New Pathways for Academic Careers (Press Release 35/26)

Munich, 6 October 2026 – Hochschule München (HM) is one of six institutions across Germany selected by the Stifterverband for the first round of its project ‘Peer-to-Peer – Staff Structures and Development in Academia’. HM aims to better coordinate academic career paths and, in particular, to further develop career prospects following a doctorate.

The twelve-month Peer-to-Peer support programme focuses on mutual learning: the participating institutions develop and test their concepts through dialogue with one another and with experienced experts from universities, research institutions, organisations and the business sector. The Stifterverband organises and supports this process. The virtual kick-off event will take place on 10 November 2026.

Reliable prospects for academic careers
The HM’s long-term goal is a coordinated staffing structure that offers academics transparent and reliable career prospects. To this end, career development opportunities in research, teaching, research infrastructure, transfers and academic management are to be more closely linked. In addition to the path to a professorship, this is intended to raise the profile of other academic careers within the university.

In doing so, the HM is building on developments of recent years, including the establishment of doctoral centres and research institutes, as well as the introduction of junior professorships. These are now to be integrated into a comprehensive, strategically anchored concept.

Attracting talent as an attractive employer
“In the competition for the best minds, we as a university must break new ground. For me, a modern staffing structure means creating reliable prospects, promoting permeability between academia and industry, and fostering a culture in which diverse life and career paths have their place,” says Prof. Dr. Sonja Munz, President of HM.

Permeability between academia and professional practice outside higher education plays a particular role. Career paths at universities of applied sciences are often characterised by transitions between higher education, industry and other sectors of society. This cross-sectoral mobility should be taken into account in the further development of staffing structures.

HM selected
as the only University of Applied Sciences HM is the only University of Applied Sciences amongst the six selected institutions. It thus brings the specific requirements of academic career paths at a University of Applied Sciences to the joint discussion.

The Stifterverband’s project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, supports universities and research institutions in strategically developing and implementing staff structure concepts. Key focus areas include, amongst others, reliable career prospects, transparent selection procedures, international mobility and sustainable organisational development.

Alongside Hochschule München, the participants include Bielefeld University, Heidelberg University, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Kassel University and the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine within the Helmholtz Association in Berlin.

Graduate School contact: Dr Andre Lindörfer
Dr Andre Lindörfer is Senior Officer for postdoctoral programmes and early-career professorships at universities of applied sciences at the Graduate School of Hochschule München. As the contact person for the Graduate School, he is available to answer any academic enquiries.

We would be happy to arrange an interview with Dr Andre Lindörfer.

Contact: Lisa Miethke on T 089 1265-1929 or by email .

About the Stifterverband
The Stifterverband is a community of individuals, companies and organisations from the worlds of business, science and civil society. It is committed to the further development of education and science, promotes model projects and supports the dissemination of successful approaches. To this end, it brings together stakeholders from various sectors of society, develops solutions with them and initiates political reforms.