Doctoral training stage (R1 - First Stage Researcher)

To qualify for employment as a First Stage Researcher at universities in Germany, individuals must have completed their university degrees with excellent grades. At the end of this stage, researchers will usually have completed their doctorates. Completion of a doctorate marks an individual’s transition from student to researcher. To qualify for the award of a doctoral degree, the work submitted for the degree must make a substantial contribution of knowledge to the field concerned. Doctoral researchers with internal funding will also gain initial teaching experience. Many researchers leave the academic world upon the completion of this stage to pursue careers in industrial research and development, found their own businesses, or take senior positions in industry, public administration, or society.

Training and development initiatives for First Stage Researchers focus on domains A knowledge and intellectual abilities and B personal qualities and values. First Stage Researchers start out by developing subject knowledge and research methods (A1). With their first own scientific work, early stage researchers apply and enhance their cognitive abilities (A2), creative skills (A3) and get a chance to critically reflect on, and develop, their personal qualities and values (personal development (B1), self-management (B2), and professional and career development (B3)) in the light of their goal of a career in academia.

Initiatives for First Stage Researchers also address domains C research governance and organization and D professional self-concept and societal responsibility. Conducting their research, First Stage Researchers become familiar with, and develop an understanding of good practice in research management (C2) as well as the standards and framework conditions (C1) of their discipline and of research in general. First Stage Researchers also gain initial experience in higher education teaching (teaching and contribution to society (D3)) and start making contributions to the research community as authors and members of their discipline (publication and research communication (D2)). In addition to equipping researchers with discipline-specific knowledge and skills, which is mainly the responsibility of the faculties, the university is responsible for assisting researchers in the development of generic skills they will also find useful in alternative careers outside academia as well as helping them explore and pursue research related and non-research related career paths both in and outside academia.