Projects

The overarching aim of the SFB Graduate Program "Translational Neuroscience" is to enable transfer of knowledge between basic and clinical sciences. All of our PhD and MD students shall gain insight into both areas of research by attending an interdisciplinary teaching program including electives in different interacting groups. We also provide a framework for regular advice to the students and individual support wherever techniques or knowledge are lacking. The international and interdisciplinary program accepts students from a wide variety of natural and social sciences as well as medical students. Much of the translational work within SFB 636 is done by junior scientists, mostly MD and/or PhD students. During the current funding period, the graduate program was instrumental in cross-linking different approaches and system levels within the SFB. All students were provided with a common knowledge base allowing them to understand the translational aspects of their own projects and to interact successfully with colleagues from other disciplines. The Graduate Program pursues its goals by offering a compact course (60 hours) in neurosciences which covers a large variety of relevant topics and methods (qualification concept). This core curriculum is taught on a regular basis and covers 4 hours/week (usually on Friday, with social events to follow). This introductory course ends with a written exam, ensuring a common knowledge base for all students. It is important that the program does not distract students from their own research projects. Therefore, the second part of the curriculum is individual, i.e. specifically adapted to the needs of individual students. This is supported by several measures: students have regular meetings with the members of the student advisory board; they can visit German and foreign laboratories, including those in industry, in order to acquire specific techniques; they can invite guest scientists. Most importantly, each student has to choose two special topics (major and minor) for extended studies throughout the PhD or MD course. Students with projects rooted in basic sciences chose a clinical minor and have to visit a clinical unit for an elective. Conversely, students with a clinical focus stay for some time in a laboratory. In-depth education in the major continues with courses of 2 hours/week throughout the entire period of the PhD or MD thesis work. In addition, we offer regular autumn schools focussed on selected topics in translational neuroscience. In order to represent the students' interests and to train their rganizational skills, these courses have been organized by the students themselves (with help of the board members of the Integrated Graduate Program). In addition, students have been offered specific training courses in “soft skills” such as presentation techniques or group work in cooperation with the Graduate Academy of Heidelberg University. The students choose one main laboratory and advisor with whom they are affiliated at the very beginning of the program. In order to foster the idea of translational research we have also encouraged the possibility to split the dissertation work between a basic/preclinical laboratory and a clinical unit. Accepted students thus chose one main laboratory and advisor and two additional advisors who have had regular meetings twice a year with the student and follow the progress of his or her work. We are strongly encouraging first-author publications by the students and allow for a short, cumulative version of the dissertation script after 1 or 2 articles have been accepted (depending on the extent of the work invested) and one additional article has been submitted at the time of the completion of the degree. The Graduate Program is run by a governing board that also involves student representatives. From our experience with the program so far, we found that both the scientists within SFB 636 and the students greatly profit from this structured program in advanced neuroscience teaching. It increases the students´ professional prospects in the growing area of translational neurosciences and it creates a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue within the SFB, thus fostering preclinical-clinical cooperations. In the new funding period we have kept the basic structure of the program but have added additional offers: mentoring can now be done by our international collaborators; there is more career counselling; recruitment efforts for medical students will be intensified; and additional self-organized activities of the students have been included.