Our aims and audiences
Objectives and tasks of the Graduate Centre
The Graduate Centre was set up as a central research unit on 1 August 2008. It strives to
- promote a cross-disciplinary culture of cooperation in doctoral studies at the University of Passau,
- develop a cross-faculty network for exchange and qualification, and
- create an attractive research environment for early career researchers.
The Graduate Centre unites faculty, cross-faculty and cross-university doctoral programmes under one roof along with the individually supervised doctoral and habilitation projects. It is an information centre for all organisational, cross-disciplinary issues that relate to doctorates and habilitations. For this purpose, it advises its target groups in a range of areas, including funding programmes, and offers travel grants and publication subsidies. The Graduate Centre plans and puts together the qualification programme for graduates. It organises related information events for all members of the University of Passau.
Furthermore, it supports and advises the University Executive and faculties in developing and implementing support for early career researchers.
Past activities organised by the Graduate Centre to promote early career researchers include:
On 26 July 2017, the Senate adopted Guidelines on the employment and qualification requirements for early career researchers at the University of Passau in application of the Higher Education Act Governing Fixed-term Employment Contracts for Academic Staff (WissZeitVG; Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz). The University of Passau thereby undertook to ensure that the term of limited employment contracts and the number of working hours for early career researchers are in reasonable proportion to the objective of the particular qualification sought.
A standard template for the doctoral supervision agreement for doctorates, the conclusion of which is stipulated in the General Doctoral Regulation, has been available since 20 December 2017. Mutually agreed rights and obligations governing collaboration between the doctoral researcher and the supervisors in the doctoral supervision agreement are meant to enhance quality assurance in the doctoral process at the University of Passau.
On 3 August 2019, the General Doctoral Regulation of the University of Passau entered into force. It had been drafted with a number of objectives in mind, including equal access for master's degree graduates, referees as well as examiners at universities of applied sciences. In addition, the General Doctoral Regulation stipulates the conclusion of a doctoral supervision agreement.
On 18 December 2018, the University Executive passed a resolution to assist postdoctoral researchers for the duration of their habilitation period with an annual per-person grant in the amount of EUR 1,500. Habilitation researchers can independently use funds from what is generally known as the habilitation fund to cover research-related expenses.
Target groups
early career researchers of the University of Passau (doctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers, habilitation researchers, assistant professors and tenure-track professors) and to anyone interested in a doctorate and/or in post-doctoral habilitation at the University of Passau.
The Graduate Centre is a member of the German University Association of Advanced Graduate Training (GUAT).
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