The University of Basel launched the Reform of Employment and Working Conditions for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers in autumn 2024 to address long-standing challenges faced by academic mid-level staff. The reform covers key areas including employment conditions, supervision and mentoring, career development, protected research time, teaching responsibilities, family friendliness, equality and inclusion, personal integrity and mental health, and institutional monitoring.

Following consultations with the stakeholders including faculties, avuba and social partners, a broad consultation on the proposed measures took place during the autumn semester of 2025. As part of this process, avuba submitted a detailed response to the consultation paper (in German, in Englisch) 

All feedback from all stakeholders was subsequently consolidated into a catalogue of measures, giving priority to proposals that received broad support, offer clear added value, and are feasible to implement.

In the meantime, the Rectorate has decided which measures from the first phase of the reform will be implemented, with implementation beginning in autumn 2026.

Patricia Zweifel, project manager of the reform project, will explain which proposed measures have been approved for implementation. She will also provide an outlook on the implementation process and the next steps of the reform as well.

The session will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

All doctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and other interested members of the university are warmly invited to attend.

Please register here whether you plan to attend in person or via Zoom.

Participants joining online will receive the Zoom link shortly before the event. During the session, online participants are welcome to submit their questions via the Zoom chat. A member of the avuba team will relay these questions during the discussion so they can be addressed together with the questions from the audience in the hall.

More information about the project is available on the University of Basel’s intranet for all university employees.