In order to support young women from the MINT subjects (MINT = Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, Technology) on their way into science and economy and to network them with each other, EAF Berlin and TU Berlin founded Femtec GmbH as an international career platform in 2001. Since 2007, KIT has been an official partner in the Femtec network, which currently includes numerous female scientists and engineers - organized in Femtec.Alumnae e.V. - eight technical universities, eleven international companies, and one research institution.

Femtec GmbH was founded in 2001 by the shareholders "European Academy for Women in Politics and Business Berlin" and the Technical University of Berlin. The Femtec network forms a unique network of top-class partners from business and science as well as female students, graduates and the Femtec.Alumnae e. V.. Eight leading technical universities and twelve internationally active companies are currently working together in the Femtec Network.

 

The English-language Femtec Career-Building Program supports female students of STEM subjects to act confidently and successfully in future professional challenges and to systematically plan their individual career development. In three consecutive schools, students learn about career research, leadership and organizational theory, human resources, project and innovation management, as well as the basics of contract management and negotiation. In the process, the scholarship holders learn to act confidently and successfully in future professional challenges and to plan their individual career development systematically. They learn about current leadership concepts and approaches to dealing with complexity and develop forward-looking solutions for tomorrow's challenges in an innovation project. Central components of the program are:

The Femtec Career-Building Program is designed for one year and starts twice a year during the lecture-free period of the summer and winter semesters. A maximum of 50 scholarships are awarded per semester. The content is taught in centrally held summer and winter schools and in cross-site virtual project work.

Over the entire period, topics on personal career development are dealt with individually and jointly in workshops and successfully practiced within the Femtec network. In particular, the excursions and networking events such as "Femtec Network Meets" provide important platforms for the scholarship holders to network with potential employers from industry, science and business and to experience different corporate and management cultures in practice.

They become part of an ever-growing network of Femtec alumnae, partner companies and universities spread across numerous industries and countries. In addition, the scholarship holders gain access to exciting contacts of the network partners and authentic insights into their working worlds. The Career-Building Program is aimed at female STEM students who are at the beginning of their master's studies or approximately 1.5 years before completing their master's degree. Each semester, up to 50 female students nationwide receive a scholarship for the program. Applications are invited in the fall and spring of each year. Meanwhile, about 180 female students of KIT are part of the Femtec network.

As a scholarship holder of the Femtec Career-Building Program you can participate free of charge in all schools, excursions, related events and the individual career counseling of the Femtec Network and only have to bear the travel costs (expenses for travel and accommodation) during the schools. All schools take place together with all scholarship holders of the same course in Berlin * Accommodation during the excursions is organized and financed by Femtec GmbH.

As a Femtec scholarship holder of KIT, you will receive a subsidy for the travel costs for each school upon application, which covers 80% of the total costs up to a subsidy limit of 200 €.

The Career-Building Program is a non-material support program. It does not provide financial support to finance your studies.

*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Schools are currently held in digital formats.

All scholarship recipients who successfully complete the program will receive a Certificate of Completion along with a Diploma Supplement upon completion of the program, certifying participation in each module and total effort to the extent of 16 credit points (ECTS points). The total scholarship is approximately 400 hours, including 128 hours in workshops and exercises as face-to-face courses.

Scholarship holders can have the work done in addition to their studies as part of the program officially recognized at their current university or in a future study program. The Career-Building Program is accredited for this purpose by the organization FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation).

KIT scholarship holders can generally have parts of the Femtec Career-Building Program credited as curricular achievement (e.g. as equivalent to existing modules; as a rule, the credit points of the Innovation Workshop are used for this purpose) or interdisciplinary qualification (e.g. key qualification / SQ). The examination office responsible for the respective degree program is responsible for crediting as a curricular achievement. Please contact this office in good time if you wish to receive credit and check the equivalence in consultation with the person responsible for the module.

For proof as a key qualification, contact your Femtec coordinator at KIT. The achievement can be booked in electronically with you without being linked to a module and you can then have it assigned to the seminar module via the DE SLE.

Please note that the services cannot be booked as additional services (extracurricular services) at KIT.

Application period for course 45 in the winter semester 2023.
October 16- Nov 05, 2023

Assessment center for KIT female students
December 04, 2023 (full day)

Program period for course 45
March 2024 to April 2025

The application and selection process follows a two-step procedure:

Detailed information about the online application and the video pitch can be found here.
Before applying, please check whether you meet the requirements for an application and have time on the School dates and the AC date (see News). The current school dates can be found here.

Requirements for a successful application:

• You are a student in a master program in the MINT area at KIT (or the other partner universities of the Femtec network).
• At the time of application, you should already be in a master's program, ideally about 1.5 years prior to completion of your studies.
• The language of instruction at the schools is English, therefore a good knowledge of English is mandatory. German language skills are not required, but desirable.
• You can arrange the AC date and also have time on the specified school dates.

 

Personal suitability:

• You are enthusiastic about topics in mechanical, electrical, energy or information technology, physics or other STEM specialties.
• You want to actively plan your career entry and career and deepen important key skills.
• You are looking for an exchange with other female students and high potentials from the STEM field.
• You bring a high level of motivation, commitment and willingness to perform.
• You work in a solution-oriented manner, have team spirit, a willingness to take responsibility and a desire to shape things.
• You want to contribute your talents and ideas to a renowned network.

Femtec.Alumnae e.V. (short: FTA) is the network for highly qualified, technically enthusiastic and committed women with an academic background in the MINT subjects. The vision of the FTA is to bring about a long-term change in thinking in society that leads to an individual and responsible shaping of the professional and private environment. The association was founded in 2008 by alumnae of the Career-Building Program of Femtec GmbH and now has over 900 members worldwide. While the FTA offers continuing education, network meetings and coaching for its members, the network lives decentrally in its many regional groups through regular activities.

The Karlsruhe regional group brings together active Femtec scholarship holders from KIT, Femtec scholarship holders from other partner universities who are currently in Karlsruhe for an internship or thesis, and Femtec alumnae working in companies in the Karlsruhe region. As a graduate of the Career-Building Program, you will automatically be given the opportunity to become a member of the FTA and will be able to attend regional group meetings during your time as a scholarship recipient. In this way, you will retain a strong network even after your time in the Career-Building Program, and you can continue to benefit from a personal as well as professional exchange.

The Karlsruhe regional group meets regularly on the 10th of every month for its regulars' table and also organizes other activities. An overview of all regional groups as well as contact details can be found here.

Further information about Femtec.Alumnae e.V.

 

Here you can find information material for download as well as reports and audiovisual impressions and voices of the Career-Building Program.

Information material

Flyer Career-Building Program

Admission and examination regulations (as of February 2022)

Application information

Media

"Women do MINT

The "Femtec Alumnae e. V." offers this podcast (on Spotify and Apple), in which dedicated women with a passion for technology and science give personal insights into their careers, among other things. It's worth a listen!

"By strong women for strong women"

Article in the online magazine clicKIT from September 3, 2020.

Further education and scholarships

Live broadcast on Campusradio Karlsruhe on the Bronnbach Scholarship, Femtec Career-Building Programs and KompetenzKompass funding programs from October 4, 2017.

Women's high-tech power

Contribution at Radio KIT on July 19, 2012

More information about Femtec.GmbH can be found here.