Early Independence Puts Young Talent on Fast Track
Young researchers benefit from greater academic freedom and excellent resources
Young researchers in the Emmy Noether Programme enjoy a privilege that many of their colleagues in Germany can only dream about, and which is unheard of among many university lecturers: Emmy Noether fellows are scientifically independent. They select and head their own independent junior research groups, supervise doctoral students, teach, perform management tasks, administer their own budgets – and they do so at a university of their choice. “Young scientists should be able to step out of their professors’ shadows early on and develop their own research profiles,” says Dr. Beate Scholz, Programme Director for the DFG’s Research Careers Section.
When the DFG instituted this programme in 1999, it broke new ground in terms of the promotion of young researchers, bringing on a paradigm shift. One of the inspirations for the programme was the kind of academic freedom enjoyed by assistant professors in the United States. The goal was to establish a qualification path which was an alternative to research assistantship. “We wanted to break away from the master-apprentice model,” explains Beate Scholz. Changes along these lines had previously been advocated by international experts who reviewed German academia as part of an international system evaluation. Their conclusion: long-term dependencybased relationships not only undermine young researchers, but also the competitiveness of universities and the country as a whole in the global competition for innovation and top-level scientists and academics.
“Turbo programme for young researchers”
That’s exactly where the Emmy Noether Programme comes in. Emmy Noether fellows pass through the qualification phase that leads to professorship significantly faster than their colleagues who work as research assistants. The ENP has even been called a “turbo programme for young researchers” by the media. In five years – six at the most – an “Emmy” should be able to make it: The high appointment ratio shows that this is sufficient time to gain professorship. More than 100 current and former Emmy Noether fellows have been offered professorships so far. Close to 300 Emmy Noether independent junior research groups have been funded since 1999, almost a quarter of them headed by women. Fifty new research groups are approved each year, on average.
The Emmy Noether Programme is open to all young scientists and academics who have a strong track record and wish to qualify in Germany as university lecturers. The overwhelming majority of fellows work in the natural and life sciences; humanities scholars and social scientists are rare. “So far,” adds Beate Scholz. She notices that the humanities are beginning to catch up as they are undergoing a general shift and considering new approaches to promoting young researchers. The Emmy Noether Programme seeks to support this trend. Because team research has traditionally been less common in the humanities than in the natural sciences, researchers in the humanities may receive funding as project leaders even without a junior research group.
Heating up the competition
Close to nine percent of the young researchers come from outside Germany. “We’re not pursuing a brain gain strategy, but the programme does try to recruit the best researchers, regardless of their current location,” explains Beate Scholz. The ENP especially targets highly accomplished Germans who would like to return to Germany. For them, excellence funding might be just what they are looking for as it allows them to conduct research in Germany under conditions that match the attractive packages offered in their adopted country. The biggest incentives are greater academic freedom and excellent resources for their own research group. Word of such benefits gets around in the scientific community. “Young people go wherever conditions are most favourable. Our programme wants to support this dynamic, and so create competition among German research centres,” says the DFG expert.
New mentality needed
“However, some universities are still insufficiently aware of their assets and how they can leverage them,” adds Beate Scholz. “Assets”, in this case, are researchers who have been selected against tough international competition. Their work helps raise the profile of the university they work in, and the financing they bring with them improves the university’s third-party funding statistics. But instead of making a point of recruiting Emmy Noether candidates, some departments and administrations balk and point to issues such as lack of space. Another challenge is insufficient integration: in contrast to junior professors, Emmy Noether fellows are often not permitted to teach and to supervise doctoral students from beginning to end. “We still have a long way to go in terms of changing mentalities,” says Beate Scholz. However, the paradigm has already begun to shift – as evidenced by universities that make an effort to offer long-term prospects for their “Emmys” and succeed in doing so.
