Promoting the compatibility of family and career as well as equal opportunities for male and female scientists is of particular importance to all members and institutions involved in MARIE.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) provides MARIE with separate funds for targeted support measures to make jobs in science and academia more family friendly and especially support female scientists in their career and qualifications. These funds are only intended for those measures especially researchers of the CRC/TRR 196 are benefiting from.

In the first phase of MARIE, there was a close exchange between all scientific female staff in the goal of offering appropriate support for discussing and understanding the issues of reconciliating scientific work and family life. We were able to provide support for two pregnant doctoral researchers during the time of maternity protection as well as after childbirth by hiring appropriate staff. Thereby, not only the progress of the respective projects was ensured, but also adequate support was provided to the corresponding young scientists. Furthermore, additional childcare services were provided for young parents, whenever established facilities at the universities could not be used.

In the second phase, MARIE is intensifying its efforts to support the already above average number of female PhD students as well as additional female scientists. Therefore, the following innovations are currently being realized in the second phase:

• MARIE has launched the coaching and mentoring programme "FEMIE" for its female PhD students to plan their long-term scientific careers, not only during the time they pursue their PhD projects, but by adressing a long-term perspective in science. 
• Also in MARIE's second phase childcare is offered to scientific staff, making use of established childcare services at the participating institutions as well as providing individual solutions in off-peak hours or during business trips.
• Due to the severe imbalance of male and female scientists in the field of Electrical Engineering it is of high importance that all scientists are aware of challenges female researchers face in academia. To this end, MARIE will organize workshops on gender sensitiveness with the aim to deepen awareness and to demonstrate possibilities on how gender inequalities in academia can be addressed.
• In 2018 MARIE established the IEEE annual workshop series IWMTS (International Workshop on Mobile THz Systems). In perspective, MARIE will offer travel grants in the context of the (IWMTS) TalentTravel programme to give international undergraduate and graduate female students the chance to attend the workshop or going on a research trip to the laboratories and universities. This will give the students an unique opportunity to get into touch with world leading scientists and research at a very early stage of their scientific careers

As a researcher in MARIE you may benefit from above mentioned and other measures. Detailed information is provided in the following DFG-guidelines. If you have any questions and need support, please feel free to contact the coordination office at any time