The core of the EpiCrossBorders program comprises of a core training in epigenetics and international mobility. This is complemented with complementary training. Students are encouraged to shape the complementary training to fit their specific scientific and professional needs.

Core Training:

• EpiCrossBorders Launch Week
• The Epigenetics Lecture Journal Club Series
• Research stay at the partner Institute

EpiCrossBorders week:

Your training in the EpiCrossBorders Research School Program starts with the EpiCrossBorders Launch Week. Launch Week will be held in Munich and Edinburgh on alternate years and will unite the EpiCrossBorders community in 5 days of joined activities. The meeting will start with the introduction of the new students to the supervising groups, the program and the general community.

The program is then followed up with the annual Program Workshops. These workshops are designed to cover the bigger scientific picture, science communication, societal impact, research ethics and encourage out of the box thinking.

The launch week ends with the Annual Student Retreat organized by and for Graduate Students and Post Docs. Participation in the organization of this retreat allows students to further develop their organizational and management skills and the retreat itself supports networking and strengthens the supportive EpiCrossBorders community.

The Epigenetics Lecture and Journal Club Series:

As the field of Epigenetics is broad and multidisciplinary, you will be introduced to key aspects of the background of epigenetics through lectures and discussions with experts in our community. This series is constantly updated based on the needs of the students and the community.

Research stay at the Partner Institute:

As part of your Graduate project you will partake in a research stay in the collaborating lab. This stay includes work on your project and training. This research stay will be no less than 6 and no more than 12 months in total and it can be divided in smaller parts.

Complementary training:

The complementary training focusses on your specific scientific and professional training in addition to a strong societal component that includes a project competition. In this part of the curriculum you are encouraged to compose your own curriculum. To do this you will draw from courses and workshops directly offered through the EpiCrossBorders program and from the local overarching graduate structures: HELENA at the HMGU and the Bioscience Graduate programs in Edinburgh.

Through the project competition students can receive funding for their own creative side projects that bridge science and society.

We work closely together with the HMGU Career center to support you in the development of your personal career through the Individual career Development Plan (IDP).

This approach together with the thesis support offered by the Thesis Advisory Committee provides an optimal environment for young scientists to develop and grow and will equip them with a diverse and unique skillset required for a successful PhD studies and future career.