At the STRUCTURES Cluster of Excellence, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where researchers at all career stages can thrive. We understand the challenges of balancing academic pursuits with family responsibilities, and are dedicated to creating a family-friendly workplace that recognizes and makes this balance achievable. This page bundles various information and support offers by STRUCTURES. The STRUCTURES cluster cooperates closely with UNIFY, the unit for family, diversity and equality at Heidelberg University. Our members can also benefit from the wide range of services for family support offered by our UNIFY. More details on these partner services can be found on the UNIFY website.
STRUCTURES fosters an open and welcoming culture for researchers who are starting or expanding their families. We understand the challenges of managing career and personal milestones, and we actively encourage open dialogue to create a supportive atmosphere for parents and caregivers at all stages of family life.
We are committed to supporting our members in balancing the demands of their professional careers with the joys and responsibilities of parenthood. To assist researchers who are caring for a newborn child, STRUCTURES offers an extra sabbatical for professors and a one year extension of contracts for young researchers.
We recognise that care responsibilities can vary greatly between individuals, and we are committed to finding tailored solutions. We support home-office and remote work options, flexible working hours and participation by video conference for scientists, who need to attend to children or sick family members at home.
The Parent-Child Offices KIDS are available to all participants of the STRUCTURES and ISOQUANT projects and to all active members of the involved faculties for the self-organized, last-minute care of their children. Their use is limited to the necessary period of care. Members of other groups are politely requested to contact the staff responsible for the Parent-Child Offices.
The Parent-Child Offices can be used as a workspace and a playroom as well as for nursing or as a quiet room. It furthermore includes a group-working space for groups of up to six people, with a monitor for presentations. A detailed description of the individual rooms and their features can be found here.
Register now as a user on the KIDS webpage! After signing up, you can view and reserve free slots flexibly and spontaneously at any time via our booking calendar. If you have any questions about booking, please contact us directly.
To reduce the financial burden of professional travel, we are working on providing subsidies to help cover family-related travel expenses. This support ensures that researchers can participate in conferences, workshops, and collaborative meetings without compromising family needs, making professional growth more accessible for all.
You have questions on parental leave, caregiving solutions or travel costs? The STRUCTURES office is the central point of contact for all questions and inquiries. Our team is here to assist and guide researchers through all steps, ensuring they can focus on their families without unnecessary administrative stress.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at: office@structures.uni-heidelberg.de