News Newsletter

Are you immersed in your research and seeking a moment to step back, gain a fresh perspective, and reconnect with nature, with others, and with your own thinking and writing process? Join us for a walk through the Via Naturae in the serene woods near the Königsstuhl. Far from the daily demands of your desk, this excursion offers space to breathe, think, and engage in conversation with fellow doctoral candidates. It’s a chance to move through nature while reflecting on the path of your research - its challenges, direction, and place within the larger academic landscape.

Are you looking for an air-conditioned workspace to write your dissertation? Or a venue for your event? Doctoral candidates and employees of Heidelberg University can book various co-working spaces and event facilities at the Käthe Leichter Forum in INF 370.

Last chance to register for our courses in July!
- Thesis Defense Training // 01. & 02.07.2026
- Slidewriting & Storylining // 02.07.2026
- Logik und Argumentation // 07. & 08.07.2026
- The Powerful Voice // 09.07.2026
- Writing for a Non-Scientist Audience // 14. & 15.07.2026
- Introduction to Programming with Python // 16., 23. & 30.07.2026
- Good Scientific Practice // 22. & 23.07.2026
- Scientists Need More! – Next Level Scientific (Grant) Writing Using AI-Assistants // 21. & 22.07.2026

Advancing the conditions for postdoctoral research and career development is a key priority for Heidelberg University. For this reason, we would like to learn more about your experiences and perspectives as postdocs at our university.

Do you need to write an exposé for your doctoral thesis? Are you unsure how to structure an exposé or would you like some feedback regarding your own exposé? Then take advantage of our individual exposé consultation! Our Research Proposal Support Service is designed to help doctoral candidates transform promising ideas into compelling, fundable research projects.

The Graduate Academy is pleased to offer a variety of funding opportunities to doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University through the heiDOCS 2.0 program. You can apply for grants within the following funding lines: Travel grants, Bridging grants, Publication grants, Project grants, and Doctoral initiatives.

The new seminar program 2026-II is online! Starting in June 2026, we will offer courses specifically tailored to your needs and designed to help you successfully manage your doctoral training.
- Career Development // 23. & 24.06.2026
- Wissenschaft visualisieren // 27. & 28.05.2026
- Richtiges Zitieren und Vermeidung von Plagiaten // 02.06.2026

Today we would like to draw your attention once again to this year’s European Doctoral Day on May 13! On this day the Graduate Academy invites you to join us for an informative lunch break (12:30–14:30 h) at the Käthe Leichter Forum (INF 370). On European Doctoral Day we highlight the vital role of doctoral education and the impact of doctoral graduates as key agents of innovation.

On this year’s European Doctoral Day (May 13), the Graduate Academy invites you to join us for an informative lunch break (12:30–14:30 h) at the Käthe Leichter Forum (INF 370). On European Doctoral Day we highlight the vital role of doctoral education and the impact of doctoral graduates as key agents of innovation.

Last chance to register for our courses in May!
- Tailor Made Job Applications // 28. & 29.04.2026
- Make an Impact! // 12. & 13.05.2026
- Karriereplanung: Wirtschaft oder Wissenschaft? // 19. & 20.05.2026

We have added two Academic Writing Groups to our program, which will start on April 23, 2026. As always, our Academic Writing Group program will continue to provide you with a physical working space, experts on call, and a community of like-minded peers to support doctoral researchers in their academic and dissertation writing process.

Are you looking for volunteers or collaborators for your PhD project? Are you interested in a linguistic and intercultural exchange (tandem partner, peer monitoring partner…) or other forms of scientific and professional exchange? In this case, our digital “bulletin board” is just the right platform for you.

The Graduate Academy is awarding completion grants within the Landesgraduiertenförderung program to doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University.

The Heidelberg Graduate School for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HGGS) invites applications for Graduate Membership starting in the Summer Semester 2026. At this time, the HGGS also has an open CfP for the SUMMER FORUM, “ImA(I)gining the Future: How Digital Technologies Rewrite Our World“.

Last chance to register for the following course in April!
- Tailor Made Job Applications // 28. & 29.04.2026

The Graduate Academy is awarding completion grants within the Landesgraduiertenförderung program to doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University.

Are you working on a new research idea and looking to take the next step towards third-party funding? Heidelberg University’s Seed Funding Programme (Anschubfinanzierung) offers exactly the initial boost you need to successfully prepare your third-party funding applications.

The Graduate Academy is pleased to offer a variety of funding opportunities to doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University through the heiDOCS 2.0 program. You can apply for grants within the following funding lines: Travel grants, Bridging grants, Publication grants, Project grants, and Doctoral initiatives.

Are you looking for a workspace to write your dissertation? Or a venue for your event? Doctoral candidates and employees of Heidelberg University can book various co-working spaces and event facilities at the Käthe Leichter Forum in INF 370.

Last chance to register for our courses in March!
- Schreibblockaden überwinden // 04. & 27.03.2026
- Workshop für promovierende Frauen: Wie Sie den Berufseinstieg außerhalb der Wissenschaft meistern // 05. & 06.03.2026
- Stresskompetenz in Auftrittssituationen // 09.03.2026
- Introduction to 3D Visualization with Blender for Scientists // 10. & 11.03.2026
- Grundlagenwissen BWL // 17. & 18.03.2026
- Effective Visual Communication of Science // 24.03.2026

Today we're giving you a preview of our courses in March! Learn how to overcome writer's block and master your career entry outside of academia.
- Schreibblockaden überwinden // 04. & 27.03.2026
- Workshop für promovierende Frauen: Wie Sie den Berufseinstieg außerhalb der Wissenschaft meistern // 05. & 06.03.2026

We would like to invite doctoral candidates from all faculties to participate in the Focused Writing Group Program starting in February 2026.

Last chance to register for our courses in February!
- Gekonnt empirisch forschen – Qualitative und quantitative Befragungsmethoden im Überblick // 03. & 04.02.2026
- Introduction to programming with Python // 05. & 12. & 19.02.2026
- Druckkostenzuschuss und Publikationsgebühr // 10.02.2026
- Thesis Defense Training // 11. & 12.02.2026
- Slidewriting & Storylining // 18.02.2026
- Lange Manuskripte konsistent gestalten // 24.02.2026

The 15th edition of the LERU Doctoral Summer School will be held at KU Leuven from 6 – 11 September 2026. The theme of this Doctoral Summer School will be “Inter-, Multi- and Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Health”.