BIOME - Soft Skills
Soft Skill Workshop Attendance Sheet
Candidates at the Faculty of Biology (Dr. rer. nat.) have to attend a minimum of 3 workshops in 3 years. MD candidates at the Faculty of Medicine should attend a minimum of 2 workshops during the BIOME year.
Workshops organised by BIOME have an attendance list which should be signed and then the participation is noted in the BIOME data bank. Attendance at non-BIOME workshops can be noted on and countersigned by the trainer on the Workshop Attendance Sheet which can be downloaded below or can be proved by the submission of a certificate issued by the hosting organisation.
The soft skill requirement is waivered for ELAN candidates (who receive similar training in modules 1, 3 and 4 of the ELAN programme). Similarly, participation in the intensive one-year DiMento programme fulfils the BIOME soft skill requirement entirely. Nevertheless, these members are welcome to register for any workshops of interest they may wish to attend.
Soft Skill Workshop Attendance SheetRuhr University Collaborations
Soft Skill Programmes - Overview
Ongoing Graduate Center Plus
The soft skill programme at the University of Duisburg-Essen is provided by the Graduate Center Plus. For regular feeds about soft skill courses, please subscribe to the GC Plus mailing list!
Ongoing Research Academy Ruhr
The Research Academy Ruhr pools and develops qualification and support offers for advanced master students, doctoral researchers and postdoctoral researchers within the University Alliance Ruhr.
Ongoing RUB Research School
Further courses of interest may also be found in collaboration with the Ruhr University Bochum. To register for RUB workshops, please contact Dr. Ursula Justus.
Current Workshops of Interest
Selected Choice
Ongoing(Home) Training Days
Within the (Home) Training Days series, GC Plus offers compact online workshops for doctoral researchers of all disciplines at the UDE. These workshops allow you to further develop your personal and academic skills either through face-to-face coaching or remotely.
Host: GC Plus
Venue: Varies between in-person or online training
Language: English or German (as indicated by the workshops' titles)
Registration: Via GCPlus website. Begins three weeks before the workshop date and runs for seven days.
| Date | Time | (Home) Training Days Workshop |
| 18-19.02.2026 | 09:00-13:00 |
Storytelling für Wissenschaftler:innen (Online) |
| 10-11.03.2026 | 09:00-12:30 | KI und kompetente Autorenschaft im wissenschaftlichen Schreiben (Online) |
24–26.03.2026RAR Frühjahrsakademie 2026
Save the date! Are you thinking about doing a doctorate or are you at the beginning of your PhD? In info sessions, you will learn how doctorates usually work and whether a doctorate is the right thing for you. Short workshops will support you in the starting phase. The opening event is in German, workshops will be held in German and English (see programme link below for details).
Host: Research Academy Ruhr (RAR)
Venue: UDE Campus Essen, Building S06 (Universitätsstr. 2, 45141 Essen) & digital (hybrid)
Registration: Via RAR website
Registration closes: 06.03.2026
This is 2026's progamme:
OngoingResearch Data Management (RDM) Training
Host: University Alliance Ruhr
The RDM Curriculum of the University Alliance Ruhr offers a wide range of regular basic training courses for various disciplines and target groups as well as advanced courses in English and German. For participating in a basic training course and two advanced training courses you will receive the RDM Badge.
OngoingCounselling and Individual Coaching
Host: Graduate Center Plus
Individual support during your doctorate. We will support you during all stages of your doctorate with interdisciplinary counselling and coaching. Do you face a challenge in your career planning or have questions about pursuing a PhD? Make an appointment with us! We offer individual advice according to your needs: on-site, by telephone, or via Zoom in German or English.
Counselling and coaching – what’s the difference? Our counselling services provide you with information that is crucial for your individual planning before or during your doctoral studies, e.g., on how to find a supervisor or how to finance your doctorate. In addition, our coaching opens up a complementary space for self-reflection. Professional guidance will help you look at personal challenges and questions, e.g., Do I want to stay in academia after my PhD? How can I deal with pressure and multiple expectations? How can I resolve conflicts?
GC Plus Counselling Offers:
- Individual advice on all questions regarding the doctoral process
- Career counselling for female early career researchers
GC Plus Couching Offers:
- Together - Peer group coaching for (international) doctoral researchers
- Coaching Hour
- Coaching on competence development, competence profile, and career planning
OngoingYoung Entrepreneurs in Science
The aim of this programme is to open up new career and development perspectives for highly qualified scientists during or shortly after their doctorate. Through design, thinking, and interdisciplinary teamwork, the participants are encouraged to discover their existing skills and potential. Personal contact with founders and intrapreneurs from innovation-oriented companies also enables a practical examination of the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurial thinking doesn't start with the business plan. The approach is rather playful: "How much start-up is in your doctoral thesis?"
Format: Online workshops
Further Recommended Training Programmes
01-12.2026 DiMento for BIOME Doctorates
This collaboration project with UDE’s Career Service (ABZ) is aimed at all doctorates who wish to pursue a career in the German industry after their PhD. The one-year programme is open to both genders, with a focus on candidates with a diversity background.
Language: German (C1 or higher)
Venue: Universitätscampus Duisburg
Registration deadline: 31.10.2025
Contact: mechthild.budde@uni-due.de
2026 UME's Training Programme
Seminars within the categories 1, 3, 4 and 5 (specifically management and communication skills) of the further training programme at the Universitätsmedizin Essen are considered to be equivalent to other soft-skill workshops.
Ongoing UDE's Career Service (ABZ)
Some of the wide-ranging workshops offered by UDE's Career Service may be of great interest and use to BIOME members. For regular feeds about these workshops, please subscribe to the Career Service's mailing list!
Ongoing Recommended Online Tutorials
The following online courses have been recommended by fellow BIOME members:
Biostatistics/Data Analysis
Writing in the Sciences
Focus on Peer Review
Elsevier Researcher Academy
Recommended article:
A Gentle Introduction to the p-Value (English)
Eine sanfte Einführung in den p-Wert (German)
Survival Language Courses
Ongoing German for Guest Scientists/Visiting Researchers
German language (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) courses at different levels are offered to guest scientists and visiting researchers by the University of Duisburg-Essen's Institute for Optional Studies.
Contact and Registration: sprachkurse@uni-due.de
Ongoing German for International Medical Doctors
The Universitätsklinikum Essen offers a German course tailored to meet the needs of local international medical doctors. Aspects covered in this language course include:
- Conversations with patients
- Medical German for doctors
- Themes and contents considered relevant by the participants in their professional day-to-day lives.
Ongoing University-Level English
The UDE PE programme provides university employees with the opportunity of attending English language courses to apply and improve their existing English language skills. The aim here is to acquire the foreign language at a higher level. The three levels of the individual courses (A2 to C1) correlate to those of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
Contact: claudia.hobe@uni-due.de or fortbildungsteam@uni-due.de