BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program

• Funding scope: three years (personal funding).
• Protected research time: 50 percent "protected time" for research; recognition of research time by the Berlin Chamber of Physicians (up to 18 months)
• Target agreement: written definition of content-related goals and research and clinic time at the start of the program together with the program fellow, mentors, clinic director and program management
• Dedicated & continuous mentoring: one mentor from each of the areas of clinical training and research
• Structured and competence-oriented curriculum: The competence-based curriculum includes modules for further scientific training in addition to specific offers of the Clinician Scientist Program. In addition, there is the possibility to acquire key qualifications. Furthermore, seminars on translational and interdisciplinary topics as well as regular meetings for the exchange between clinicians and researchers are offered.
• Travel support: max. 2.000€ per program participant for conference visits (active participation) and work visits within the framework of the BIA Mobility and Innovation Fund.

The position will be grouped into pay group Ä1/Ä2 according to the collective agreement TV-Ärzt*innen Charité, limited to three years with half weekly working hours, taking into account the qualifications and personal requirements.

Various measures have been implemented to make the Clinician Scientist Program family-friendly. The program can be completed part-time (at least 70 percent), whereby only the clinical portion can be reduced. The "protected time" for research of 50 percent, which is borne by the program, cannot be reduced by part-time. This does not extend the program duration of three years, but the clinical training must be extended in accordance with the reduction of the clinical part. In addition, program participants have the option, in consultation with the program management, to pause their personal sponsorship for up to a maximum of 36 months (up to 18 months per child) due to maternity and parental leave.

The program is aimed at doctors of human medicine and dentistry with a clinical connection to the Charité. Returnees from abroad who have a binding prospect of a position at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin at the time of application are eligible to apply. Applicants must have completed at least three years of residency in a clinical area at the time of the start of the respective funding period or have started residency training in a specialization after having already completed it, whereby applicants without a residency degree will be given priority. Returnees from abroad and/or external candidates who have a binding prospect of a position at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin at the time of application are also eligible to apply. Physicians with completed habilitation usually cannot be considered.

Further requirements:

• completed doctorate
  • Dr. med., Dr. med. dent., PhD or comparable academic degree
  • degree at least magna cum laude; in individual cases compensable by outstanding publication achievements
• continuous scientific activity as evidenced by publications

The BIH Charité Clinician Scientist program is advertised twice a year. The application includes:

•     a fully completed application form including a project outline
•     a letter of recommendation (from the clinic director)
•     Nomination of two mentors (clinical and basic research).

Applications must be submitted online via the BIH application and reporting portal within the respective call period.

Women are strongly encouraged to apply for the Clinician Scientist program. A target of 50 percent is set for awarding Clinician Scientist positions to women.

After formal review of the application documents, the selection of Clinician Scientist candidates will be done via a two-stage process:

Stage 1: Pre-selection on the basis of the written applications by the review panel.

Stage 2: Final selection by the review panel after the selection colloquium, during which the candidates present their project to the review panel.

Target agreement meeting

At the start of the program, the program management conducts a meeting with all new participants, their mentors, and the clinic directors to agree on goals. This meeting is intended to contribute to the smooth running of the program support and serves to clarify open questions in advance. In the target agreement meeting, the contents and the division of times for clinic and research are planned and recorded in writing over the course of the three-year program funding.

Reporting obligations to the Clinician Scientist office

After one year of program funding and annually thereafter, Clinician Scientists prepare a report on the current status of their research and clinical training. A final report is submitted at the end of the grant. The report submission is done online via the BIH application and reporting portal.

Feedback meetings with the mentors

The continuous mentoring includes regular feedback meetings with the mentors to discuss the progress of the research project and the clinical training (at least once a year). The annual written reports on the progress of the research project and the clinical training form the basis for this. The transmission of the feedback meeting protocol including the signatures of all participants to the coordination office of the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy is obligatory for the Clinician Scientists once a year.

Final meeting with the program management

At the end of the program, a final meeting with the program management takes place to discuss both the experiences during the time of the program and career perspectives.

In addition to protected research time and dedicated mentoring, the structured curriculum of the CSP focuses on modules for the acquisition of scientific competencies. In total, 180 credits are required from the fellows in the CSP, with 90 credits covered by the clinical training (specialist or specialization training) and 70 credits by the research project. The remaining 20 credits are earned through the mandatory and optional components of the CSP curricular offers.

Fellows may attend scientific events and/or training and educational offers from the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA) portfolio, the BIH Center for Responsible Research (QUEST), and the BIH department for Equal Opportunity as part of the structured curriculum, or may earn credits through participation in training and educational offers offered by collaborating institutions.

In the elective area, Clinician Scientists can individually take advanced scientific training and educational offers that provide them with specific key, methodological or leadership competencies relevant to their project and/or their career development.

In the monthly Jour Fixe, (Digital) Clinician Scientists present their research projects to the other program participants and the program management. The Jour Fixe promotes networking and scientific exchange among the (Digital) Clinician Scientists.

In addition, seminars from the Hot Topics series are held every six months on changing topics from the field of translational medicine, the organization of which is the responsibility of the (Digital) Clinician Scientists (supported by the Clinician Scientist office). These seminars are intended to promote the exchange between clinicians and researchers on interdisciplinary topics.

For the annual two-day retreat, the (Digital) Clinician Scientists meet with their mentors and clinic directors at the Castle Genshagen. The retreat serves as a communication platform for the (Digital) Clinician Scientists and for the expansion of the network among each other and to the mentors and offers space for scientific and strategic discussions.

In addition to the Retreat, a two-day Clinician Scientist Symposium on Translational Medicine is held every two years in Berlin, to which (Digital) Clinician Scientists can invite internationally renowned physicians and scientists as speakers. This gives them the opportunity to discuss their project with leading personalities from their own field of research. Program participants have the opportunity to present their research project as a short lecture or poster at the symposium.

BIH supports program participants with children and provides childcare at the venue whenever possible. If you have any questions regarding childcare, please contact the Equal Opportunities Officer at BIH, Karin Höhne (equal.opportunity@bihealth.de).

Clinician Scientist „Excellence-Track“

In recent years, several fellows of the BIH Charité (Digital) Clinician Scientist Program (CSP) have acquired excellent junior investigator funding programs, which gave rise to the idea of an "Excellence Track". Inclusion in the "Excellence Track" is intended for Principle Investigators of excellent third-party funding.

Clinician Scientist Fellows of the "Excellence-Track" do not have to go through the official two-stage selection process of the BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program, as they have already prevailed in a highly competitive external selection process. They will be associated to the (D)CSP and have the same rights and obligations as the regularly funded Clinician Scientist Fellows (see all information on this website). The only difference is that the research portion of their position is not funded by program funds.

Admission to the Clinician Scientist "Excellence Track" is reserved for the following programs:

• Emmy Noether Program (DFG)
• European Research Council (ERC) Grants  
• Professorships (e.g. Lichtenberg Professorship of the Volkswagen Foundation); decision on a case-by-case basis

Starting with Call 2023_II, funding from the Max Eder Junior Research Group Program (Deutsche Krebshilfe) will also be included. 

NOTE FOR ALL CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS WITH ONGOING (D)CSP FUNDING:

• If you successfully obtain one of the above-mentioned excellence grants during your regular funding within the BIH Charité (Digital) Clinician Scientist Program, you will switch to the "Excellence Track". This will end the funding from program funds, but your rights and obligations as a Clinician Scientist Fellow will continue (see above).
• Please contact the CSP office if you are applying or planning to apply to one of the above-mentioned excellence programs during your regular funding under the BIH Charité (Digital) Clinician Scientist Program.

If you have any questions regarding the Clinician Scientist "Excellence-Track", please contact the program management:

Prof. Dr. Il-Kang Na (il-kang.na@bih-charite.de), Director BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program
Dr. Nathalie Huber (nathalie.huber@bih-charite.de), Head of BIH Clinician Scientist Office