FEM*Lights

The more than five-year funding phase of the Female Professors Program III at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) came to an end with the major closing event ‘FEM*Lights’ on 25 June 2026. This funding programme has left a lasting mark on our university.

• The proportion of female professors rose from 21 to 31 per cent.
• 32 STEM scholarships for women were awarded.
• A data-driven gender monitoring system was established.
• Mentoring, networking and career programmes were developed and proved effective.
• Female researchers at BTU gained greater visibility both nationally and internationally.

As part of the programme, a wide range of individual and structural support measures were planned and successfully implemented. These included, amongst other things, raising the profile of female role models, promoting a culture of debate and participation in committees, supporting the next generation of STEM researchers, and building women’s networks.

Looking back, interested parties from the BTU and the wider region can now revisit a large proportion of the project’s activities in a one-month poster exhibition, illustrated with figures, results, photos and exemplary testimonials. Seventeen large-format posters highlight remarkable women at the BTU and demonstrate the extent to which the Female Professors Program has supported them on their academic journeys.

The exhibition is open throughout August during our opening hours.