Junior Research Retreats
The Junior Research Retreats program provides our PhD students and Postdocs with the opportunity to organize a scientific collaborative meeting of young mathematicians.
Collaboration and networking are an important part of mathematical research, and young mathematicians are encouraged to organize and foster their own collaborations and networks. The Junior Research Retreat Program is an initiative supporting research events organized by early-career researchers for early-career researchers. Groups of PhD students and postdocs come together for scientific meetings that focus on establishing and growing their own collaborations and networks. At the core of this program is the idea that junior researchers benefit educationally and professionally if they plan, organize and lead these events fully autonomously: The organizers decide on the scientific program as well as plan additional activities to encourage a social atmosphere that is conducive to academic exchange. At least 50% of the participants come from outside of the University of Bonn. Together with a good mixture between PhD students and postdocs this encourages new collaborations.
Application
To submit an application fill out the application form and attach the required materials.
Junior Research Retreats FAQs
Groups of BIGS Mathematics doctoral students and/or Postdocs interested in organizing a collaborative event for junior researchers.
HCM can support events of different kinds that focus on actively engaging with mathematical work by junior researchers.
Events should be approx. 5 days long, or a connected series of shorter events within a year that ammount to the same time commitment. They should be organized at at location of the organizers choosing within a suitable travel distance from Bonn.
The participants shouls be mostly doctoral students and Postdocs, of which at least 50% should come from outside of Bonn.
The program is not designed to fund events that mostly feature lectures or talks by senior researchers, or events that have been largely planned by senior researchers.
The maximum funding amount for an event is 20 000 Euros. You can receive funding for:
- accommodation, meals, meeting rooms and simple technical equipment (internet, projector etc.) at a modest seminar house or conference venue of your choice outside of Bonn
- travel reimbursement for individual participants who do not have access to travel funds from their own institution
- costs for accompanying small children and child care
The cost of meals can only be covered if it is part of an accommodation and meals package from the workshop/event venue. Organizers should attempt to negotiate a package price for accommodation, meals, meeting room and technical equipment.
Travel costs should be covered by each participant individually. Only if you are planning to include participants that do not have any access to travel funds, you can include these costs in your budget.
If you are planning to apply for costs associated with accompanying children and child care expenses, you are encouraged to talk to the program coordinator before you apply. Child care has to be arranged by the organizers.
We cannot cover costs for social events.
Like every public institution in Germany, there are lots of financial rules that need to be kept in mind when making bookings, arrangement and later payments during the organization of an event. Please, feel free to reach out if you need assistance with these matters.
Before you apply you should discuss your plans with the program coordinator. Applications can be submitted via the application form on this website.
Decisions in the Junior Research Retreats Program are made by the Board of Directors of the HCM at their monthly meeting during the semester. Decisions will be communicated to the applicants within one week after the meeting.
We are here to help you! You are not only welcome but strongly encouraged to come and talk about your plans and the practical questions with the JRR program coordinator. She can help you formulate a good plan and develop a good structure for your event, settle on a suitable venue, prepare a realistic budget and improve your application.
We advise you to organize your event at a place that is congenial to intensive collaborative work and makes networking and socializing easy. Small modest hostels in rural areas around Bonn, and hostels in nearby cities with easy train access have proven to be suitable locations. You should definitely aim for places that provide packages that include meals or allow for self-cartering.
Your JRR event should clearly focus on research from junior researchers and on presentations and discussions between junior researchers. You may invite individual senior researchs to participate in your event as mentors and as a source of feedback, but presentations or talks by senior researchers should only make up a small proportion of your program if any.
Learning from senior researchers is at the core of other HCM activities, such as the HSM Schools.
You are strongly encouraged to organize social activities during your JRR event. Hikes or joint sporting events have proven to greatly benefit the atmosphere at a JRR: Unfortunately, our funding rules do not allow us to cover the costs associacted with social activities, so you will need to ask participants to cover these expenses themselves.
Contact
Dr. Magdalena Balcerak Jackson