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Career support in science and knowledge management – mentoring at non-university research organizations in Germany

Fraunhofer-GesellschaftKatharina Sauter

Helmholtz-GemeinschaftDr. Birgit Gaiser

Max-Planck-GesellschaftAnke Hübenthal

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The German Research Landscape

Applied Research

Fundamental Research

predominently institutional predominantly private

Characteristics of Research

Funding

Federal/German Länder Institutes0,9

HGF*2,63

WGL*1,3

Univer-sities9,2

Industry (internal and

external expenditures)

55,41AiF~ 0,25

Fraunhofer* 1,63

MPG*1,662

*overall budget in billion euros

HGF Hermann von Helmholtz-GemeinschaftWGL Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm LeibnizAiF Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller ForschungsvereinigungenMPG Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Source:

Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, Destatis

1 estimation Wissenschaftsstatistik 2008, Stifterverband2 20083 2009

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7 Groups: Information and Communication

Technology Life Sciences Microelectronics Light & Surfaces Production Materials and Components – MATERIALS Defense and Security

60 Institutes

more than 18,000 employees

Budget 2010:1,6 billion Euro

The Profile of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

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CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE IN NETWORKSThe Six Research Fields of the Helmholtz Association

Energy

Earth & Environment

Health

Key Technologies

Structure of Matter

Aeronautics, Spaceand Transport

30,900 Staff10,800 scientists & engineers Budget 2011: 5,320 PhD students 3,3 billion Euro 1,680 vocational trainees

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Max Planck Society at a glance

80 Institutes and other research facilities, four of which are abroad (Italy, Netherlands, USA)

Three sections: Biology and medicine sectionChemistry, physics, and technology sectionHuman sciences section

21.200 jobholders (staff, grantees, and visiting scientists)

Budget 2011: 1,4 billion Euro

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Women in scientific research in the EU

Women in scientific research remain a minority (30% of researchers in the EU)

Women’s academic career remains markedly characterised by strong vertical segregation

On average throughout the EU-27, 13% of institutions in the Higher Education Sector are headed by women and 9% of universities have a female head.

Source: She Figures 2009 (data from 2006)

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13,5%14,7% 15,1% 15,3% 16,1% 16,9% 17,8%

19,1% 19,2% 19,4%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Percentage of Women in the Scientific Staff at Fraunhofer2001 - 2010

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Max Planck Society at a glance

Group Women Men Total % of womenDirectors and scientific members

22 251 273 8,1

MP Research Group Leaders

30 74 104 28,8

Senior Research Scientists (W2)

62 142 204 30,4

Academic staff 1.299 3.739 4.571 28,4Helmholtz at a glance

Female scientific Staff22, 5 %Female managers 17 %

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Fraunhofer-Mentoring-Programm Goals

Fostering career for scientific staffMore women into applied research

MenteesScientific staff of both sexes - 75 % women, 25 % men

MentorsManager at the institute but not the mentee‘sd direct supervisor. If desired, a mentor from a different Fraunhofer institute or from outside Fraunhofer can partner the mentee for one year

Supporting programIntroductory workshop with mentee und mentorsFeedback by questionaire or interview, seminars for menteesClosing session with mentees, evaluation by phone call

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Minerva-FemmeNet

Network for female scientific researchers at Max Planck Society

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Aims and benefits of the programmeAims:

Individual career advancement for female scientists Furthering equal career opportunities for female scientists Increasing the percentage of women in executive and in

mid-level faculty positions

Benefits for the Max Planck Society: Creating a “Corporate identity” Forming a link between alumnae and their former institutes,

establishing an “old girls’” network

Registration: No formal selection process among the applicants Application is possible at any time

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Mentoring at Helmholtz - Figures

30

50

15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

"Taking the lead" Management Academy Young InvestigatorsGroups

Participants

Each year the Helmholtz Association‘s Head Office supervisesapproximately 100 mentoring tandems.

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Taking the lead… Helmholtz mentoring programme for young female managers

Kick off

Orientation

Workshop I

Workshop II

Closing CeremonyM

ento

ring

Indi

vidu

al D

iscu

ssio

ns

Coa

chin

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divi

dual

Ses

sion

s

FrameworkProgram

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Evaluation Interviews with the tandems show that for mostly all mentees and mentors, the

mentoring time is very profitable. Some of the tandems even planned to continue the relationship after the formal

end of the program. Content of discussions: Integration into the institute, professionally relevant

enhancement of skills, acquisition of informal knowledge and rules, strategic career decisions, women in professional fields dominated by men, personal life planning, orientation in a new professional field

For the future evaluation a polished description of the criteria of success of a mentoring relationship has to be worked out.

The careers of the mentees after the end of the mentoring program has to be persued in a systematic way.

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Conclusion The centrally coordinated mentoring programs encourage networking between

individual institutes and centers and considerably strengthen participants identification with the sponsoring organisation

Inter-organizational networks are also forming: The three non-university research organisations are already working closely together on the recruitment of mentors

Joint advisory workshop for mentors with the aim of identifying future opportunities for collaboration will be integrated in the concept.

The opening of some programs to men, can bring mentoring programs out of the „women‘s corner“, but mentoring programs enable women to catch up in the working world.

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Famous Tandems

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Thank you for your attention!!!!!!

Any questions left?

Katharina SauterPersonnel Development