German Act on Fixed-Term Scientific Contracts (WissZV Gesetz)
The German Act on Fixed-Term Scientific Contracts (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZVG) governs fixed-term employment contracts of academic staff at public higher education and research institutions in Germany. The following applies here:
"The agreed fixed-term period shall in each case be calculated in such a way that it is appropriate to the qualification sought." (WissZVG § 2 (1))
For the following reasons, it is worth taking a look at the facts:
- If you are doing a doctorate at the Faculty of Medicine, you are aiming for a qualification (doctorate).
- If you are employed on a fixed-term basis during this time (research associate, wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in), then your employment contract should run as long as the research project or your doctorate lasts.
- In total, this qualification phase (until the completion of the doctorate) may not last longer than 6 years if you remain employed on a fixed-term basis.
This means, above all, that further fixed-term employment (contract extension) is no longer possible once the 6 years have been exhausted and the doctorate has not yet been completed.
For questions regarding time limits, extensions, exceptions, etc., please contact the Personnel Department D.01 - Personnel and Law.