Staying in science? The new ‘Research Careers Campus’ knows how

Johanna Stadlbauer and Gerald Lind provide support for scientific careers. Photo: Uni Graz/Lunghammer

Some get a taste for it during their studies. They want to stay in science after graduation and earn their living from research. The University of Graz is paving the way for them with the “Research Careers Campus". To this end, existing successful initiatives for doctoral students (through the Doctoral Academy) and postdocs (through the PostDoc Office) have been combined.

What funding and financing options do I have? How do I communicate about myself and my research within and outside of my scientific communities? How do I deal with setbacks? How do I reconcile an academic career with family life? The “Research Careers Campus” answers these and many other questions in the form of workshops, coaching and counselling sessions. This includes support for supervisors who want to ensure good support for young researchers. Vice-Rector Mireille van Poppel, in whose portfolio the new institution is based, explains: ‘We want to align ourselves with international developments and implement the latest approaches in the funding and development of researchers.’

Single point of contact

Deputy Gerald Lind estimates that all target groups of the “Research Careers Campus” will comprise a total of around 1,750 people. And for these people, there is now a single point of contact where, as far as possible, all offers of scientific career support come together.
In addition to building networks with research-related non-university employers, internal networking plays a role.
The support is now also open to mid-career researchers. ‘These are generally understood to be people who, after completing their doctorates, have already completed one or two longer research phases, closely supervise the research work of younger colleagues, and have achieved a degree of scientific independence,’ explains the interim director Johanna Stadlbauer.

Friendly University

The package of measures is to be tailored to the specific needs of the target groups. To this end, the ‘Research Career Campus’ is planning to engage in intensive dialogue with mid-career researchers in particular. In the near future, the further development of the unit established on 1 April 2025 is on the agenda.
“We want to establish a positive research culture in all career phases," Stadlbauer and Lind describe the goal. “This involves good working conditions for researchers, exchange between researchers at different career levels, promoting a peer culture and continuing to work on our ”friendly university’,’ Stadlbauer describes. Overall, a great deal is already happening here that should be made even more visible and presented as best practice.

⇒ Research Careers Campus

Andreas Schweiger

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