Einstein Training Program and Core Curriculum

Two weeks before the official start of the semester, the incoming students attended a two-week boot camp (end of September/ beginning of October). The two-week intensive program did help them generate an overview of the interdisciplinary fields of study before they specialize in their first laboratory of choice (during the following laboratory rotation period).

Students familiarized themselves with the core curriculum of the  Einstein Training Program (ETP) and got to know each other and the city of Berlin a bit better. The intensive program featured lectures on key neuroscience concepts: The focus was layed on fundamental aspects, such as, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology but also other relevant disciplines like philosophy and ethics. During the boot camp, the students did take a test for individual assessment and the identification of personal interests and strengths.

All students were expected to perform up to three separate laboratory rotations during the first six months in ECN workgroups of their choice. Each rotation did usually last for a period of about two months to gain hands-on experience in a variety of approaches and methods, and to get to know faculty members and their laboratory groups better. This way, all PhD fellows were able to make an informed choice about their respective PhD project lab.

Meanwhile, the students did attend weekly lectures in Clinical Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Practical Introduction to Python (or Matlab), Experimental Lecture to complement the core curriculum of their studies in each field. At the end of the rotation, the ECN PhD students selected a laboratory and mentor for their thesis.

The Lab for Open Innovation in Science (LOIS)  was developed together with Professor Dr. Marion Poetz from the Austrian Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft. Our LOIS modul was a professional training for the development of Open Innovation strategies along the entire scientific research process – from generating research questions to eventually translating scientific knowledge into innovation.

Five to six workshops distributed over three years introduced our PhD students to the basics of Open Innovation including open innovation processes and models, sources of innovation, search and collaboration methods, management of intellectual property, and relevant contingency factors.
The first module aimed at providing participants with a solid foundation for discussing the transfer and application of Open Innovation principles and methods to the context of scientific research. Participating PhD students furthermore received instructions for developing first Open Innovation in Science project ideas which are going to be discussed during other modules and finally presented at the ECN Open Innovation in Science Award ceremony.

By the end of the training, participating PhD students have had developed an understanding of

- Basic attributes of Open Innovation
- Various aspects of Open Innovation, including sources of innovation, search collaborating methods and intellectual property rights
- Antecedents, outcomes, and contingencies of Open Innovation
- Important challenges along the entire scientific research process and how these may be addressed by applying Open Innovation methods and principles
- Basic aspects related to external partnering for translating science into innovation

For further details, please visit our Open Science & Innovation section.

The continuing education module supplemented the ECN core curriculum and gave ECN PhD fellows a profound basis in relevant skills, such as scientific writing, project management and visualization of quantitative data. Modules in entrepreneurship, open innovation, technology transfer were also be offered.

Based on regular personal assessments of every student's skills, thr ECN did provide individual career help and advice (see also Career Development Initiative).