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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.

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