Promoting young talent and research careers
Excellent research is carried out by highly qualified, internationally connected and motivated researchers. The University of Innsbruck therefore places a special focus on promoting young academics and supporting the career development of researchers.
Doctoral Colleges
With its Doctoral Colleges (DC), the University has offered doctoral students the possibility to be supervised in interdisciplinary teams and to benefit from a comprehensive extracurricular programme since 2016. The integration of the DC into the research area integrates early career researchers directly into the university's cutting-edge research areas.
A total of 20 doctoral colleges in various inter-institutional and inter-faculty subject areas offer a wide range of scientific subjects and issues.
Tenure Track 2.0 Professors
Start from 01/01/2026
The Tenure Track 2.0 (TT 2.0) procedure, newly introduced on 1 January 2026, is based on the university-wide reference model for employment groups and career levels and enables a performance-based career path leading to a university professorship.
Qualification agreements
Start until 01/12/2025
The Qualification Agreement (QV) offers early-career researchers the prospect of long-term employment with academic autonomy, provided they meet the pre-agreed qualification criteria.
Habilitation procedure
The habilitation is the granting of a teaching authorisation (venia docendi) for an entire academic subject that falls within the scope of the University of Innsbruck.
Information on the procedure and the requirements for the application can be found here: Website.
Mentoring for young female scientists
The Rectorate of the University of Innsbruck has launched a mentoring programme for young female scientists to promote the development of talented female scientists at the beginning of their careers.
The programme is aimed at personal development and offers a year-long opportunity to actively engage with the topic of career development in science. Among other things, career paths are pointed out and discussed, additional training needs are identified, experiences are exchanged and publication and third-party funding strategies are developed.
Funding programmes, prizes and scholarships
The University of Innsbruck regularly offers internal research funding programmes, prizes and scholarships, particularly for young academics. Overview of tenders