Rules and Regulations of iCoNeT

Rules and Regulations of iCoNeT (2010 - 2014)

►Curriculum

The curriculum of the PhD Program can be viewed [HERE].

The curriculum comprises the Core Program and the Advanced Program.

In total, 40 ECTS are required to complete the PhD Program, of which 20-25 must be part of the Core Program. 
One ECTS credit point is equivalent to 25 hours total workload (including self-study).

Participants who have already acquired some of the teaching units offered in the program during their prior studies can compensate

1. with other units in the Advanced Program,

2. by tutoring one of the teaching units.

Note: Even when credits shall be allotted for “teaching instead of participation”, participation in the entire teaching unit is required.

Additionally, the regular and active participation in the following courses is mandatory:

• Bernstein- and PhD-Seminar
• Journal Club (which one is up to the supervisor)
• At least 3 secondary skill courses

►Advanced Program:

The remaining (15-20) ECTS should be obtained from the Advanced Program and can be accumulated from
1. any of the courses listed in the Advanced Program
2. other approved courses at the University of Freiburg or any other university.
(Note: The decision as to which courses can be recognized is up to the Teaching & Training committee. Therefore, please consult the Teaching & Training Coordinator in good time!)

3. The BCF particularly encourages participation in International Advanced Courses in Computational Neuroscience or related courses (so-called Summer- and Winter Schools). Upon approval by the BCF, participation in such courses can be supported financially and can be rewarded by credits (2 ECTS per week). Again, do consult the Teaching & Training Coordinator in good time. The travel expenses for those summer schools are covered by central means, rather than by the individual project resources, BUT you should ask for financial assistance when applying!! Many schools readily provide this for at least some of the costs, in particular the tuition.
In order to enhance the likelihood that applications for summer schools are successful please prepare your application well ahead of time so that your advisor has enough time to have a look at it. Additionally, if you are interested you may also present your application to the Teaching & Training Coordinator who can help you meet commonly accepted standards and criteria. Again, do consult the Teaching & Training Coordinator well ahead of time.

All BCF teaching units are evaluated by the participants. For this purpose, an electronic evaluation form is distributet, generally after the last course day. Please help us to improve the quality of our curriculum by giving us your feedback!

► Teaching & Tutoring

PhD students should participate in BCF teaching activities with up to a total of ~5 semester weekly hours (SWS), depending on the teaching demands of the BCF and the respective faculty in which the PhD degree is sought. The supervisor monitors the teaching load and progress of his/her students.

► Thesis Committee

Each PhD student is supervised by a Thesis Committee, consisting of at least 3 members.
The committee members advise and support the student in all scientific and organizational issues arising during the PhD work. The Thesis Committee has a particular responsibility for the scientific quality of the research program and progress in its implementation. All members of the BCF can be member of a Thesis Committee. In addition, external researchers can be sought to participate in a Thesis Committee. The committee for each student should be established not later than 6 months after the start of the project.
The primary referee for the faculty in which the thesis will be submitted should be a member of the Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee members should meet regularly with the candidate to keep track of his/her progress. These meetings should take place closely before the presentation in the PhD-Seminar and will be documented in a protocol (first meeting, follow up meetings). The Thesis Committee& should also participate in all presentations of the candidate in the BCF PhD- and Postdoc seminar and accept the written proposal and progress reports.

► Project Proposals & Progress Reports

Oral:
Six months after starting the thesis work, each candidate has to give an oral presentation of the planned project in the BCF PhD- and Postdoc Seminar. After that, annual progress reports are given. The candidate has to make sure that all his/her Thesis Committee members can participate in his/her presentations in the seminar. Oral presentations in the PhD seminar should be prepared such that they can be delivered in 45 minutes. After each presentation, there will be a discussion on the scientific content as well as the form and style of the presentation.

Written:
Project Proposals and Progress Reports also have to be prepared in written form, in agreement with the Thesis Committee, and will be sent to the Teaching & Training Coordinator, accompanied by a statement of the primary advisor, confirming that the committee has agreed to the proposal/report. The written version must reach the Teaching Coordinator within 1 month after the oral presentation.

► PhD-Thesis

PhD-Students have to register in the Faculty in which they seek to obtain their PhD degree within 6 months after starting the thesis work. This is not only necessary due to administrative reasons, but together with this registration you will receive a liability insurance.

Further information can be obtained at the Faculties websites:

• Biology
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Applied Sciences
• Medicine

The format of the PhD thesis must conform to the requirements of the respective Faculty.
For the specific requirements, please consult the authority (‘Promotionsamt’) of the respective Faculty.

The BCF requires that all theses are written in English. As a rule, the total duration of a PhD project should not exceed 3.5 years

► Publications / Conference Contributions

Please make sure that you use the correct affiliation on all publications (peer review papers, conference papers, conference abstracts, posters and talks). This is
1) Bernstein Center Freiburg
2) the Lab you are located
3) the Faculty in you intend to acquire the PhD degree.
In the acknowledgements of all BCCN/BFNT publications the BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) together with the grant number needs ALWAYS to be mentioned
(for BCCN: 01 GQ0420, for BFNT: 01 GQ0830, for others please check out the individual grant number)

As soon as you published a paper and you received the final citable pdf, please send it by Email to Gundel Jäger (secretary of Ad Aertsen) for online publication on our website.

General important administrative regulations

►Dienstreisen (business trips):

For all trips that you undertake in relation to your work, you must fill in the first page of the University form P80, whether you apply for reimbursement (or not). The form must be completed, signed by yourself and your supervisor (Vorgesetzter) and handed in to the BCF Project Assistant for financial control and final approval. After your form has been approved, you can use it to buy flight or train tickets through “DER Reisebüro” Merianstr. In that case, the cost of the ticket will be covered directly from our grants.

For trips within Germany or within Europe, the form must be handed in at least 2 weeks before the trip starts.

For trips outside Europe you should hand in the form 4 weeks before the trip starts, as the form also needs to be approved by the Rektorat.

Please attach an invitation, schedule or proof of registration to the event that you are going to attend.

After the trip has been approved, the form will be sent back to your office address.

Please note:
♦ As a rule, the BCF only takes over your travel costs for scientific conferences, when you participate actively, i.e. with a poster or a talk!
♦ If you leave without submitting the completed form in time, you will not be insured during the trip, nor will reimbursement be possible! 

After the trip has ended, you can ask for reimbursement by completing the second page of the form. If necessary, you can ask for a lump sum payment in advance (Vorschuss, instructions and form).

►Urlaub (Vacation):

As a university employee, you are entitled to vacation. The number of vacation days depends on your age:

- if you are younger than 30 years: 26 working days per year

- if you are between 30 and 39 years: 29 working days per year

- if you are 40 or older: 30 working days per year

BEFORE you leave for vacation, please make sure that a respective form is signed by you AND by your supervisor and submitted to the BCF Project Assistant.

►German language courses:

Contact the “International Graduate Academy”. These courses are free for PhD-Students.

►Semester fee, semester ticket, Student Registration, UniCard:

Please consult the University web pages for all details.