Young Female Scientists Go Future! (YouGoFuture!)

As part of the joint federal and regional funding programme to promote early career researchers (WISNA), 1000 tenure-track professorships will be created in German universities and equivalent institutions by 2032. In addition to the traditional routes (junior professorship, habilitation or junior research group leader, these tenure-track appointments offer early career researchers an additional pathway to full tenure. The tenure-track pathway makes it easier for researchers to plan their academic careers as it offers a clearly defined route to full tenure that depends solely on the results of the tenure evaluation conducted at the end of the fixed tenure-track period. Thanks to this clearly defined structure, early career researchers gain certainty at an earlier stage about whether or not they have a permanent future in the higher education system .

Saarland University's Gender Equality Office developed its Young Female Scientists Go Future (YouGoFuture) programme in order to support female researchers whose goal is a full university professorship.

The aim of the YouGoFuture programme is to encourage and support women holding a tenure-track professorship at Saarland University by providing coaching, peer mentoring, networking and professional development opportunities. The programme comprises modules that focus on the skills, responsibilities and requirements associated with a full university professorship. Participants acquire a solid grounding and a broad understanding of the day-to-day activities and demands of a full professorial position. The programme also offers regular peer mentoring sessions in which participants can network with their peers, sharing their knowledge and experience.

By taking individual requirements and career histories into account right from the start, the YouGoFuture programme aims to provide tailored support and guidance that prepares early career researchers for the challenges that await them in a future professorial role. The Gender Equality Office compiles questionnaires that aim to identify and understand the individual requirements and preferences of female academics working towards a full professorial position.

Needs assessment and needs monitoring are also an integral part of the peer mentoring sessions.

Programme modules

The YouGoFuture programme comprises four modules, each of which is focused on a different theme. The modules use a variety of teaching and learning formats with each taking between two and three semesters to complete. The modules cover and develop the different skills and tools that a tenured university professor needs to perform their roles as a researcher, academic teacher and team leader. As the modules are all independent of each other, women academics on the tenure track can join the YouGoFuture programme at any time.