GPN Theme Week 2026
Thanks to the generous funding of the Volkswagen Foundation, we are delighted to host a Theme Week dedicated to the postdoc phase in the German research ecosystem this summer. The event will bring together postdocs, institutional stakeholders, policy voices, and members of the wider research community to discuss one of the most pressing questions in German academia today: How can we create a more sustainable, transparent, and future-oriented research system, especially for postdoctoral researchers? The event builds on the GPN’s broader mission to strengthen the postdoc community, improve career perspectives, and advocate for structural change in academia.
Why This Conversation Matters
The German research landscape is internationally recognized for scientific excellence, innovation, and collaboration. Yet behind groundbreaking discoveries and high-impact publications lies a reality many postdocs know all too well: The research ecosystem often depends on highly qualified researchers without offering long-term perspectives. Postdocs contribute substantially to research output, teaching, supervision, leadership, and innovation across institutions and disciplines. In fact, the postdoc phase is a very important, yet often most uncertain stage of an academic career. It is a time defined by scientific independence, high mobility requirements, leadership responsibilities, and increasingly complex expectations. At the same time, many researchers face precarious employment conditions, limited planning security, and structural barriers that make long-term career development difficult. These challenges are not isolated experiences but systemic issues that affect researchers across institutions and disciplines and the future competitiveness and sustainability of the German science system as a whole.
At the GPN Theme Week 2026, we want to talk about this openly and constructively. The goal is to go beyond identifying challenges: We will explore solutions, exchange perspectives, and strengthen the collective voice of postdocs in Germany.
What to Expect
As the GPN, we believe that meaningful change requires dialogue, visibility, and community. That is why the Theme Week 2026 is designed as a space for honest discussion, interdisciplinary exchange, and collaborative thinking about the future of research careers in Germany. The challenges facing the academic system cannot be addressed by individual institutions or stakeholder groups alone. Sustainable solutions require exchange, coordination, and a willingness to rethink existing structures.
The program will feature a dynamic mix of panel discussions, expert impulses, interactive formats that encourage exchange between different actors. Together, we will address topics such as:
- Structural reform needs in the German academic system
- Institutional responsibilities and governance
- Employment conditions and career stability for postdocs
- Transparency in career pathways and evaluation systems
- International perspectives on research careers
- The role of postdocs in shaping institutional change
The Theme Week 2026 seeks to address these topics in an open and solution-oriented setting. Moreover, the event will create opportunities for postdocs to connect, exchange experiences, and actively contribute to ongoing discussions around science policy and research culture. Because sustainable reform cannot happen without the voices of those most affected by the system.
Further information and updates can be found on the Theme Week 2026 event page.
Grant reference number of the Volkswagen Foundation: project no. 0203200-00
