Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) uses the tenure-track professorship as a regular procedure. University-wide 20-30% of scheduled professorial vacancies are filled with tenure-track appointments.
Implementing the tenure-track professorship is a central element of the JLU personnel development strategy, which aims to offer all JLU staff groups development and advancement under the motto “Qualification – Inspiration – Enablement”. From its own resources, JLU is quadrupling the strategy funding applied for in the early-career promotion pact to € 1,000,000 p.a. for personnel development measures specific to the target groups.
In this framework, one emphasis will be on opportunities for early-career researchers, particularly in the post-doctoral phase. Intensive profiling of personnel categories will optimise the transparency and planning of career paths for researchers. The newly established Postdoc Career and Mentoring Office offers support and qualification to postdocs and tenure-track professors, adding to the advancement offered by JLU’s three postgraduate centres. This is an effective continuation of the development of JLU’s pioneering role in early-career support made possible by excellence funding since 2006.
JLU’s personnel development strategy also aims to intensify JLU’s profile as a university often distinguished for gender equality and family-friendliness. To continue this good work, a fund for gender equality and family-friendliness has been set up to provide € 0.5m p.a. for support programmes and measures.
Another goal of the personnel development strategy is to boost the science management at JLU by providing development and further training for administrative staff and early-career researchers in order to offer an additional attractive career path.