FAQ

Application and admission

Is it possible for undergraduate students to apply for the Summer Institute? The general rule is that the Summer Institute is for predoctoral (=PhD) students, early postdocs and young practitioners. To be eligible you have to be classified as "young researcher", i.e. in your early career stage in academia or an applied field.
Do I have to submit all application documents again if I already applied for one of the last Summer Institutes? As required by German law regulating confidentiality issues, we are not allowed to keep application documents. Therefore, we have to ask you to submit all the materials again.
I was a participant at one of the previous Summer Institutes. Is it possible to participate again? We are glad that you liked it, but given the limited number of slots, we will only invite people who have not yet had the opportunity to participate.

What are the costs?

There is no participation fee for the Summer Institute, but participants are expected to cover their own accommodation and travel costs. We made arrangements with a nearby hotel where participants can share a room to keep accommodation costs affordable (approximately 75 EUR per night). Further details will be provided upon acceptance.
Lunch is available at the local canteen, the Free University, or nearby restaurants for 5–12 EUR. For dinner, Berlin offers a variety of affordable dining options. Additionally, we will sponsor at least two dinners to provide opportunities for participants and speakers to connect.
If you wish to explore external funding opportunities, we are happy to advise and assist in any way we can.

Poster presentation and speed talk

Participants will present a poster of their research project that is relevant to the summer institute. This is a great opportunity to get feedback and suggestions from all attendees. The poster should be printed before the start of the summer institute as there are no print shops nearby. The size of the poster should be no larger than A0 size: 1189 mm x 841 mm, (portrait or landscape).
In a speed talk session participants will describe their research and/or practice within 60 seconds on stage. On-screen, there will only be the participant's name, affiliation and the poster title. The speed talk should provide the gist of the research/practice and attract others to find out more at your poster. Ideally, a speed talk should cover the following points: What is the central issue? Why is it important or why is it novel? How is the issue addressed? (Also: What is the key finding? - in case you are a researcher)

Further Questions

If you have more questions concerning applying, the program, travelling or costs, please feel free to contact us at summerinstitute@mpib-berlin.mpg.de .