could be hidden in bacteria that thrive where few other organisms can survive? Florian studies #extremophiles — #microorganisms from the most #inhospitable #places on Earth — to uncover how they produce unique natural products. His project aims to reveal the biosynthetic processes behind these unusual chemical scaffolds and explore their potential to tackle challenges like #antimicrobial #resistance. ❓ What problem does your research tackle? ➡️ Natural products are beneficial chemical molecules for their producers, e.g., for defense. Due to their very specific lifestyle, bacteria colonizing extreme habitats were longtime expected to be unable to produce natural products. However, there are a few natural products isolated from such environments but the biosynthesis remains enigmatic. ✅ With my project I aim to decipher the natural product biosynthesis of extremophiles to understand how they produce their unique chemical scaffolds and harness their potential as drug leads to tackle emerging challenges such as antimicrobial resistance. ❓ How does the #KTBoostFund #support you and your #project idea? ➡️ The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund offers me the opportunity to pursue a research project that is clearly distinguished from everything I did in the past, which will underline my #independence and #creativity as a natural product researcher. The financial support will enable me to work with equipment that would otherwise be inaccessible in my position as a junior research group leader. The proposed project represents not only a cornerstone for my personal scientific career, it has the potential to contribute to a broader understanding about specialized metabolism evolution. ❓ If I had more time for things other than research, I … ➡️ …would spend more time with my family and friends. In addition, I would spend more time for training to qualify again for the #Ironman #Hawaii. _______________________ 🚀The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund is a joint program by GSO and Klaus Tschira Stiftung offering flexible funding and career development to promote researchers in the #Biology, #Chemistry, #ComputerScience, #Geosciences, #Mathematics, #Neurosciences, or #Physics. The Call 2026 is open until October 1, 2025, 23:59 (CEST). #BoostFellows #KTBoostFund