Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a circle

CORA Coaching Programme

Logo Centre for Advanced Researcher Development

Coaching Women for Research and Academia

CORA offers all coaching and training sessions entirely in English.

Your career compass in academia

CORA supports women researchers and FLINTA individuals in shaping their academic careers strategically — all the way to a professorship or leadership position in academia.
The program combines:

  • Personalized coaching to sharpen your goals and strategy
  • Exclusive career trainings designed for academia
  • A supportive network for long-term connection and exchange

The goal: to consciously shape your career – with strategy, reflection, and support.

FLINTA: women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender individuals


Application 2025/26


The application process for the next round will start on December 15, 2025.

👉 For German information, choose German from the ‘Menü’ at the top to visit our German website.

Exchange between coachee and coach

Coaching


Academic coaching is a professional process focused on the development and clarification of professional roles and identities. It provides female researchers with the space to align their professional and personal goals by promoting reflection, decision-making, and the development of effective strategies.

Small group of female researchers in conversation with the Vice-Rector

Training


The CORA Trainings are exclusive, customized training sessions developed specifically for the participants of the programme. Generally, participants from previous rounds can also be invited. Participation is mandatory for the current round’s participants.

A CORA participant in training is showing a picture

Networking Meetings


The third pillar of the coaching programme is aimed at building and maintaining a network of female researchers. Every six to eight weeks, you will meet with other CORA participants to reflect and share experiences together. This regular exchange not only promotes your professional development but also opens up new contacts and resources that can support your career. You should attend at least three of the six meetings.

The CORA Programme

Target group

Number of participants

Programme content

Requirements

The CORA program was a great experience for me and has helped me on my way to my current position as professor. The courses that I could take via CORA helped me to get training in a variety of people skills. I found the one-to-one meetings with a personal coach enormously stimulating, and this really empowered me to set small goals each month to finally reach for my dreams. The peer group of female scientists was very supportive and it resulted in some long-standing friendships for me.

Prof. Dr. Tessa Q.

CORA Programm, 1. Runde

Mariana Vargas Ustares [sie/ihr]

Programmleitung

Mitarbeiterin