Statement of the undersigned professional societies on the draft bill of the WissZeitVG amendment
Fourteen professional societies in the field of natural and life sciences, under the leadership of the Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie e.V. (GBM), have drafted a statement on the draft bill of the amendment to the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Temporary Scientific Contracts), which has also been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The discussion about the amendment of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG) has been intense and controversial in recent months. In the meantime, the BMBF has presented a further concretization of the amendment in the form of the draft bill dated June 6, 2023. This draft reform provides for a limitation of the duration of the R1 phase (doctorate) to six years and of the R2 phase (postdoc) to four years. In addition, a possible R3 phase would allow for two additional years of temporary employment with binding target agreements for transition to a permanent position if the six years available for the doctoral phase have not been exhausted.
In the field of natural and life sciences as well as in biomedicine, such a temporal arrangement of the R1 and R2 qualification phases (PhD and postdoc) would give PhDs the opportunity to develop first project successes in the form of data sets, publications and independently acquired research funds or to develop an expert profile for career goals besides the professorship (e.g. in industry or in the academic middle class). However, we share the concern of the Alliance of Science Organizations that a limitation of the postdoc phase to 4 years would lead to an exodus of scientists abroad and to a dramatic loss of the quality of research in the natural and life sciences and in biomedicine in Germany.
The undersigned professional societies continue to hold the view that the proposed possible time limit of the R3 phase of two years on the career path to professorship is clearly too short, and endorse the call of the Alliance of Science Organizations (see statement of 16.06.2023) for a flexible time limit framework of the R3 phase of up to six years. This is the only way to enable the scientific profile development required for an appointment to a professorship or comparable positions, including independent publications, third-party funding and teaching participation. At the same time, it prevents senior positions in science in Germany from being filled only by scientists (returning) from abroad due to the unlimited qualification phases abroad.
In addition, we consider the planned minimum contract period of one year for study-accompanying employees (HiWis) to be inappropriate due to often significantly shorter teaching formats such as block internships and semester courses, and we also advocate here for more practicable and flexible framework conditions that benefit students and teachers alike.
Finally, we again point out that the intended amendment of the WissZeitVG will not create more permanent positions. This can only be achieved through a significant increase in permanent funding for the basic financing of universities and non-university institutions.
Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (GBM)
Anatomische Gesellschaft (AG)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Experimentelle und Klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie (DGPT)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Extrazelluläre Vesikel (GSEV)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Psychologie (DGMP)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie (DGZ)
Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft (DPhG)
Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft (DPG)
Gesellschaft für Entwicklungsbiologie (GfE)
Gesellschaft für Genetik (GfG)
Gesellschaft für Mikroskopie und Bildanalyse (GerBI-GMB)
Gesellschaft für Signaltransduktion/Signal Transduction Society (STS)
Gesellschaft für Virologie (GfV)
Neurowissenschaftliche Gesellschaft (NWG)
Media contact:
Prof. Dr. Volker Haucke
Präsident der Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie e.V.
https://gbm-online.de
haucke@fmp-berlin.de
Tel. +49 (0) 30 947 93 100
About the GBM
The German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) is the largest bioscientific professional society in Germany. Externally, it offers its approximately 5,000 members from universities, research institutes and industry a strong representation of interests vis-à-vis politics, industry and the public, as well as opportunities for international cooperation. Internally, the GBM opens up numerous opportunities for networking and the promotion of scientific careers.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Dr. Volker Haucke
Präsident der Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie e.V.
https://gbm-online.de
haucke@fmp-berlin.de
Tel. +49 (0) 30 947 93 100
Weitere Informationen:
http://gbm-online.de Homepage of the GBM
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