Career development

As a postdoctoral researcher or W1-Professor, you are now at the stage in your career when you will prepare for lifetime professorship. A great deal will be expected of you. For example, you will have to:

Develop your (research) profile
Apply for external research funding
Work as a lecturer and supervisor
Assume personnel responsibilities

Training or advising can provide orientation on the path to professorship. Support is also available to help you apply for external funding or to improve your teaching, presentation, publication, or leadership skills.

Are you a doctoral and early career researcher interested in entering a profession outside academia and obtaining further qualifications?

For these important career steps, the Hamburg Research Academy and our member universities also offer qualification formats that prepare you for a career inside and outside of academia.

Special offers for Hamburg's early career researchers

The Hamburg Research Academy aims to provide effective career support to final-year doctoral and postdoctoral researchers at all career stages. It has developed career development programs, which enable participants from all subjects and member universities to attend exclusive workshops and work together over the course of several months:
- Program 1: Doctorate Done—What Now? Planning and Starting a Career
- Program 2: Navigating successfully in Academia for Experienced Postdocs, Early Research Group Leaders and W1-Professors
With the career development cycle, the HR development department of Universität Hamburg (UHH) helps you clarify your goals, plan how you mean to achieve these, further yourself, and advance in your career.

The Graduate Academy for Technology and Innovation at Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) hosts a series of workshops and training courses. They are offered in German and English.

The Promotionskolleg (in German only) at HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU) holds regular workshops for postdoctoral researchers on applying for external funding, the main funding institutions (federal ministries, DFG, EU, foundations), and international research mobility.
Pro Exzellenzia offers leadership workshops and events for highly-qualified women. The workshops are intended for female graduates of Hamburg higher education institutions in the areas of mathematics, informatics, the natural sciences, technology, art, music, architecture, and the humanities who have their primary residence in Hamburg.

Didactics and higher education teaching

Professional support for further qualifying teachers is available at Hamburg’s higher education institutions.

The Hamburg Center for University Teaching and Learning (HUL) (in German only) at Universität Hamburg (UHH) offers practical workshops and certificate courses.

The Studies & Didactics Office (in German only) at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) is devoted to higher education teaching.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (ZLL) at Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) offers higher education teaching workshops.

Starting a business

Do you have an innovative idea and want to set up a scalable business model as a young researcher? The start-up scene is booming and offers excellent career prospects. You can approach various institutions specializing in academic research to make your start-up idea a reality.

Startup Dock (in German only) is a cross-university incubator that was originally established at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH). If you want to realize a technology-based idea, you will receive professional advice and training offers here to help further your entrepreneurial thinking and activities.
Hamburg Innovation (in German only) offers advising and coaching in the fields of technology and services specifically for graduates and university staff. Hamburg Innovation cooperates with the Startup Dock.
Exist is a funding program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). Besides reliable information on setting up a business, the Exist start-up grants in particular may be of interest.
Hamburg’s H.E.I. start-up initiative (in German only) offers free advising and events for all sectors on starting a business in Hamburg.

The Knowledge Exchange Service at Universität Hamburg (UHH) provides preliminary advice and links to start-up funding options.

Tips and recommendations

The HRA's course portal lists all interdisciplinary qualifications offered at Hamburg's higher education institutions.
Trade fairs, e.g., Stellenwerk Hamburg’s career fair, can provide useful stimulus. For an overview of international career fairs for doctoral and early career researchers, please see the Research in Germany website. (Links in German only)