Temporary substitute positions as a way of enabling clinicians to engage in research

The module for Temporary Substitutes for Clinicians can be used to request staff funding to enable clinicians to participate in a DFG-funded project. Funding is used to either finance appropriately qualified medical personnel who take over the patient-care responsibilities of the physicians, or to directly finance the physician participating in the DFG project.

A substitute position can be requested within the framework of an individual grant (Research Grants Programme, Emmy Noether Programme, Heisenberg Programme, Walter Benjamin Programme) or within coordinated programmes (Collaborative Research Centres, Research Units, Clinical Research Units, Research Training Groups).

Expansion options available for Clinician Scientist Programmes

In order to support university medical institutions in expanding existing Clinician Scientist Programmes, the DFG covers all temporary substitute positions applied for within a Clinical Research Unit (CRU), if the review panel positively assesses a Clinician Scientist Programme at the site into which the positions can be integrated.

Temporary substitute positions acquired through other funding sources can also be incorporated in existing Clinician Scientist Programmes, depending on the suitability of the research topic and the proportion of time set aside for conducting research. Care must be taken to ensure that an appropriate release from clinical duties is guaranteed for a defined period of time (usually 50 %).

Basis and funding chain: Clinician Scientist and Advanced Clinician Scientist

In order to counteract the impeding shortage of qualified research-oriented physicians, the DFG Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research (SCCR), has published several recommendations regarding the establishment of integrated research and training programmes for Clinician Scientists.

Initially, the time of residency training was taken into account (see Statement 2015, in German only) and the Clinician Scientist Programmes were launched by the DFG. The concept was then extended to the period following medical specialist training, with a recommendation to establish so-called Advanced Clinician Scientist Programmes (in German only). Eight such Advanced Clinician Scientist Programmes are currently being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, see Announcement).

The SCCR working group Career Paths/Research-Oriented Personnel Structures (in German only) continues to focus on the career prospects of researching physicians.