Transfer and cooperation with practitioners have also become increasingly important in science. Against this background, there is a growing demand for you as a scientist to actively participate in transfer processes and engage in dialogue with society.

A prerequisite for successful transfer processes is dialogue on an equal footing and a trusting exchange between science and (educational) practice. This is the only way for both sides to benefit: in practice, scientific findings can contribute to solving relevant problems, and as a scientist, you are supported by the dialogue with practice in reflecting on your own research and identifying practice-relevant problems and questions.

The certificate program offers you as a scientist space to engage with the increasing importance of transfer processes in science and for your owm scientific career, and provides you with the foundations for a dialogical and partnership-based exchange with actors from society, which you can apply directly in practice by carring out a transfer activity.

Participation requirements:

• a position at the University of Tübingen or an institution which is member of the Tübingen Research Campus for the duration of the certificate program
• or an association with the University of Tübingen through a scholarship
• (doctoral candidates should be associated with the University of Tübingen through a position, a scholarship or enrollment as a doctoral candidate during the period of the certificate program)
• registration in the ILIAS portal of the Graduate Academy
• a connection to or a recognizable interest in transfer and educational processes, school students and schools.

The application includes:

• the completed registration form
• a short letter of motivation (300-500 words) explaining why you want to participate in the program, your connection to or interest in transfer and educational processes and working with students and schools (e.g. why participation is beneficial for your further career path, what skills you want to develop, etc.)
• a short CV in tabular form
• for doctoral students: a letter of support from your supervisor confirming that participation in the certificate program will not hinder your doctoral studies and that she/he supports your participation.

Up to 12 people can be accepted into the program per year.
Participants are selected by a selection committee.

The application phase for 2025 has already closed. Applications for 2026 will be accepted starting in June 2026. Further information will be available on this page in the near future.

The certificate program includes basic workshops on designing and implementing transfer activities, coaching on how to prepare your own research topic for school students, and conducting 2-3 school events in which your own research topic is explored and discussed with students. The school events are reflected upon in peer coaching sessions and a workshop.

To obtain the certificate, you must attend all workshops and prepare and carry out 2-3 school events.

Overview of the certificate program:

• basic workshop on transfer between science and educational practice (2 x 4.5 hours)
• basic workshop on didactics and methodology (2 x 2 hours)
• introductory workshop on peer coaching (1 x 4 hours) and peer coaching in tandems (approx. 4 x 1 hour)
• preparation and implementation of 2-3 school events of 1.5 hours each
• reflection workshop (1 x 4 hours)

Further information on the individual workshops and formats can be found in the separate drop-down fields below.

All courses are held in person.

The program language is German.

The certificate program should be completed within one calendar year.

This course introduces classic transfer concepts and formats as well as designing transfer and communication activities tailored to the target audience. You will reflect on the rhetorical dimensions and significance of transfer activities in science and for your personal development and career. Furthermore, you will be guided in preparing and conducting a specific transfer activity.

 Topics:

• information on the certificate program and the school events
• overview of common transfer concepts and formats in education
• practical experience in addressing specific target audiences and rhetorical communication strategies
• reflection on the significance of transfer activities in and for science and their relevance for your personal skills development and your personal career opportunities
• introduction to the design and implementation of transfer activities in educational practice
• Guided preparation of school events

Dates for 2025/26:

• Thursday, November 13, 2025, 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (in person)
• Thursday, February 5, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (in person)

Instructor: Dr. Markus Gottschling (Research Center for Science Communication, RCS)

 The course is only open to participants in the certificate program.

The course offers an introduction to didactic-methodical basics, which you can use specifically for the preparation of your school events.

Topics:

• basics of active knowledge transfer
• didactic-methodical planning of learning processes with the AVIVA model
• preparation of the school event

Dates for 2025/26:

• Friday, November 14, 2025, 2:00–4:00 p.m. (in person)
• Friday, February 6, 2026, 2:00–4:00 p.m. (in person)

Instructors: Dr. Nicole Hermannsdörfer and Mihaela Pommerening (both Center for Teaching and Learning), Eva Erdmann-Schwarze (Center for School Quality and Teacher Education Baden-Wuerttemberg Regional Office Tübingen)

The Course is only open to participants in the certificate program.

During the workshop, you will receive an introduction to peer coaching and learn how to apply it with a tandem partner when preparing and conducting your school event.

Topics:

• introduction to peer coaching
• further topics: communication, feedback, dealing with expectations, basis of trust
• development of a framework for your own peer coaching in a tandem

Additionally, peer coaching in a tandem:

• implementation of peer coaching sessions in tandems during the preparation and implementation of the school events (guideline: 4 sessions of about 1 hour each)

Dates for 2025/26:

• Friday, January 23, 2026, 9:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. (in person)

Instructor: Martin Maier (independent trainer and coach)

The course is only open to participants in the certificate program.

Part of the certificate program is the specific preparation and implementaion of a transfer activity with students in schools as part of Science Inspires.

On the basis of the preparatory workshops, you will prepare a (self-chosen) research topic in a way that is both illustrative and oriented towards the target audience, in order to work on and discuss it with a class of students in schools.

The aim is to foster a dialogic and cooperative exchange on equal terms. On the one hand, students should gain insights into current scientific issues, topics, and working methods. On the other hand, the exchange should help you as a scientist to gain practical impulses for your own scientific work.

The school events are aimed at a class of high school students in the upper secondary school (grades 10-12 or 13) and usually last 90 minutes. As part of the certificate program, you should conduct 2-3 school events at different schools. The dates can be set individually.

In this course, the school events that have already taken place and the learning process of the participants during the certificate program are both reflected. The aim is to develop constructive suggestions for adapting your own content for the further school events and to discuss possibilities for integrating transfer activities into your own work routine.

Topics:

• reflection of the school event
• reflection of one's own learning process within the certificate program
• integration of transfer activities into everyday scientific work

Dates for 2025/26:

• Friday, June 12, 2026, 1:00—5:00 p.m. (in person)

Instructor: Martin Maier (independent trainer and coach), Eva Erdmann-Schwarze (Center for School Quality and Teacher Education Baden-Wuerttemberg Regional Office Tübingen)

The course is only open to participants in the certificate program.