The Uni Freiburg released first results of survey about working and supervisory conditions of doctoral researchers. Some of our executive council members were fortunate enough to be invited the initial presentation of the survey results. The survey was conducted by the university’s Graduate Centre (GraCe), the central hub for doctoral researchers at the University of Freiburg, which offers support throughout the entire PhD journey, including transdisciplinary advice, additional qualifications and financial support.

As the Federal Association of Doctoral Candidates, we view the objectives of this survey – identifying the problems and opportunities for improvement for doctoral candidates – as very positive. We are therefore delighted to hear that over 1,000 doctoral candidates and over 200 post-docs took part in the study. We encourage everyone involved to participate in the planned discussion formats and to continue supporting this project.

Main findings of the survey

Among other things, the survey examined why people start a doctorate and decide to pursue a further career in academia as post-docs. The main reasons for pursuing a doctoral project or taking up a postdoctoral position are:

• an interest in the research topic
• the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and society
• prospect of better job opportunities

Contrary to some statements that ‘nobody wants to work anymore,’ the study shows that young scientists are highly motivated to get involved and passionate about carrying on the spirit of innovation in Germany.

But how do doctoral students at the University of Freiburg assess their situation? The majority of them are very happy with their working conditions and say they have a good relationship with their supervisors. One third of doctoral students (27%) meet with their primary supervisor once a week or more often. However, 31% met with their primary supervisor only once per semester or less frequently in the last year. This shows how varied and, in some cases, highly criticisable the supervision conditions are during a doctoral project. Particularly problematic is the fact that 58% of doctoral students either do not have official secondary supervision or do not know whether they have it. These matters are regulated in the supervision agreements. Almost 70% state that their supervision agreement was not reviewed or adjusted during the doctoral phase. This shows that these agreements must be communicated to all parties involved as the modifiable document they are intended to be. This also opens up the possibility of better handling new situations and needs.

This is the first survey of its kind in Freiburg, but it is intended to be repeated in 2027. As the survey contains many more exciting statistics for analysis we could not address in this blog, we encourage everyone to read the results for themselves. We also encourage you to ask your local graduate centres about similar surveys. The better we can substantiate our problems as an interest group with graspable numbers and figures, the more successfully we can campaign for improvements.