All Ph.D. students have two supervisors who constitute the supervising team. The principal supervisor – usually the head of the research group is in charge of initial training and daily support during the research project. The second supervisor is usually a PI of a strongly related project within the CRC. Thus he/she has a strong interest in the results of the Ph.D. project, too, but is not involved in daily decisions/processes.

At the beginning of their Ph.D. project, students are supposed to study the relevant literature for their project. Together with their supervisors, they shall work out a research plan, which they can follow eventually independently. During their project, they are expected to incorporate – after consultation with their supervisors – new developments in their research filed. Additionally, at the beginning of their Ph.D. project, the student and the supervising team set up a Betreuungsvereinbarung and a Qualification Agreement. The latter records the scientific goals of the Ph.D. project and additional qualification goals, such as participation in specific conferences/courses, etc.

Part of the Qualification Agreement is that all Ph.D. students write progress reports, 6, 18, and 30 months after enrolling for their Ph.D. studies. These reports are discussed in development meetings of the student with his/her supervising team, and the research plan and the qualification agreement are adapted if necessary. The scientific coordinator of the integrated research training network collects all Betreuungsvereinbarungen and Qualification Agreements.