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Technical University of Munich
Technical University of Munich

Kick-Off Seminar

Special Kick-Off Seminar on January 16, 2024

Due to an increased demand for kick-off dates caused by the pandemic, TUM Graduate School is offering a one-off, special Kick-Off seminar with 300 places. This date is open to all doctoral candidates who have been on the doctoral candidacy list for longer than 1 year. In particular, this date is intended for doctoral candidates who urgently need to attend the Kick-Off Seminar in order to complete their doctorate.

All other doctoral candidates please register for a Kick-Off Seminar in Raitenhaslach (registration possible from September 27, 2023) or register for our online seminars if you comply with the requirements.

A Kick-Off Seminar is comprised of Module 1 and Module 2. You have completed the Kick-Off only if you have attended both modules.

For organisational reasons, we have separated Module 1 and Module 2.

Registration Module 1

Module 1 consists of attending an online Zoom session on January 16, 2024.

Content: Networking & Good Scientific Practice.

Registration period: 02.11. - 20.11.2023.

Please register via your DocGS account, see "Transferable Skills Program and Kick-Off Seminar".

Registration Module 2

For Module 2, select a course from our transferable skills program that takes place after January 16. The costs indicated on DocGS do not apply to you if the course is booked as Module 2. For organisational reasons, courses attended before January 16 cannot be credited as Module 2 of the Kick-Off Seminar.

In order to enable a speedy completion, the TUM Graduate School will reserve places for you in a special selection of courses from January 18 until the end of March (you will find the courses linked here from mid-October).

Registration period: 02.11. - 20.11.2023.

Please register via your DocGS account, see "Transferable Skills Program and Kick-Off Seminar".

Please note: After the registration deadline, you can still also register for a course during the regular booking periods. However, these courses will be open to all interested doctoral candidates and there won't be a reserved number of places. You have until the end of September 2024 to book a course as Module 2. After that, your participation in Module 1 expires.

Procedure of the Kick-Off Seminar

At the start of your doctorate at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) the focus is on the best possible preparation for your further scientific career. The TUM Graduate School Kick-Off Seminar is therefore geared towards exchange with researchers from other disciplines and strong integration into an excellent academic environment. In three days, you will receive important information about doctoral research as well as an introduction to Good Scientific Practice. Additionally, there will be numerous opportunities for networking through activities such as a guided Walk & Talk and a custom-designed Escape Game.

A two-day workshop, conducted by experienced trainers focusing on different topics, completes the Kick-Off Seminar and offers an insight into the extensive transferable skills training program of the TUM Graduate School (TUM-GS).

You will spend the three days with around 100 doctoral candidates from all disciplines in the picturesque setting of an old monastery, the TUM Science & Study Center Raitenhaslach.

In order to get the most out of the Kick-Off Seminar, you should attend during the first six months of your doctorate if possible. The seminar is a mandatory element of the qualification program of the TUM Graduate School. In addition, participation in the kick-off seminar is a prerequisite if you would like to apply for TUM-GS internationalization funding.

We are pleased to welcome you again at the TUM Science & Study Center Raitenhaslach near Burghausen since 2022.

Our program covers three days and includes numerous interactive elements for exchange and networking with your fellow doctoral candidates, as well as a workshop (day 2 and 3).

A shuttle as well as on-site accommodation and meals are provided by TUM-GS.

  • Departure on day 1: Arcisstr. 21, main entrance at 9.00 a.m.
  • Return on day 3: Arcisstr. 21, main entrance around 5.30 p.m.

Individual travel is possible, but will not be reimbursed by TUM-GS. Accommodation is shared with 1-2 people. When registering, you can provide information about room occupancy and food intolerances or preferences, if any. You will receive detailed information on the schedule before the seminar.

Upon registering, please read our general terms and conditions carefully, especially regarding cancellations at short notice. The seminar is a mandatory element of the qualification program of the TUM-GS. Furthermore, successful participation in the Kick-Off Seminar is a prerequisite for TUM-GS internationalization funding.

The Kick-Off Seminar is a 3 day seminar taking place in Raitenhaslach. On days 2 und 3 you participate in a transferable skills course. When signing in you have to choose one of the transferable skills courses. You are then automatically registered for the 3 day seminar. If you get on the waiting list you can either stay there or cancel your registration and register for a different course. Due to partly longer waiting lists it is recommended to choose an alternative date with free places. You can only register for one course at once.

As of September 27th, 2023, you can register via your DocGS account for seminars starting in March 2024.

Please use an official e-mail address for registration to ensure smooth and reliable communication. When using gmail- or gmx-addresses, it is your responsibility to check your spam-folder on a regular basis.

Twice a year, the TUM-GS offers online kick-off seminars for doctoral candidates who are unable to participate on-site in Raitenhaslach.

If you comply with at least one of the following requirements you are eligible for participating in an online seminar (please indicate in the registration form):

  • Having small children and no childcare options (bringing children and caregivers is possible). Please write to: kickoff@gs.tum.de
  • Having other care responsibilities (elderly/ill relatives).
  • Being at a TUM Campus abroad at long distance for a long term stay (e.g. TUMCREATE)
  • Other reasons, e.g. health issues (Please write to kickoff@tum.gs.de)

Once the information you indicate in the registration form has been checked, we will decide whether you comply with the requirements or not. We will then send you a final confirmation about your registration status.

Professional obligations such as supervising students, teaching, traveling to conferences, research stays abroad, etc. are not valid reasons for not coming to Raitenhaslach. We strongly recommend participation in the Kick-Off seminar within the first 6 months of your doctorate.

Please note the separate general terms and conditions for your participation in the online Kick-Off seminar. 

Upcoming Kick-Off Seminars

2024

Kick-Off Seminar No. 1 (Online): March 20-22, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

Kick-Off Seminar No. 2: April 22-24, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

Kick-Off Seminar No. 3: April 24-26, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

 

Kick-Off Seminar No. 4: May 13-15, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

 

Kick-Off Seminar No. 5: May 15-17, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

 

Kick-Off Seminar No. 6: June 17-19, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

Kick-Off Seminar No. 7: June 19-21, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

Kick-Off Seminar No. 8: July 1-3, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

Kick-Off Seminar No. 9: July 3-5, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on September 27, 2023.

Kick-Off Seminar No. 10: September 16-18, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Resilientes Zeit- und Selbstmanagement
  • Vortragsrhetorik: Sicher und überzeugend auftreten, geschickt präsentieren
  • Moderne Konfliktkompetenz
  • Resilienz und Selbststeuerung
  • Presenting your Research in Conference Talks and Poster Sessions
  • Future Life and Career Plans
  • Serious Creativity - Creative Problem Solving
  • Systems Thinking

Kick-Off Seminar No. 11: September 18-20, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Rhetorik 4.0 - Überzeugend auftreten und reden
  • Selbstsicher, authentisch, kollegial agieren
  • Agiles Projektmanagement
  • Promovieren mit Plan: Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten für DoktorandInnen 
  • Managing International Projects
  • Decision Making
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Innovative Problem Solving and Entrepreneurial Thinking

Kick-Off Seminar No. 12 (Online): September 25-27, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Resilientes Zeit- und Selbstmanagement
  • Staying Balanced While Doing Your Doctorate
  • Develop Your Entrepreneurial Thinking
  • Systems Thinking
  • Planung und Strukturierung meiner Promotionsszeit

Kick-Off Seminar No. 13: October 21-23, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Lebens- und Karriereplanung
  • Effizientes Zeit- und Selbstmanagement 
  • Lesestrategien für Wissensarbeiter:innen
  • Effizienztraining für Naturwissenschaftler:innen
  • Presenting your Research in Conference Talks and Poster Sessions 
  • Acting successfully in an international academic environment
  • Leading Difficult Conversations
  • First Steps in Your Doctorate

Kick-Off Seminar No. 14: October 23-25, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Lebens- und Karriereplanung
  • Schwierige Gespräche führen
  • Lesestrategien für Wissensarbeiter:innen
  • Projekt- und Zeitmanagement
  • Acting successfully in an international academic environment
  • Negotiation according to the Harvard Modell
  • First Steps in Your Doctorate
  • Serious Creativity - Creative Problem Solving

 

Kick-Off Seminar No. 15: November 11-13, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Rhetorik 4.0 - Überzeugend auftreten und reden
  • Promovieren in einem kooperativen Umfeld
  • Wirkungsvoll und überzeugend präsentieren
  • Bei hohen Arbeitsanforderungen Freude und Motivation bewahren - Mental Health
  • Managing International Projects
  • Develop Your Entrepreneurial Thinking
  • Systems Thinking
  • Serious Creativity - Creative Problem Solving

Kick-Off Seminar No. 16: November 13-15, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Moderne Konfliktkompetenz
  • Promovieren in einem kooperativen Umfeld
  • Wirkungsvoll und überzeugend präsentieren
  • Resilienz und Selbststeuerung
  • Stay Resilient: Time and Self-Management
  • Develop Your Entrepreneurial Thinking
  • Decision Making
  • Serious Creativity - Creative Problem Solving

Kick-Off Seminar No. 17: December 02-04, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Projektmanagement 
  • Lebens- und Karriereplanung
  • Wirkungsvoll und überzeugend präsentieren
  • Verhandlung nach dem Harvard Modell
  • Presenting your Research in Conference Talks and Poster Sessions 
  • Communicating in Teams and Difficult Situations
  • Innovative Problem Solving and Entrepreneurial Thinking
  • Mental Health - Staying Sane in Academia – Maintaining Joy and Fulfillment at Work

Kick-Off Seminar No. 18: December 04-06, 2024. Registration opens at 12:00 noon on March 24, 2024.

  • Projektmanagement 
  • Lebens- und Karriereplanung
  • Wirkungsvoll und überzeugend präsentieren
  • Effizientes Zeit- und Selbstmanagement
  • Conflict Management - From Confrontation to Collaboration
  • Efficiency Skills for Scientists: Get the Same Done in Less Time
  • Global Mindset
  • Work-Life Balance
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