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TU-Clausthal Equal Opportunity

1st quarter

Reporting period (January 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025)

Gender equality work

  • Technische Universität Clausthal has been successfully accepted into the Professorinnenprogramm 2030 (Women Professors Program 2030). This recognition acknowledges the equality concept for parity at our university by the federal and state governments. The Professorinnenprogramm aims to increase the proportion of female professors at German universities while also supporting structural measures to promote equality.

    In the application process, TU Clausthal initially submitted an equality concept that has now been positively evaluated. The next and decisive step for the actual funding approval is to appoint a new female professor. Funding can only be requested for the initial appointment of a woman to a permanent W2 or W3 professorship. Up to three such initial appointments can be funded per university.

    To secure the promised funds and further advance equality work at TU Clausthal, it is essential to attract an outstandingly qualified female scientist for a professorship by no later than September 30, 2026. TU Clausthal should take this opportunity consistently.

    The press release can be found at the following link:
    https://www.tu-clausthal.de/universitaet/einrichtungen/presse-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/pressemitteilungen/artikel/tu-clausthal-im-professorinnenprogramm-2030-aufgenommen

    • On November 25, 2024, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Orange Day), a clear signal was sent at TU Clausthal:
    The poster “No Sexism.” clarified that sexism and sexualized violence have no place at our university. The action received a great response, and numerous institutes and facilities participated.

    A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported this initiative!

    It is important that this message is not only present on posters but also sustainably reflected in our daily interactions.

    • The mentoring program WiMINToring for early-career female scientists successfully launched in January 2025. As part of the program, several events have already taken place, including the workshop “Empowering Female Career” and a joint visit to the FEMWORX career fair during the Hannover Messe.
    Furthermore, all mentees have had one or more personal discussions with their respective mentors, where they received valuable insights and individual support for their professional development.
    The program will continue until the end of November this year and will be accompanied by further events and ongoing exchange between mentors and mentees.

    • The first networking evening of the women’s network “Women & Science of TU Clausthal” this year took place on March 14, 2025. This event provides a valuable platform for professional and personal exchange among women in science. As a central speaker, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrike Täck, Professor of Materials Science at the Technical University of Lübeck and since 2022 a member of the state parliament in Schleswig-Holstein, was invited. She provided exciting and inspiring insights into her career path.

    On March 10, 2025, our network also celebrated its 4th birthday. Since its founding four years ago, “Women & Science of TU Clausthal” has continuously brought together women in science, strengthened their careers, and actively advocated for equal opportunities and greater visibility of women in academic and scientific fields. The regular networking evenings and other events not only provide space for professional discussions but also for exchanging challenges and opportunities that women encounter in science.

    • On February 27, 2025, the closing event of the MINT Berufsorientierungsprogramm Niedersachsen Technikums 2024/25 (MINT Career Orientation Program Lower Saxony Technical Internships 2024/25) took place at TU Clausthal. As part of the program, the female interns spent four days a week at a partner company and one day at TU Clausthal over a period of six months. The project presentations by the interns during the event highlighted the knowledge they had acquired and provided deep insights gained in the practical and theoretical MINT world. Dr.-Ing. Jana Zimmermann, a former intern, gave a digital contribution titled “My Path into MINT – Courage, Curiosity, and Trust to Take New Paths,” in which she provided valuable guidance for the interns’ professional futures.

    Registrations are now open for the next round of the Niedersachsen-Technikum (September 2025 to February 2026). Interested parties can still sign up for participation.

    • From March 5 to 7, 2025, equality actors from Lower Saxony’s universities gathered for the annual conference, general assembly, and future workshop of the lakog Niedersachsen in Lüneburg to discuss key issues of equality policy, gender justice, and societal challenges in the context of higher education.

    • Annual Conference (March 5, 2025): Under the title “On the Transformation of the Academic Working World,” the tensions between science and administration were brought to the forefront. Dr. Ulf Banscherus (TU Berlin) and Dr. Jule Westerheide (RUB) provided valuable impulses for the professionalization of administration and for changing work cultures through their research. In their opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Joachim Schachtner (MWK) and Prof. Dr. Sascha Spoun (Leuphana University Lüneburg) emphasized the importance of gender-equitable university structures.
    • General Assembly (March 6, 2025): The internal meeting of the lakog Niedersachsen provided space for exchange and strategic planning for the future direction of the organization’s work.
    • Future Workshop (March 6 + 7, 2025): Under the title "Acting in Antidemocratic and Antifeminist Times," current societal challenges were discussed. Participants jointly developed strategies for a gender-equitable academic landscape.

    • The MWK has published the video “Unconscious Bias.” It can be accessed at the following link:
    https://www.mwk.niedersachsen.de/startseite/hochschulen/gleichstellung/unbewusste_vorurteile/unbewusste-vorurteile-unconscious-bias-239405.html

    The film was produced on behalf of the State Conference of Gender Equality Representatives at Universities by the University Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Leibniz University Hanover and was funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK). It represents a central outcome of the third project phase of the dialogue initiative “Gender-Equitable University Culture,” a unique discussion platform at the national level involving the State Conference of Gender Equality Representatives at Universities, the State University Conference, and the MWK for the strategic development of gender equality in academia. The third round of the dialogue initiative Niedersachsen was titled "From Knowledge to Action." This round focused on implementing previous findings and recommendations into concrete actions. The goal was to put the developed measures and standards into practice, thereby advancing equality at Lower Saxony’s universities.

     

Diversity management

  • On February 12, 2025, the annual meeting of the Diversity Audit took place – a valuable exchange about the challenges, strategies, and successes in diversity work at universities. TU Clausthal is actively committed to equal opportunities and pursues this goal through consistent diversity management. Since 2023, the university has been certified in the Diversity Audit "Shaping Diversity" by the Stifterverband (German Foundation for Education and Science).
  • In 2026, the re-accreditation is due. In this context, we are planning the development of a comprehensive protection and action plan against discrimination and sexual harassment. This plan will include both preventive measures and specific action strategies for dealing with incidents. The development of the plan is intended to take place in a participatory process that involves all relevant actors. This central measure has also been anchored in the target agreement for 2025 - 2026.

Family service

  • On January 18, 2025, the Family Service organized a First Aid Course for Children. Under the leadership of Theresa Förster, an expert in Early Support and a Family Health and Pediatric Nurse, typical dangers and emergencies, focusing on infants and young children, were addressed, and first aid measures for (young) children were taught. The course was aimed at TU staff, students, and their partners. Due to the long waiting list for the course in November, this additional date was offered to meet the high demand.
  • This year, the Family Service of TU Clausthal, together with the Mining and University Town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, is again offering exciting holiday care programs. As usual, these will take place during the Lower Saxony school holidays: one week during the Easter holidays (Children's Easter University from April 7 to 11, 2025) and two weeks during the summer holidays (Children's Summer University, from July 7 to 11, 2025, and from August 4 to 8, 2025). The program is aimed at children of primary school age and will be held for six hours each day in the youth room of our town. It offers a varied mix of workshops, sports, games, and crafts and is very popular.
  • In addition to the holiday care programs, the Equality Office also organizes other established programs for preschool children and female students. These include preschool offerings, taster studies, and the Niedersachsen-Technikum. These programs not only provide the opportunity to make TU visible early on and ignite enthusiasm for technical and scientific topics but also contribute to attracting young talents to study at our university. The involvement of all parties is crucial to creating a diverse and exciting program that reflects the broad range of subjects at our university. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to support these programs with your offerings.