Helmholtz Research Schools and Graduate Schools to train Ph.D. students

[idw]

Berlin, 2 July 2007 - The Helmholtz Association has announced that it will provide funding for three graduate schools and two additional Helmholtz Research Schools in order to improve the educational opportunities for graduate and post-graduate students at Helmholtz Centres.





"The Helmholtz Association plans to establish graduate schools at all its Research Centres in future, in order to provide young scientists with a well-structured programme that will enable them to earn their doctoral degree within three years and gain additional key qualifications," says Helmholtz Association president Professor Jürgen Mlynek. The Helmholtz Association has now given the green light for three graduate schools and two Helmholtz Research Schools, to be financed from the Initiative and Networking Fund. "We can afford these measures thanks to the annual increase in funding promised by the government as part of the Pact for Research and Innovation, which we can use to promote young scientists," says Mlynek. Thus cooperation and networking between the Research Centres and universities will continue to be reinforced.


Each of the newly approved Helmholtz Graduate Schools, will receive ?600,000 annually for the next six years and supervise the studies of doctoral students at a Helmholtz Research Centre. The Helmholtz Research Schools are aimed at particularly talented graduates. Students from all over the world will be encouraged to apply for the 25 positions in each school; the working language will be English. The three existing schools have now been joined by two more. Each Helmholtz Research School focuses on a particular field and will receive ?300,000 a year over the next six years.


Graduate Schools:
* Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Graduate School for Environmental Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig
* Helmholtz Graduate School Molecular Cell Biology, Max-Delbrück-Centrum, Berlin-Buch
* Helmholtz International Graduate School of Cancer Research, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg


Helmholtz Research Schools:
* Helmholtz International Research School in Molecular Neurobiology, Max-Delbrück-Centrum, Berlin-Buch
* Earth System Science Research School, Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven


The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science and the economy with top scientific achievements in six research areas: Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, Structure of Matter, Transport and Space. With 25,700 employees in 15 research centres and an annual budget of approximately 2.3 billion euros, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation. Its work follows in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).


Contacts for the Media:


Thomas Gazlig
Dipl.-Biol./Dipl.-Journ.
Head of Communications and Media Relations
Berlin Office
Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2
10178 Berlin
Tel/Fax: 030 206 329-57/60
presse@helmholtz.de


Dr. Antonia Rötger
Press Officer
Tel: 030 206329-38
antonia.roetger@helmholtz.de


Weitere Informationen:
- http://www.helmholtz.de

Quelle: idw