“Trees have roots and I have legs,” the American writer and scholar George Steiner (*1929) once said. Outstanding research needs international cooperation. That is why the University of Cologne fosters young researchers with its programme Mobility Grants for National and International Young Faculty. This measure, which is tied to the University’s Institutional Strategy, helps postdocs spend short research stays at cooperating research institutions around the world. International young researchers are also eligible to apply for a stay in Cologne.
Research with the Kiwis
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Enlarged view:
Massey University Campus in Auckland. Photo: Kristina Klein
Enlarged view:
The idyllic campus in the sunshine. Photo: Kristina Klein
Photo:Kristina Klein
Dr Kristina Klein from the Department of Marketing and Brand Management at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences used her Mobility Grant for a stay at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. “The funding opened up many opportunities for personal exchange and cooperation with my research partner in Auckland, which would have been really difficult or almost impossible from a distance. We were able to significantly develop our mutual projects in the area ‘sensory marketing’ and to collect necessary data. Moreover, taking part in a research camp of the Economics Department in Auckland provided me with valuable feedback on another project. The Mobility Grant is a great opportunity to develop your research projects.”
Intensifying research contacts
Dr Sabine Korstian from the Institute of Comparative Educational Research and Social Sciences at the Faculty of Human Sciences spent a similarly inspiring research stay abroad. Thanks to her Mobility Grant, she was able to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories in March 2016. She explored possibilities to conduct research on “non-violent Palestinian resistance”, established contact with involved actors and discussed the topic with colleagues form Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem. This explorative visit was essential for the further planning of the research project and to ensure its feasibility. Furthermore, she discussed possibilities for cooperation between Al-Quds University, particularly the Insan Centre for Gender Studies, and the University of Cologne with her colleagues in Jerusalem. That, too, was only the beginning – further talks will follow.
The Mobility Grants are a great networking tool to boost your researcher career.
Joint research and then a Kölsch at the brewery
Dr Felipe Temming (left) and the visiting Professor Dr Eduardo Caamano Rojo discussing on campus in Cologne. Photo: S. Rausch
It also works the other way around. Professor Eduardo Caamano Rojo from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Chile attained his doctoral degree in Cologne. He is currently using a Mobility Grant to conduct research on German labor dispute legislation. His host in Cologne, Dr. Felipe Temming, hopes that this connection can be useful in examining the process in Chile’s labor dispute legislation and to prepare joint publications. Besides research, Professor Caamano also likes to dwell on his connection to and memories of Cologne: “For me it is very special to be at the University of Cologne again, where I did my doctorate at the beginning of the new millennium. I have a very cordial connection to Cologne and am looking forward to the professional and cultural exchange with my colleagues here. Last weekend, we took a nice walk through the old town and of course I enjoyed a Kölsch beer at a local brewery.
Strong output: a grant proposal and an international conference in Cologne
Dr Jens Lange went to Amsterdam to exchange wih colleagues on this research project. Photo: Jens Lange
“The Mobility Grant allowed me to visit two renowned scholars at the University of Amsterdam for a weeks – Agneta Fischer and Gerben Van Kleef. I was able to initiate a research collaboration, and we applied for funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and organized an international conference planned to take place in Cologne soon. I am very happy that the Mobility Grant contributed to my network and added a cooperation partner to the UoC’s portfolio,” says Jens Lange about the program. Lange is a research fellow at the Psychology Department headed by Professor Mussweiler.
New contacts down under
expand: Together with Australian colleagues in Southern Australia. Photo: Silke Jütte
Silke Jütte works at the Department of Supply Chain Management and Management Science of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences. “I used the grant to establish a research collaboration with the University of Sydney on the topic of renewable energy in Australia. I was able to expand our existing cooperation and test already developed algorithms.
The programme Mobility Grants for National and International Young Faculty (Link) funds research stays between one week and one month abroad or at the University of Cologne. It supports young researchers’ existing collaborations and broadens the University’s international network.
