At Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt), funding for the advancement of women is seen as an instrument to successfully implement the targeted advancement of women in the departments and thus promote equal opportunities for women and men at the university. At the department of Law and Economics (department 01), the women's advancement funds are therefore earmarked for measures that pursue the following goals:

• to increase the proportion of women in the degree courses in industrial engineering and business informatics;
• to sustainably support women in science;
• promote networking activities for women;
• to improve study, research and working conditions for women, including internationally; and
• to promote the compatibility of studies or work and family life.

At the TU Darmstadt, the successful promotion of women in the departments has been financially rewarded since 1999 as part of the performance-based allocation of funds. A fixed budget is distributed annually to all departments at TU Darmstadt according to defined criteria.

All female members of the department 01 (female students, female academic and administrative/technical staff, female doctoral candidates and female professors) are eligible to apply.

The Gender Equality Committee decides on applications at the department 01 twice a year. All status groups in the department are represented on the Gender Equality Committee (further information can be found on the website about the Gender Equality Commitee)

An application can be submitted at any time.

Application deadlines are June 30 and December 31 of each year (as of 2024). All applications received in full by these deadlines will be considered at the next meeting of the Gender Equality Commitee.

Yes, applications can also be submitted retrospectively. However, the cut-off period of six months from the date of actual funding should be observed.

Yes, applications for the reimbursement of costs under the Femtec, Scimento and ProProfessur programs are exempt from the application deadlines. Applications from applicants to these programs are funded on an ongoing basis.

Applications must be submitted in writing by e-mail or by post.

The application document provided by the Equal Opportunities Officers can be used for the application. All applications must include the following documents and information:

• Eligibility for funding: The applicant must clearly justify why the measure for which she is applying for funding will help to promote her own academic or professional career.
• Need for funding: It must be demonstrated that other funding options (e.g. DAAD, cost coverage by the research group, etc.) are excluded for the requested funding amount and that the measure to be funded is not included in the TU Darmstadt continuing education program. The statement must be supported by appropriate evidence (e.g. rejected DAAD funding applications, confirmation of the lack of funding from the research group).
• Confirmation of participation: The application must include evidence of participation in the activity to be funded (e.g. certificates of participation, confirmation of acceptance for conference submissions). If these documents are not available at the time of application, they must be submitted at a later date if approval is granted.
• Supporting documents: All costs for which funding is requested must be listed separately in the application. All existing receipts must be attached to the application. In the event of approval, all missing receipts must be submitted subsequently. The final receipts submitted must show that all payments in the application have been settled. If payments were made in foreign currencies (i.e. not in euros), the receipts must be accompanied by transaction overviews (e.g. redacted bank statements) showing the euro value of the payment.

Settlement takes place retrospectively and after all relevant documents have been received and checked. Before the approved women's advancement funds are settled, an informal short report of approximately one page must be written about the funded measure. The report should highlight the personal added value of the funded measure for the applicant. The report should be sent by e-mail to the Gender Equality Commitee of the department 01 no later than four weeks after participation in the funded measure.

Yes, an applicant may generally submit more than one application per year. However, if a person submits multiple applications in one award round and over two award rounds, very little or no funding can be expected (please see information under “How high is the funding?”).

The respective funding amount is decided individually for each application. Approved funding for the advancement of women generally covers a proportion of the funding for a measure and does not serve to fully finance it. Funding for the advancement of women is intended for the structural advancement of women. As the aim of women's promotion funds is to reach as large a target group as possible, including those with different statuses, applications for group offers are given priority over individual applications.

In addition, applications from female applicants who have not yet applied for funding for the previous allocation round will be given priority. Therefore, if a person submits multiple applications in one award round and across two award rounds, very little or no funding can generally be expected.

Promotion of women in and for studies:

• Study-oriented courses at other universities or research institutions that offer further qualification beyond the scope of the courses offered at TU Darmstadt.
• Coaching programs and seminars (e.g., time management, application training, profile building, presentation techniques, etc.) for female students to help them cope with their studies and career entry, if these are not offered in a comparable form at TU Darmstadt.
• Grants to attend meetings and conferences, provided these are subject-related and are not offered in a comparable form at TU Darmstadt.
• Gender awareness training.

Promotion of women in the scientific field

• Internal and external further training measures to achieve the qualification level.
• Grants for participation in specialist conferences and meetings. Prerequisites for an application for funding for women are: active participation in the conference or meeting (this includes acceptance of the contribution, participation in a workshop), participation must significantly advance your own doctoral or habilitation project (e.g.: a research contribution required for the doctoral project is made, ranking value or reputation of the conference or meeting in the scientific community, increase of your own visibility in the scientific community, acquisition of ranking points for cumulative dissertations/habilitations).
• Organizing symposia for female scientists and students with speakers from the professional world.
• Grants for research stays abroad.
• Implementation of gender aspects in teaching.
• Coaching a group of female scientists on career development.
• Gender awareness training.

Promotion of women in technical and administrative fields

• Language courses (with certification), insofar as these are not offered at TU Darmstadt.
• PC courses that are required in the working environment but are not offered by TU Darmstadt.
• Job-related external further qualifications (e.g. office management, special knowledge in the commercial sector) that are not offered by TU Darmstadt.
• Seminars for female employees that are not offered by TU Darmstadt.
• Gender awareness training.

Group offers such as awareness-events

Femtec GmbH has set itself the goal to support female STEM students in building a network in business and science and to enhance their personal career development. Female students of department 01 who participate in Femtec's Career Building Program can apply for funding of travel and accommodation costs. The funding is provided through the women's advancement funds and paid out on an ongoing basis. Please use “Auszahlung unbar „Reisekosten“” for your application.

TU Darmstadt terminated its cooperation with Femtec GmbH in 2023. Travel and accommodation costs for female students already participating in Femtec's Career Building Program are still eligible for funding, but no new female students will be accepted into Femtec's Career Building Program.

• Continuing education programs such as seminars, workshops and language courses that can also be offered and attended at TU Darmstadt.
• Internships abroad.
• Semesters abroad.
• Activities that serve professional networking and career advancement and can be compensated by regular business trips (e.g., travel allowances for attending conferences).
• Contributions to professional associations.
• Company outings (leisure activities).

Then please contact the Gender Equality Committee of department 01: gleichstellungsbeauftragte@wi.tu-…