The MNTF Graduate Center will help with the onboarding process as well as networking of Praedocs and Postdocs with yearly kickoff events, retreat meetings, and regulars' tables, as well as external science-related courses. Furthermore these young scientists can apply for financial support for scientific and soft-skill activities as well as seed funding. An elected Junior Board, consisting of 3 Praedocs and 3 Postdocs, will help with information and coordination and serve as a point of contact. Applications are submitted to the Junior Board and then sent along to the Senior Board, which consists of 3 professors of MNTF, for review and decisions. All activities in the MNTF Graduate Center are optional and not part of the Ph.D. or Habilitation programmes.

A1) Kickoff event for Praedocs and Postdocs (1x in spring, from 2022 on)

• election of the Junior Board
• designation of organizing committee for Praedoc off-site meeting (A2)
• planning of regulars' tables for Postdocs (A3)
• planning of further activities (A4, A5)
• information about existing support by the university (scholarships, DAAD, travel grants, teaching reductions, ombudspeople, elected representatives, …)

A2) Off-site meeting for Praedocs with scientific topic (1x in the fall, from 2022 on)

• 3 day off-site meeting (possibly with co-payment by participants), alternatively 2 days on campus
• short talks / science slam as icebreaker
• external and internal speakers, possibly hands-on scientific courses
• possibly suitable for Praedocs from FAI or Med.Fak., depending on the topic
• scientific and/or soft-skill training (e.g., for academic writing, scientific presentations, Bachelor/Master thesis supervising roles, scientific commuincation, …)
• reports regarding completed activities, organisation of future events

A3) Regulars' table for Postdocs (after first kickoff event)

• open to all Postdocs employed at MNTF
• intended in particular for current or future research group leaders
• in approx. 2-3 months interval, informal regulars' table, possibly split according to research areas
• exchange regarding, e.g., transition to having your own research group, career planning, participation in academic committees, …

A4) Local activities for Praedocs and Postdocs

• networking, recurring meetings, scientific speed dating
• methodogical courses, guest lecturers, scientific postgraduate lectures by excellent external scientists, possibly with poster session
• lab tours across the university, industry visits, knowledge transfer with industry, job talks, strategies for leaving academia, …
• finding mentors, if desired
• working group for maintenance of an intranet page with informationen and reports

A5) External courses

• MNTF-specific courses, e.g., on data management, scientific marketing, career planning, gender-related topics, third-party funding applications, coding skills improvement strategies, …
• courses and events are open to Praedocs and Postdocs, participation requires simple application and approval by supervisor
• the Senior Board will decide in case of overbooking

B) Seed Funding [modified November 13, 2023]

• support for independent scientific projects (direct costs up to 3.000 €)
• also for science communication and/or outreach projects (only until end of 2023)
• application must be approved by supervisor, subitted to Junior Board and passed on to Senior Board
• Senior Board may solicit (possibly external) reviews
• project should be independent of dissertation/habilitation and their topics
• applicatin must explain ineligibility for orther third-party seed funding at the university and state previously obtained seed funding
• applications and results are to be reported to Junior Board and Senior Board and at kickoff meetings; referral to relevant university agencies: AMU, inventors' center, StartHub (founders' center), uni-t (transfer center)

Qualification Concept and Prerequisites

• All additional qualifications that are offered by the MNTF Graduate Center are optional and not part of Ph.D. or Habilitation programmes. No separate membership is required. No certificitates etc. will be issued.

• Praedocs and Postdocs may first participate in the annual kickoff and/or off-site meetings. There further activities will be planned and then listed on the intranet website to allow participation also at a later stage..

• Praedoc activities are open to Ph.D. candidates that have registered this status with MNTF. Postdoc activities are open to scientific personnel at MNTF with completed doctorate. People from each group may be admitted to the other for certain activities.

Structure and Quality Assurance

• Approved applications and completed activities should be reported to the institute and faculty council meetings, also in the form of an annual report.

• At the first kickoff meeting a Junior Board, consisting of 3 Praedocs and 3 Postdocs, will be elected for a period of two years, with all three institutes of MNTF represented, as well as two spokespersons, one from each section of the board.

• Applications for MNTF-specific or central Graduate Center activities are submitted via the Junior Board to the Senior Board (consisting of 3 Professors from MNTF) for approval. The Junior Board will advise applicants, keep track of approved and completed activities, and serve point of contact for members of MNTF.

• Quality assurance, adjustments to the external course program, and decisions in case of overbooking will be made by the Senior Board or delegated by it to other MNTF professors.

• Participants should give online feedback on completed activities. The Junior Board will collect these evaluations and present them at the next kickoff meeting.

Long-term Benefits

• Onboarding processes and networking opportunities have been requested by Praedocs and Postdocs. They are available at other faculties and universities, where they have proven to be very useful.
• Networking among research groups and among the institutes of MNTF will also generate new collaborations and research ideas.
• The structure of the Junior Boards is intended to facilitate proposals for activities.

Extension to Other Faculties and Further Collaborations

• Scientific events may be open to Praedocs and Postdocs of related faculties (such as Faculty of Applied Informatics or Faculty of Medicine), for example regarding topics from Materials Science, Machine Learning, Biological Physics, Statistics, Modelling
• In a similar fashion young scientists at MNTF should receive information regarding similar graduate activities in other faculties.