Revamp of fixed-term contracts proposed

Academic qualifications would matter more in Germany under plan to shorten postdoc phase

The postdoc stage in Germany could be shortened from six to three years, according to a government proposal.

The science ministry issued a first draft of the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (WissZeitVG), a promised reform of academic contracting law, on 17 March. The proposal states that the basics of current fixed-term contract law would be retained, but that greater emphasis would be placed on individual academic qualification and the necessary framework conditions.