Photos: Welcome Centre, UoC
 

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'EURAXESS dezentral Workshop 2016' at the University of Cologne
 

EURAXESS provides information and advice for internationally mobile researchers who come to Germany to conduct research or who want to go to another country. In addition to a workshop in Bonn, each year EURAXESS Germany organizes a decentralized workshop for advisors responsible for mobile researchers at institutions in Germany. This was staged on the 23rd and 24th of June 2016 by Albert’s International Assistance, the Welcome Centre of the University of Cologne. On the first day, the participants gathered at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, on the second day at the University of Cologne’s premises. Apart from current topics to do with advisory services for researchers, the workshop is always also a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and network players from German universities and other research institutions.

An article by the Welcome Centre of the University of Cologne

 
That presentations and workshops not only took place in the Main Building and the Student Service Center of UoC but also at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing was no coincidence. For the Welcome Centre, it was important to build a bridge to non-university research institutions in terms of content too. The UoC works closely with four Max Planck institutes located nearby (Biology of Ageing, Metabolism Research, Plant Breeding Research, Study of Societies) as well as with two Helmholtz centres in the region (German Aerospace Center and Jülich Research Centre).

One of the highlights of the workshop was the evening event in Heller’s Brewery. To be more precise: the after-dinner speech given by Catharine Stimpson and Fayyaz Baqir, a researcher who fled from Pakistan.

The two of them held a humorous and at the same time emotional conversation dedicated to the story of Professor Baqir’s life and his personal flight from Pakistan. He then read out three very moving poems which he composed during his time in exile. 

The group then enjoyed hot apple strudel with vanilla sauce (although it was 35°C outside) and spent a jovial time together until late into the evening. And didn’t talk just about work!

Fotos: Welcome Centre, UoC

 

The everyday work of researcher advisors is anything but dull. Quite often there are tricky cases where the question pops up: “What on earth should we do now?” For other questions, certain routines have perhaps already been developed or exactly the right contacts found. However, the researcher advisors again and again have good reason to tear out their hair at red tape or other unbelievable things. And the next oddity is often just around the corner. 

An instrument which was used between the lectures and workshops to compare notes on such experiences and questions was the Pinboard Sessions: The participants were already asked when they registered to submit contributions, which could then be read on the pinboards during the coffee breaks, for example. There were five categories:

• “What now?” – Examples of difficult cases or problems
• “That’s how!” – Best practice models to solve typical problems, suitable for “newbies” to the Welcome Centre business too
• “Pass it on!” – Information on topics which might interest others (websites, potential cooperation partners, legal loopholes, publications etc.)
• “Scandalous!” – Grave problems with departments, administrative bodies, and authorities
• “Odd!” – An amusing story from your everyday Welcome Centre work  

All contributions are available here.

As a consequence, the participants looked beyond the Welcome Centre’s own nose yet without losing sight of their own field of expertise. The result was an interesting mix of practical problems, theoretical challenges, and suggestions for concrete solutions:
 

• Intercultural Training for International Researchers in Germany
  Stephanie Kaplinowski (Ruhr University, Bochum) | Dr. Iris Wangermann (Intercultural Trainer, Cologne) | Thorsten Parchent (University of Bayreuth) | Victoria Busch (University of Cologne)
• Career Support for International Researchers
  Dr. Petra Roth (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) | Lisa Hübner (University of Cologne) | Dr. Johannes Müller (University of Cologne)
• Internationalization of Research Careers
  Dr. Céline Hönl/Dr. Juliane Schmid (Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences) University of Cologne + Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) | Dr. Pamela Hartmann (University of Cologne)
• IT and Databases in the Welcome Centre
  Kirsten Sonnenschein (University of Tübingen) | Carolin Wall (EDP specialist, University of Cologne) | Friederike Heuck (University of Cologne)
• The HRS4R Process. Field Reports
  Elena Martins (Cologne University of Applied Sciences) | Elke Karrenberg (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) | Dr. Pamela Hartmann (University of Cologne) 

The European Commission is calling for research institutions to formulate a “Human Resources Strategy for Researchers” (HRS4R). There are meanwhile clear signals from the European Commission that the HRS4R logo awarded by the European Commission after assessment will increase in importance with regard to EU project proposals and even become mandatory. The University of Cologne began work in April on the development of a Human Resources Strategy for Researchers. Cologne University of Applied Sciences is one of the first institutions in Germany which has already been awarded the logo. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz received the logo in the spring of 2016. More information can be found here.

• Identification and Integration of Scholars at Risk
  Prof. Catharine Stimpson (New York University/SAR), | Nadine Dreyer (University of Göttingen) | Dr. Johannes Müller (University of Cologne)
• From Welcome Centre to Career Network in Support of Research: Researcher Alumni and their Contribution to Internationalization
  Christin Wannagat (RWTH Aachen University) | Frank Hasenstab (University of Cologne)