With an international ambition in mind, we prepare doctoral researchers for becoming respected members of the international scientific community. From the outset, ZIBI doctoral researchers are encouraged to actively participate in the scientific community by presenting their ongoing research in international and ZIBI specific meetings. Once they advance in their own projects, we encourage and support junior researchers to actively participate in the planning, organization and operational aspects of our program with the goal that students further and develop the program with us – for themselves and future generations. Hence, our doctoral researchers organize seminar series here in Berlin and present their own research at international conferences as early and as frequently as possible. These activities help our students to establish critical links for scientific exchange and for their future careers.

Annual Retreat

All partner programs organize a yearly ZIBI Graduate School Retreat. This is a two-day event where we bring all participating labs, supervisors and students together to exchange scientifically and socially. As we follow a strategy of active participation, the retreat is organizedby a committee of PhD students with the help of the program coordinators.

The retreat takes place in conference hotels around Berlin to benefit from the distance to our everyday environment and at the same time keep travelling time low. Presentations are given in two formats: short talks for more experienced students and poster presentations for everybody else. In addition, there are sufficient breaks for informal exchange. Besides the scientific side the retreat serves four other important aspects:

• We dedicate time to a feedback round with all members of the school.
• We elect the students' representatives.
• We are inviting a set of alumni to the retreat for a dedicated Q&A session. These are preferably people that have taken different career paths after graduating from our school.

Scientific Meetings

Exposure to fellow scientists on international conferences in Germany and abroad is an integral part of our strategy to develop doctoral students into creative junior researchers. On average, they visit one national and international conference per year by Graduate School funding. The opportunity to visit international congresses allows the doctoral researchers to share their data with the scientific community as well as increasing their professional research network.

Please visit the students member area for guides and instructions on how to apply for travel funding in a coordinator-friendly way.