Image: © TU Dresden

Keep in touch (kit) is a structured contact-keeping and re-entry program aimed at supporting researchers during their family starting period. With this project, ct.qmat means to support and alleviate female and male researchers during their parental leave or while managing other family responsibilities. Its goals include preventing women from leaving scientific and academic careers after having a baby and establishing a framework of reliability, predictability, inclusivity, and guidance.

The kit program is a cooperative endeavor between the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg and Technische Universität Dresden.

The main objectives of the kit program are to help researchers to maintain contact with their research group during maternity and/ or parental leave, and to offer a plan for re-entering the workplace afterward. The program supports parents(-to-be), regardless of their gender.

Image: © Sebastian Drichelt

The primary focus of kit includes:

(1) providing individual guidance on all issues concerning maternity/ parenthood and career: related to maternity/parenthood and career: Researchers receive personalized guidance from the project team based on their specific needs. This may involve advice, assistance in important meetings with management or university bodies, referrals to relevant resources, and opportunities for ongoing support during the family starting phase.

(2) active involvement of scientific management in relevant administrative matters: Scientific management plays a crucial role during the family starting phase. The project facilitates various opportunities for communication and information exchange, such as conversation guidelines and briefings, to effectively support management and alleviate workload.

(3) matching with peer-mentors as a link to the research group during the absence: Peer-mentors play a crucial role in supporting parents-to-be, facilitating their academic responsibilities during pregnancy and maintaining contact with their research group during family-related leave. These mentors, often colleagues within the team, assist in maintaining regular university engagement during leave periods. Drawing from their own experiences as researchers and parents, they offer valuable insights into achieving a better work-life balance. Mentees can propose their own peer-mentors or be assigned one from a pool of mentors organized by the project team.

Taking into account site-specific conditions and circumstances, the practical implementation of the kit program may vary slightly between Würzburg and Dresden.

In Würzburg, the program operates under the short name WÜkit and is overseen by Natalie Nikolaus, M.A.Päd.. She can be reached at natalie.nikolaus@uni-wuerzburg.de.

The Dresden counterpart is currently being developed by Unit 9.3 Diversity Management. For inquiries regarding the Dresden program, please contact Dr. Alina Markova at alina.markova@tu-dresden.de, who can assist with all relevant issues.