The initiative to found the UMSICHT Research School came from you. What was the reason for this?

Anna Grevé: The idea arose during a network meeting at our institute when the topic of personnel development and the targeted promotion of certain groups at UMSICHT came up. I noticed that although doctoral students form a large group, they all tend to work on their own. I was familiar with structured programs at the university that create high quality and a common standard for all doctoral students. I found that exciting, especially since I had completed my doctorate a few years earlier and would have liked to have had such a foundation at the time.

Together with colleagues from human resources development, we then looked at how other research schools were structured and surveyed the needs of our own doctoral students. This resulted in our concept, which from the outset focused on exchange, support, and a central contact person.

 

What did this basic concept look like?

Anna Grevé: The basic concept essentially consisted of three components: First, we developed a coaching program and a training plan based on interviews with our doctoral students and an analysis of other research schools. Second, it was important to us to establish a permanent coordinator role – in other words, a central contact person who supports the doctoral candidates. My colleague Volker Knappertsbusch took on this role. Third, regular meetings and social events such as doctoral candidate days, visits to Christmas markets, and summer barbecues were also part of the program. Right at the start, during the kick-off meeting, Volker goes through all the important points with the new doctoral students – from registering at the university to organizational issues. This concept was very well received and continues to form the foundation of the Research School to this day.

 

Were there any challenges in implementing this?

Anna Grevé: There were quite a few challenges. In the beginning, we always had to see if we could get enough participants for the training courses to make them worthwhile. In addition, it was often unclear which training courses were really good – we tried many things for the first time and then had to evaluate whether they were useful or whether we should look for alternatives.

Another challenge was the organization as the number of doctoral students rose sharply. This required a significant coordination effort, especially for our coordinator, who invested several weeks in conducting status meetings. 

And, of course, there are always situations where doctoral students are not really making progress. The question then arises as to how we can still support them, even though we are not actually responsible for supervising the content – that is the job of the doctoral supervisors and the direct supervisors.

 

Has the basic concept changed over the past 10 years?

Anna Grevé: The basic concept has continued to evolve over the years. Over time, for example, excursions to companies, barbecue afternoons, and a shared platform have been added, which we have also brought to the intranet. We have actually been working continuously to further develop the UMSICHT Research School – always based on the experience we have gained. Especially in the beginning, the program was still quite manageable because there were simply fewer people. As the group grew, we had to continually refine and adapt the structure. For example, we used to have departmental doctoral student days, but today we focus more on our key topics of Circular Economy, Carbon Management, Green Hydrogen, and Local Energy Systems. Overall, we have always looked at how we can adapt the Research School to new conditions and needs.

 

How is the UMSICHT Research School organized and how flexible is participation?

Anna Grevé: In terms of organization, Volker still prefers to hold the kick-off meeting in person because it's simply important for getting to know each other. However, the subsequent status meetings can easily take place digitally, which makes it much easier for doctoral students at our locations in Sulzbach-Rosenberg or Willich. Once a year, Volker also travels there, holds meetings, and organizes a barbecue afternoon, for example, to be present.

The doctoral student days are open to all and for doctoral students, participation is compulsory. Participation in the Research School is an integral and required component of doctoral studies at UMSICHT. At the same time, we make the content as flexible as possible and tailor it individually to the needs and requirements of our doctoral students. There is no rigid list of events that everyone must attend. Instead, we work together to determine which offerings make sense in each individual case. For example, a native speaker does not need an additional English course. I believe that this flexible offering and, in particular, the regular status meetings are very well received because they provide space for reflection and individual support.

 

How are you involved now?

Anna Grevé: I am now primarily involved in strategic issues relating to the UMSICHT Research School. Volker handles day-to-day business together with Human Resources Development, in particular with Jana Rolshoven. However, when it comes to larger discussions or the further development of the concept, I am always involved – most recently also more frequently in a larger group in order to contribute different perspectives. You could say that I provide scientific support to the Research School and act as a sparring partner for strategic issues. I am also involved as a second reviewer for some doctoral students. This allows me to stay in touch with the doctoral candidates, and I try to attend as many doctoral student days as possible to find out what is going on there.

 

How has the Research School impacted other institutes and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft?

Anna Grevé: The impact on other institutes and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has been quite varied. In the beginning, a lot of it was through personal contacts – for example, when someone from another institute knew Volker and asked, "Hey, I heard you're doing something like that, can you tell us how it works?" It was more like word of mouth, so the concept ended up at other institutes by chance. Over time, it took on a life of its own: more and more institutes realized that others had a research school like this and were then referred to us. At some point, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft also took up the topic and began to approach it in a structured manner. Suddenly, there were many new offerings, such as supervision agreements and special training courses for doctoral students and supervisors. We were also involved in this conceptual phase, for example as sparring partners, and Volker presented how we do things at our institute at the first central events.

 

Are there any special anecdotes or memories from the early days of the Research School?

Anna Grevé: There are actually a few nice memories. I remember how we tried to design a logo for the Research School at the beginning – we had this stylized doctoral cap, but somehow it looked more like the logo of a dating portal. We also briefly considered introducing a mascot. But we decided against it in the end.

I was always particularly pleased with the positive feedback from the doctoral students. Of course, it was also nice when the supervisors said that they felt the doctoral students were well organized – but ultimately, the Research School is a program for doctoral students.