Any questions about the program or the application process? Join our online Q&A on December, 12th at 12:30 pm

Program Overview: Are you in academia and wondering about your future? Do you want to realize your own ideas, take on responsibility and aspire to a leadership role?

The Startup:Yourself – Leadership Talent Academy (LTA) helps you to find out whether you are a leader and provides you with valuable qualifications for a future leadership role in science, industry or as an entrepreneur. In workshops and individual coaching sessions, the LTA program focuses on personal strengths, people and leadership skills. We award 20 scholarships supported by the Karl Schlecht Stiftung (KSG). After successful completion, each participant will receive a certificate. 

Setup: The program consists of 3 modules, each lasting 3 days (Friday, 3pm to Sunday, 5pm) over a period of 3 months. In addition to intensive workshops, you are entitled to up to 5 hours of individual coaching sessions with external trainers and coaches and up 3 hours of coaching/consulting with the Startup Center team. The workshop language is English.

Target group: Academic members with a master’s degree or higher and alumni (up to 5 years) of the university and members of associated institutions (e.g. MPI Tübingen) with leadership potential and an inner drive and passion to make bold changes. 

Offsite location: The first and second modules take place offsite, away from your everyday life, so that you can focus solely on your personal journey. Be aware that the scholarships include all costs except a contribution towards the expenses of accommodation.

Apply now!

3 months – 3 modules – 3 days each

There will be one-on-one coaching sessions throughout the program. 

Kickoff at the Startup Center: Wednesday, March 11th 2026

Self-Leadership & Purpose 
Develop a deeper understanding of your personal strengths, values, and intrinsic motivations – whether you envision a career in academia, industry or as an entrepreneur. This module guides you in defining your 
individual purpose as the foundation for good leadership. You will also receive an introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Inner Development Goals (IDGs), exploring how personal growth connects to global responsibility and impact.

People Leadership & Conflict Management
After focusing on self-leadership, this module shifts to leading others – and here, communication is key. Whether as an entrepreneur or as a leading researcher, you have to learn how to build trust within your team and create a culture of collaboration and respect. This module focuses on leading at eye-level, strengthening your interpersonal skills, and helping you navigate team dynamics. You will practice conducting difficult conversations with confidence, as well as giving and receiving constructive feedback to foster healthy and productive teamwork.

Innovation & Leading in times of Change
Productive teamwork is necessary to foster a culture of innovation. You will gain hands-on experience with the design thinking method to quickly develop creative solutions in a volatile and complex world. This session focuses on understanding change and leading with clarity, empathy, and effective communication. You will also explore the difference between fixed and growth mindsets and you will practice shifting from one to another. 
 

Prospective participants in Batch#5, 2026 are invited to submit their applications until January 31st the latest. There are two steps necessary: 

1.) Fill out the application form which you will find in the link below before January 31st, 2026. 
2.) Submit a selfie video: The video should introduce you as a person and your motivation to participate in the LTA program by anwering the following questions: In which stage of your career are you? What is your biggest challenge at the moment? Why are you applying for the program?

• Duration of the video: 90 seconds max.
• Language: English
• Format: mp4
• File name: LTA5-FirstName_LastName.mp4

Please send the .mp4 file via SwissTransfer (or other file sharing programs) to gruenden@uni-tuebingen.de by January 31st, 2026 at the latest.

Following this, selected candidates will undergo a comprehensive application interview, which will be conducted in the course of January and February 2026. We will inform you by end of February at the latest whether you have been accepted into the program.

All participants agree to fully participate in all events and workshops on-site. To fully engage with the program, we expect clearing your calendar during these days to give yourself space and energy to focus on the LTA program. 

Costs: The scholarship includes all costs, except for a personal contribution of 445,00 Euro towards the expenses for accommodation. 

Apply now!

If you want to know more about the LTA, please check out the following links:

• Report and photos from previous batches
• Article about the program (in German) 

Questions? Feel free to contact us at: gruendenspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de