Early Career Researchers
At the Ruhr Innovation Lab, we believe in collaboration over competition. Navigating a career in science shouldn’t be a solo journey, and we’re here to support researchers at every stage. Through tailored mentoring programs and soft skills development, we provide a platform for networking and exchange—even across university boundaries. But our support doesn’t stop at academia. We’re committed to preparing researchers for careers beyond the academic world, too. Because we firmly believe: Excellence is a skill that can be learned and nurtured. Together, we’ll help you reach your full potential, wherever your career path may lead.
Research Academy: Serving 10,000 Early Career Researchers
The Research Academy of the University Alliance Ruhr is the largest platform for supporting early career researchers in Germany. Since 2017, the UA Ruhr universities have been pooling their career development offers for academics to serve around 10,000 researchers. The Research Academy supports scientists and scholars at various career stages – from doctoral studies and postdoctoral research to their first professorship. In 2025, a cross-university Early Career Researchers (ECR) Board was formed to incorporate perspectives from all career levels.
ECR Boards: Amplifying Early Career Researchers' Voices
The Early Career Researchers (ECR) Boards at Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the UA Ruhr offer a collaborative platform for ECR to share their perspectives with university management. Serving as strategic advisors, these boards address the needs of scientists and scholars in the early stages of their career and review policies to improve support structures. Through their constructive engagement, the ECR Boards boost collaboration and visibility for early career researchers across universities.
Mentoring³: Empowering Women in Science
For 20 years, Mentoring³ has supported the career development of women in academia within the UA Ruhr. Designed for female researchers across disciplines, this initiative offers mentoring from experienced scientists and peers, alongside workshops with the aim of strengthening career paths and boosting women's representation in leadership roles. The ongoing underrepresentation of women in science underscores the vital role of programs like Mentoring³ in promoting equity and making academia an appealing workplace for women.
Permanent Positions in Academia: Ensuring Career Stability
Permanent positions in academia are vital for offering researchers career perspectives beyond traditional professorships. TU Dortmund University and Ruhr University Bochum have introduced innovative concepts to create permanent roles for postdocs with ongoing responsibilities in research, teaching, or academic management. While Ruhr University Bochum pilots the “New Career Paths at RUB” project, TU Dortmund aims to convert 25% of its budgeted positions into permanent roles. Thereby, the Ruhr Innovation Lab enhances career predictability and growth for researchers at all levels.
Graduate Programs: Building Bright Futures
In addition to the Clusters of Excellence, Collaborative Research Centers and Transregios, over 30 junior research groups and around 40 graduate schools and colleges at the three UA Ruhr universities offer excellent working conditions for researchers on their career path.
Research Explorer Ruhr: Experiencing Opportunities
Dive into the German academic system! That is what the program “Research Explorer Ruhr” is all about. It invites international early-career researchers from various disciplines to a two-week stay in the Ruhr metropolitan area. Here, they learn about funding opportunities and career paths – and come to appreciate the Ruhr region as an attractive place to live and work. In recent years, many of the guests later returned to the Ruhr region for longer stays. All three universities in the University Alliance Ruhr offer the Research Explorer program.
Careers Beyond Science
Universities cannot accomplish large-scale transformation processes on their own. Strong partners are needed. That is why the Ruhr Innovation Lab also supports researchers who prefer a career outside academia. At dialogue events and career forums organized by the Research Academy Ruhr, researchers can exchange ideas with representatives from industry, public service, foundations, and non-profit organizations while still working on their doctorates. Additionally, the female.2.enterprises project specifically prepares female students and academics for careers outside academia.