Germany’s internet institutes are moving closer: The Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) and the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) have concluded a cooperation agreement for career development. The aim is to bundle competencies in human resources development and to prepare scientific talents for a career within and outside academia through qualification and networking offers. The kick-off will be a joint virtual event on 10 June 2021, which will provide doctoral researchers with networking opportunities as well as insights into the field of tension surrounding the sustainability of digitalisation.
“To remain attractive to young scientists in international competition, a comprehensive qualification programme that includes management and social skills in addition to teaching research competencies is more important than ever,” says Professor Christoph Neuberger, Managing Director of the Weizenbaum Institute. “It is important that the Internet Institutes exchange experience and knowledge in the career development field. In this way, we can jointly give new impetus to the dynamic field of digitalisation research and qualify scientific talent for the German and international job market.”
Professor Michael Baurmann, scientific director of the CAIS, adds: “Germany is a digital developing country in many respects – we just had to experience this again during the Corona pandemic painfully. The joint efforts of our institutes to comprehensively promote scientific talent in digitalisation research contributes to the development of digital potential in the people’s interest.”
Networking event “Digitalisation Research and Network Meeting 2021”
With two keynotes and several thematic sessions, the inaugural event offered doctoral researchers a framework to exchange, discuss and reflect on research approaches and results from different disciplines.
The cooperation between bidt, CAIS and the Weizenbaum Institute in the area of promoting young researchers is an important step towards a networked approach to digitisation research in Germany. We are looking forward to the cooperation, in which joint activities and qualification offers are to be created.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Pretschner To the profile
In addition to the joint planning and implementation of events, the cooperation between the three institutions also includes establishing a pool of trainers, mutual participation in qualification programmes and the promotion of networking, for example, through joint research stays at the participating institutes. In addition, a working group will be formed for regular exchange on career development measures, such as the development of programme offerings, qualification standards and methods of interdisciplinary cooperation.
The offer is initially aimed at doctoral students at the three institutions and is to be gradually extended to post-doctoral students and science management staff. For the continuous expansion of academic career support, networking with other digitisation institutes is planned for the future.
About the Weizenbaum Institute
The joint project Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society – The German Internet Institute has been supported by a research consortium from Berlin and Brandenburg since September 2017. Its members are Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin University of the Arts, Technische Universität Berlin, University of Potsdam, Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the Social Science Research Center Berlin. The task of the Weizenbaum Institute is to research the ethical, legal, economic and social aspects of the internet and digitalisation. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research provides funding of up to 50 million euros for this purpose.
About the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS)
The CAIS is a research institute funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the social opportunities and challenges of digital transformation are researched. It sees itself as a place of innovative interdisciplinary research and a source of impulse for a critical public that wants to understand guiding principles for a self-determined life in the digital society.
About the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt)
The bidt is an institute of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. In addition to policy advice and dialogue with the general public, the bidt also promotes internal and Bavaria-wide external research projects, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the developments and challenges of digital transformation.
