The TU Ilmenau has a unique position with its profile of a technical university in the Free State of Thuringia. Nevertheless, it faces many challenges which call for special efforts: the comparatively small number of professorships, the locational disadvantage of a location outside a conurbation and the demographic development in the East German federal states. Therefore, the main aims of the TU Ilmenau are the creation of a profile in research in order to maintain competitiveness, the acquisition of large-scale research projects and the increased attractiveness of a high-quality range of study programmes. In addition to creating a suitable environment, these goals can only be achieved by committed and scientifically excellent personnel. The recruitment and qualification of young scientists is therefore of vital importance. With this proposal, TU Ilmenau pursues two strategic goals: the recruitment of excellent young scientists by creating attractive career paths and their promotion, qualification and competence for a later appointment to a W2/W3 professorship.

By participating in the TT programme, the TT career path at the TU Ilmenau is to be further established, permanently extended to all five departments and thus embedded as a fixed component of personnel development. This is linked to the implementation of instruments such as a mentoring concept for TT professorships, academic training offers and counselling services specifically designed for the qualification for management tasks, a reduced teaching obligation for junior professors, the provision of competitive equipment for TT professorships, the establishment of a transparent and uniform evaluation procedure for all junior professors (with and without a tenure track), the establishment of a permanent tenure commission for quality assurance.