The central feature of the GradAB programme is the strong network that links GradAB doctoral students with other GradAB participants, with researchers at the IAB and FAU, with the external scientific community, and with political stakeholders. Doctoral students have the opportunity to attend scientific conferences, go on national and international research visits, or to do an internship at a political or social organisation.
Networking within the IAB
To encourage "internal" networking, all doctoral students are provided with a workplace at the IAB. If no other arrangements have been made, doctoral students are allocated to the research department of their mentor (organisational chart).
A mutual exchange between doctoral students takes place at the monthly GradAB Colloquia. At this forum, which is organised by the doctoral students, participants discuss methodological or theoretical problems in an informal atmosphere, practice presentations, and discuss further issues.
The annual GradAB retreat offers to doctoral students the opportunity for intensive scientific exchange and helps participants to get to know each other better (impressions from the GradAB excursion 2019).
Networking with the scientific community
In order to expand their network with the scientific community, doctoral students are encouraged to participate in national and international academic conferences, where they can discuss their research results with external scientists and receive stimulus from the projects of external researchers. Scholarship holders receive an individual budget for this (currently 1,800 Euros per year).
In addition, doctoral students have the opportunity to participate in research visits at national and international research institutions if these are closely related to the subject of the doctoral thesis. During a research visit, scholarship holders continue to receive their payments, which count as part of the agreed period of financial support. For research stays abroad, scholarship holders can apply for a grant supplement.
The GradAB programme supports research visits between one week and three months, and it provides doctoral students with contacts of its worldwide network of renowned universities as well as research and policy institutions. Previous research stays include visits at the University of California (Berkeley), the University of Michigan, Boston University, the University of Melbourne, London School of Economics, Tilburg University, and at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (Essex).
The GradAB doctoral students organise an annual PhD workshop entitled “Perspectives on (Un-) Employment”, where national and international junior researchers of various disciplines present their work in the field of labour market research. Moreover, junior researchers have the opportunity to make contact with high-rank keynote Speakers (Ph.D. Workshop 2023).
Networking with political stakeholders and with Public Employment Services
The IAB is an independent research institute of the Federal Employment Agency and has the central task of providing scientific-grounded policy advice. The IAB advices policy makers and practitioners, and in particular the public employment services. The GradAB programme offers the opportunity of short-term internships at our partners’ within the labour market administration.
In addition, GradAB doctoral students benefit from existing IAB contacts to ministries at the state and at the national level, and to international organisations, in which doctoral students can be placed for internships between one week and three months. Previous GradAB students completed internships for instance at the ILO or at the OECD.