Science Minister Münch welcomes university's success in the Federal and State Professors Program III

The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) has been awarded the title 'Equality: Excellent!' in the context of the Female Professors Program III. This means that the concept for personnel development and recruitment developed by the university is one of the ten best among the participating universities in Germany. Science Minister Martina Münch congratulates the BTU on this success: "The award shows that the BTU is on the right track in terms of equality. The promotion of women in science remains an important issue. The aim is to provide highly qualified female scientists with the best prospects and good career paths. This is an important contribution both to equal opportunities and to attracting excellent scientific specialists. I am therefore pleased that the BTU in particular, as a technical university, is working intensively on this and wish it every success for the next step in the competition in the female professor program."

The BTU received the rating 'Equality: Excellent!' as part of the application process for the Female Professors Program III, in which the BTU participated in the second submission deadline. The BTU is thus one of the ten best universities whose concept for personnel development and recruitment on the path to professorship was rated as excellent. The university can now apply for funding for up to four professorships in the further competition process.

The Female Professors Program was launched by the German federal and state governments in 2007 to support women in their academic careers and increase the proportion of professorships at German universities. In several phases and rounds of calls for proposals, it has been possible to sustainably improve equal opportunities in the science system. The Female Professors Program is a key instrument for promoting gender equality in universities.The Joint Science Conference decided in 2017 to continue the Female Professors Program until 2022. In the third program phase from 2018 to 2022, the federal and state governments will provide a total of 200 million euros for the program.

This Gender Equality Plan contains documentation of the equality concepts of the former BTU Cottbus and the former Lausitz University of Applied Sciences (FH) that were successful in Professorinnenprogramm I, as well as the application for funding under Professorinnenprogramm II. It was noted with approval in March 2014 by the university management and the conference of deans, as well as by the founding senate. The review by the external body revealed that the submitted concept did not fully meet the requirements.

For the second round of the female professors program, 45 universities have achieved a positive review of their equal opportunities concept. 60 universities from the old and new federal states submitted their concepts for this second call. One third of the universities that did not receive a positive evaluation in the first round reapplied for the second call. The majority, namely 70 percent, were successful. The program, which was jointly adopted by the federal and state governments in 2007, creates sustainable gender equality structures at universities and increases the proportion of women in top positions in the science system. Universities with positively evaluated equality concepts can apply for funding for up to three female professorships each for a maximum period of five years.

"We cannot afford to do without outstandingly qualified female scientists. That is why we must offer them attractive prospects. Our science system can only remain competitive internationally if equal opportunities are also consistently implemented at universities. That is why I am particularly pleased with the positive response to the female professors program: On the one hand, we are supporting outstanding female researchers and, on the other, we are establishing structures at universities that strengthen equal opportunities," said Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan in Berlin on Friday.

As in the first round, an independent review panel with renowned representatives from science, research and university management evaluated the equality concepts. The panel was chaired by Prof. Susanne Baer from Humboldt University in Berlin. The successful concepts are convincing due to their binding and sustainable promotion of equal opportunities. Universities that consistently pursue equal opportunities in their internal university quality management can now receive start-up funding for female professors and thus open up long-term perspectives for highly qualified female scientists.

The Female Professors Program has had a major impact on structurally strengthening equal opportunities at German universities: for example, just under half of all state-recognized universities in Germany submitted their equal opportunities concepts in the first and second round of reviews.

Source: BMBF Press Release No. 126/2009 of June 5, 2009