Being able to participate in research early on in their studies – this is what the Student Research Opportunities Programx (StuROPx) of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) facilitates for students of the four partner institutions – Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. For the winter semester 2022/23, up to 16 X-Student Research Groups and up to 8 X-Tutorials will again be announced for funding. Applications are open until June 6, 2022.

What is special about the concept of the X-Tutorials is that students can apply with a project concept, thus pursuing their own research questions early in their studies. Students from all four partner institutions can participate in the funded courses. This creates a versatile learning and research environment that transcends subject and institutional boundaries.

Doctoral candidates or PostDocs with a teaching concept can apply for the so-called X-Student Research Groups. They collaborate with students to investigate their research question. The junior researchers thereby assume the role of a research group leader. Julia Modes, a doctoral student at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and leader of the X-Student Research Group “Historienbilder heute” (historical depiction nowadays), is currently researching the genre of the historical depiction with an interdisciplinary group in relation to current representations of political or historical events. For her, the project “allows for ideal university teaching: sparking joy in a topic, enabling independent research and, through the context of the group, making it possible to experience the relevance of individual contributions in the larger context.”

The proposals for both formats will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee consisting of members of all partner institutions. The reviewers ensure that exciting, innovative projects, in which students participate in as many phases of the planning and implementation as possible, are funded for the benefit of the students.

Interested researchers can find out more about the formats and ask questions about the application process during an online event on May 2 (German) and May 3 (English) at 10 a.m. (X-Tutorials) and 2 p.m. (X-Student Research Groups). The access data for the info events can be found on the Call for Proposals websites.

• Call for Proposals X-Tutorials
• Call for Proposals X-Student Research Groups
• Information event on the X-Tutorials on May 3, 2022
• Information event on the X-Student Research Groups on May 3, 2022