Project MGK
Integrated Research Training Group “DECIDE” (IRT DECIDE)
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Prof. Dr. Oliver Karzai
The research framework of the collaborative research centre (CRC) DECIDE has been designed to analyse key decisions in human infection with the primary goal to identify decision points that enable therapeutic intervention. This requires an interdisciplinary approach integrating expertise on host, responses, cutting edge technology and a broad variety of different pathogens. The Integrated Research and Training Group of the CRC (IRTG DECIDE) uses the resulting unique research environment of DECIDE to promote the qualification of a new generation of experts in an interdisciplinary field connecting infection biology, immunology, and advanced in vitro and in vivo technologies.
Building on an existing infrastructure at the University and University Hospital Würzburg, we aim to bring together doctoral researchers and postdocs with different expertise and optimise their qualification both for their current work in DECIDE as well as for the global academic and non-academic job market. IRTG DECIDE will be integrated into existing qualification programmes in the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS) of the University of Würzburg and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF) at the University Hospital. The GSLS provides an established graduate programme with structured courses for acquisition of essential scientific and professional skills and competences of the participants. It serves as an integrative platform for building and growing the scientists’ personal networks and improves career management skills and professionalism of PhD and MD students. At the same time, the IZKF aims to enable young MDs to qualify for clinical research and offers a variety of clinician scientist programmes (prior to medical specialisation) as well as an advanced clinician scientist programme.
By linking DECIDE both to the GSLS and the IZKF, the IRTG will be a major hub for recruiting the best researchers to DECIDE. It will organise and implement appropriate tools for conveying the DECIDE expertise to researchers inside and outside the CRC by offering a training programme complementing the existing qualification tools in Würzburg. The IRTG DECIDE training programme has been designed to focus on the specific expertise required for our novel approach towards infectious diseases. Finally, the IRTG provides an organisational framework to guarantee optimal supervision and mentoring structures for all doctoral students in the CRC.