BIH Charité Junior Digital Clinician Scientist Program

• Funding scope: two years (personal funding)
• Protected research time: 20 percent "protected time" for research
• Target agreement: written definition of content-related goals and research and clinical 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, biomedical research and digitization.
• Structured and competency-based curriculum: the Junior Digital Clinician Scientist Program does not include a dedicated continuing education program, but almost all education offers for Digital Clinician Scientists are also accessible to Junior Clinician Scientists; e.g., modules for the acquisition of (computer) scientific competencies and key qualifications, seminars on translational, interdisciplinary topics, and meetings for scientific exchange between clinicians and researchers
• 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.

After a successful application, the BIH Charité Junior Digital Clinician Scientist Program can be succeeded by the Charité Digital Clinician Scientist Program.

The determination of the pay group takes place under consideration of the personal requirements according to remuneration group Ä1 on the basis of the TV-Ärzte Marburger Bund - Charité, with 20 percent of the full weekly working time.

Various measures have been implemented to make the Junior Digital Clinician Scientist Program family-friendly. The program can be completed part-time, with only the clinical portion being reduced. The "protected time" for research of 20 percent, which is covered by the program, cannot be reduced by part-time. In addition, program participants have the possibility, in consultation with the program management, to pause their personal funding up to a maximum of 36 months (per child up to 18 months) due to maternity and parental leave.

The program is aimed at physicians in human and dental medicine with an employment contract at the Charité. Applicants who are not currently affiliated with the Charité require written confirmation from the Charité's host hospital that they will receive a full budget position at the start of funding. Applicants must have started their residency in a clinical area at the time of the start of the respective funding period. The duration of training must not exceed three years at the time of the start of the respective funding period. 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.

Further requirements:

• completed doctorate
  • Dr. med., Dr. med. dent., PhD or comparable academic degree
  • degree at least magna cum laude

The BIH Charité Junior Digital 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 three mentors (clinical, basic and computational science).

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 Junior Digital Clinician Scientist program. A target of 50 percent is set for awarding Junior Digital Clinician Scientist positions to women.

After formal review of the application documents, the selection of Junior Digital 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, Junior Digital 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 Junior Digital 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.

The monthly Jour Fixe, where the (Junior) (Digital) Clinician Scientists present their research projects to the other program participants and the program management, is also open to the Junior Digital Clinician Scientists.

The Junior Digital Clinician Scientists are also cordially invited to the annual two-day retreat, during which (Junior) (Digital) Clinician Scientists, mentors and clinic directors meet at the Castle Genshagen. The retreat serves as a communication platform for (Junior) (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.

Also open to Junior Digital Clinician Scientists are the twice-yearly Hot Topics Seminars on changing topics in translational medicine and the two-day Clinician Scientist Summer Symposium on Translational Medicine. For this symposium, which takes place every two years in Berlin, Junior Digital Clinician Scientists can propose international speakers with expertise tailored to their own research areas.

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).