• Create the opportunity for early career researchers to experience excellent research in an interdisciplinary and international environment, which includes different levels of academic and scientific education
• Give early career researchers the opportunity to interact with other early career researchers from different educational levels (master to postdoctoral researcher) but of the same research area
•  Provide a challenging interdisciplinary training and soft skill program 
•  Promote the early career researcher’s acquisition of key qualifications and skills for a later career in academia, water industry, or public services through workshops, seminars, mentorship, etc.
• Provide a platform for sharing experiences
• Transfer knowledge between science and practice
• Create a network of different disciplines in water research

As the main goal of the WGS is to promote early career researchers in becoming excellent scientists, the it does not only provide intensive and personalized supervision but also excellent and interdisciplinary scientific training. Additionally, all early career researchers who are part of the WGS participate in the research and training program including the work on their research project as well as joined colloquia and lecture series, summer schools, workshops and seminars. The WGS further acts as the central contact point for all concerns of the participating early career researchers (including conflict management).

The concept can build on numerous existing measures in the individual institutions of the network. The basis for admission into the WGS is the water reference. Master students can also be integrated into the network at an early stage and are able to attend selected WGS events before they can join the WGS as doctoral researchers. In addition to the professional qualification through a so-called "research program" at the individual locations of the network, there is also an overarching "training program" for all early career researchers within the WGS, which consists of both mandatory (including workshops such as "Good Scientific Practice" or "Gender Equality") and voluntary as well as individually adapted offers and workshops. These programs are complemented by the already existing offers of the Graduate Center Plus (GC-Plus), the RUB Research School. and the Research Academy Ruhr (RAR). (for soft/transferable skills). Further, all members of the WGS have access to the curricula of the water-related M. Sc. programs at UDE (for scientific skills) and participate in outreach activities (see Events and activities) to present their work to the public. This bundled and structured program ensures adequate career development until graduating from a doctorate program and beyond during the postdoc.

Individually adapted workshops, lectures and other further training opportunities also across qualification levels, offer optimal opportunities to early career researchers for preparing and developing individual career paths. In addition to professional training and support, individual offers such as health or family support etc. play a major role in the WGS (for more information click here).