On 14.03.2023 a new round of applications will start in the Software Campus: We are looking for leadership talents with a background in technology. Within the funding program of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), researchers together with corporate partners develop their expertise in relation to management and leadership. The Software Campus is now expanding its offer: The upcoming cohorts benefit greatly from a variety of networking opportunities, in addition to addressing the issue of sustainability, as a requirement to them.
Computer scientists get ready for leadership roles
The program is looking for PhD candidates in computer science and computer science related disciplines amongst the research partners of the program, who are interested in leadership and entrepreneurship topics and would like to try out their research in a corporate context. PhD students from universities, colleges and research institutions that are not a permanent partner of the program can apply, as well.
The core element of the program continues to be the conduct of one’s own IT research project in cooperation with a company. The project runs for 18-24 months and is mostly oriented towards the student’s own doctoral project. The BMBF funds each project to a maximum of €115,000. Hence, participants learn management and leadership in practice, by working with a team that they themselves build and lead. Master’s students involved in a future Software Campus project, led by a doctoral student, may also benefit from individual learning offers and networking opportunities.
Besides, participants build up new knowledge through training sessions hosted by the companies. The training courses address a wide range of topics, from recruiting to innovation management. Each participant completes four training sessions and in doing so has the chance to get to know the hosting industry partner better. The training offer will be extended to include an additional online course, which will be jointly created with the partners.
New: Enhanced networking opportunities within communities
The Software Campus is where a wide variety of people with different journeys and goals in business and research meet each other over 10 years now. In the newly established communities of practice, all participants, alumni, and partner representatives will be meeting regularly, both online and on-site, in order to share their experiences and further benefit from exchanging with each other. Different communities focus on the research interests of the participants, so that they can get together here regardless of location and discipline. Participants can also address questions and share experiences and inspiration about their own personal development and start-up topics.
Also, the mentoring has been enhanced and extended to include one more aspect. Each participant is supported by an experienced figure from his or her industry partner through personal mentoring, as before. Furthermore, the participants now have the space to also exchange ideas with each other in the communities. This peer-to-peer mentoring allows them to build and expand their network to suit their own interests.
The application phase starts along with two online information events on mach 14 (for interested applicants at academic institutions that are permanent partners in the program > > link to event) and march 15 (for interested applicants at other academic institutions > >link to event). The application platform will then be open up to and including 23.04.2023. Here you can find more information about the application process.
