"Researchers have optimal location conditions at the TU Ilmenau".

Hello Prof. Sinzinger, the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers's seal of approval for fair and transparent appointment negotiations positively highlights a number of factors in recruitment procedures at the TU Ilmenau. Why is the university in such a good position when it comes to appointing new professors?

Here, the efforts of the Presidential Board are bearing fruit to structure the process of appointment procedures more clearly and transparently overall and, in particular, to devote more attention to supporting and accompanying new professors. These activities have also gained momentum in particular through the university's participation in the federal-state program for the promotion of young scientists, in which the TU Ilmenau is currently receiving funding for nine junior professorships with tenure track.

What is the classic path of an appointment - from the job advertisement to the first days in the office?

It's a long process that is important for the development of the university and, of course, for the applicants, and it takes at least a year, even without major delays. At the university, the process begins even before the advertisement with the discussion on the strategic professional orientation of the advertisement for the position within the faculty and between the President's Office and the faculty concerned. After a mostly international call for applications, the applications are reviewed and evaluated by the appointment committee, which always includes external professional colleagues. Suitable applicants are invited to present themselves to the university with a scientific lecture and a teaching sample. The second part of the presentation is a detailed interview with the appointment committee to get to know each other, in which the professional and personal suitability of the applicants is questioned. Following the interviews, a list of suitable applicants is drawn up for which expert opinions are obtained from external peers. After the Appointment Committee, after evaluating the expert opinions and all impressions from the interviews, has agreed on a list of generally three suitable candidates, this decision must go through the university committees. It is then up to the president to conduct negotiations with the candidates on the basis of the prioritized list and to bring the process to a successful conclusion by issuing the call and accepting the call.

Above all, the DHV praised the comprehensive support services at TU Ilmenau, including the university's Graduate Center. What does it offer young researchers?

Together with the Division of Human Resources and Law, the Graduate Center acts as a link between the new professors and doctoral candidates and the TU Ilmenau. They are integrated into the university from day one - an important aspect. At the Graduate Center, they are also offered comprehensive continuing education courses in all directions, tailored to each individual. These include, for example, coaching and mentoring programs, courses on personality development and soft skills, but also on administration and organization. Young professors in particular, who are heading a department for the first time, managing employees and bearing financial responsibility, must first familiarize themselves with new tasks. We support them in this process.

Holders of tenure-track professorships in particular benefit from the Federal-Länder Program for the Promotion of Young Scientists, through which we respond to their individual requests and needs and provide them with appropriate support.

As you mentioned, several tenure-track professorships have been filled at TU Ilmenau in recent years. At TU Ilmenau in particular, the holders of these professorships have very good chances of obtaining permanent employment as professors.

Currently, we have filled 20 percent of the new professorships with tenure-track. We develop and agree individual performance agreements with the tenure-track professors. These goals are monitored, for example, in quarterly status meetings and can also be readjusted if necessary. The professorship holders have received this very gratefully, because the criteria against which they are measured have been clearly defined in this way. They know what the university expects of them and are supported in this: With this start-up support, we offer optimal conditions for the so-called on-boarding, the integration into the TU Ilmenau.

The TU Ilmenau also scores points in the compatibility of career and family. The campus family office offers counseling services, there are midwife consultation hours, a parent café and daycare places on campus. School vacations, for example, are also taken into account in the times of committee meetings. Why are offerings like these so crucial to professional success, especially for scientists?

The new colleagues we are trying to attract are not only in the middle of their lives professionally, but also privately. They are often in the process of starting their families or already have small children. Their career decision depends enormously on whether the family can be happy in Ilmenau.

At the TU Ilmenau we have optimal location conditions. We also want to provide more support for dual-career couples. We are always approachable and support, within the scope of our possibilities, the job search of the life partners of academics.

In addition to a guaranteed basic salary, the TU Ilmenau offers professors an unlimited, pensionable and dynamic performance-related salary. What is required for this?

The performance bonuses are based on the normal salary development and continue to develop. Scientists receive them for successes in research or a high level of commitment to teaching - in other words, for special achievements that stand out from the average. This includes, for example, outstanding publication achievements such as being cited in a renowned journal or a large number of publications, awards or successful third-party funding. These bonuses also make us a bit more competitive with industry salaries.

Finally, why should scientists choose TU Ilmenau?

We offer an outstanding infrastructure for scientific work, including technological centers such as the Centre of Micro- and Nanotechnologies or the new Ilmenau Interactive Immersive Technologies Center (I3TC). In teaching, we maintain a family-like personal relationship with the students, who are involved in research at an early stage. The central location in Germany, the short distances but also the beautiful surroundings in the Thuringian Forest is simply ideal for families, I say that from my own experience.

Background to the DHV seal

With the seal of approval, the DHV honors fairness, appreciation, transparency and reliability in appointment and retention negotiations. For this purpose, the DHV conducted interviews with seven professors who had recently conducted appointment or salary negotiations at the TU Ilmenau. In the evaluation, the association took into account both the time before the call was granted and after the call was granted, as well as the first 100 days on the job. The professors surveyed gave an above-average rating of 1.3 for the good negotiating atmosphere and the positive discussion atmosphere on the part of the university management. Likewise, the fair basic attitude and appreciative communication, the design of the equipment and salary offers, short distances of the university and the daycare situation in Ilmenau were praised.