Three of Hamburg's universities in Female Professors Programme 2030

8 March 2024

TUHH, UHH und UKE's gender equality concepts pass first selection round - more calls in August 2024 and 2025

Gender equality concepts by the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), University of Hamburg (UHH) and the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) have passed the first selection round for grants to appoint women to permanent W2 or W3 professorships. Their concepts are among those entered by 92 universities across Germany. Applications are being accepted until September 30, 2025 and will be preceded by more calls for applications in August 2024 and 2025. In 2021, women accounted for a mere 32 per cent of those in Germany's highest academic positions, according to the Forschung und Lehre plaform on International Women's Day in 2023. The Female Professors Programme 2030 aims to counteract the underrepresentation of women in such positions.

Increasing share of women in top scientific positions

"Women in Germany are excellently educated and as successful as men when it comes to educational qualifications. However, the share of women in post-doctoral and management positions in science centres does not correspond to the proportion of outstandingly qualified female researchers and scientists," said Katharina Fegebank, Senator for Science, Research and Equality. The Female Professors Programme 2030 aims to structurally consolidate equality for women in science.

EUR 320 million available for Female Professors Programme 2030

Approved by the Joint Science Conference (GWK) in November 2022, the German and state governments have set aside EUR 320 million for the eight-year Female Professors Programme. The prerequisite for funding is a positive review of the university's gender equality concept by an independent panel of experts. The success of the universities in Hamburg is an enormous incentive and should help achieve parity and equality for women in science across Hamburg, Fegebank said..

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