November 12, 2025 | CIDER IV Public Science Awards 2025 by ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS
Promoting scholarly awareness of public science is a core element of CIDER’s mission. To ensure that educational research has a tangible and positive impact on educational systems and practice, outreach to the general public is essential. With the Public Science Award, we aim to recognize and reward activities that are often undervalued in academic circles. Sponsored by the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius, the CIDER Public Science Award honors projects that either communicate scientific findings to the general public, or generate research questions and designs that contribute to solving practical challenges faced by educational practitioners (e.g., teachers, educators, parents) or educational administrators. The ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS is generously sponsoring the CIDER Public Science Award 2025 with a total of €2,000 in prize money.
Congratulations to Jascha Dräger (DIW Berlin) for winning the CIDER Public Science Award 2025! Together with Thorsten Schneider, his report, “Sprach- und Mathekompetenzen hängen in Deutschland stärker von der sozialen Herkunft ab als in anderen Ländern,” addressed the well-known topic of educational inequalities in young children’s (ages 6–8) language and mathematics competencies across six countries. The jury was impressed by the clarity and accessibility of the presentation, including visually engaging graphics, a multi-channel approach combining text with a video interview, and the ability to make complex statistics understandable for a broad audience.
The 2nd prize was awarded to Fabian Trennt (DZHW) for his transfer publication, “Probieren geht über Studieren! Impulse zum Fachkräftemangel aus der Studienabbruchforschung,” co-authored with Johann Carstensen and Frauke Peter. The publication bridges research on higher education dropout with the current shortage of skilled labour in Germany. The authors make a compelling case for rethinking the country’s strong emphasis on formal qualifications and exploring skills-based approaches as a more sustainable solution. The jury was particularly impressed by the clear and engaging writing style, which speaks directly to its audience as well as by the creative survey at the end of the publication, a small but effective way to invite readers to take part in the scientific dialogue.
Tuğçe Aral (University of Potsdam) won the 3rd prize for the event “SEARCH, (EN)JOY, SPEAK BACK: Redefining ‘Good’ Science to Transform and Diversify Academia & Beyond.” Organized together with Linda Juang as part of Berlin Science Week, the initiative impressed the jury with its co-constructive format, which genuinely invited the audience to help shape the discussion. The event reached beyond the walls of academia, making science tangible, engaging, and relevant for everyone. The organizers succeeded in creating an open and inclusive space that encouraged dialogue, participation, and reflection on what “good science” can mean in a diverse and changing world.
The jury was highly impressed by the quality of all submissions and congratulates the three winners, as well as all participating Fellows, on their excellent public science projects!
November 11, 2025 | CIDER-LERN Conference in Bamberg
The CIDER–LERN Conference 2025 took place from November 10–11 at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi) in Bamberg. Organized by LIfBi and the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), in cooperation with the CIDER Coordination, the conference brought together CIDER Fellows and a broad community of educational researchers from outside the network.
Under the theme “Educational Success: Support, Measurement and Evaluation,” the event welcomed around 70 participants. The program featured two keynote lectures by Prof. Orla Doyle (University College Dublin) and Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff (Technical University of Munich), offering fresh perspectives on current challenges in educational research.
In addition to the academic sessions, participants engaged in a panel discussion on third-party funding, a meet the data session, and enjoyed many opportunities for exchange during the conference dinner. As a social highlight, attendees joined a guided tour of Bamberg, including insights into the city’s rich beer culture.
April 30, 2025 | CIDER Science Communication Workshop in Frankfurt
The CIDER Science Communication Workshop 2025 took place from April 28–30 at the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education in Frankfurt. The workshop brought together CIDER IV Fellows, Alumni, and members of the Steering Committee for three days of training, exchange, and dialogue.
The program began with a two-part Science Communication training delivered by NaWik, providing Fellows with hands-on strategies for effectively communicating their research. On the second day, selected Fellows, Alumni, and Steering Committee members shared their experiences in a Best Practice Public Science session.
Highlight of the workshop was the CIDER Science Communication Lunch “Education in Dialogue: Research meets Journalism.” Moderated by Fellows Tuğçe Aral (University of Potsdam) and Manuel T. Valdés (University of Vienna), the panel brought together leading voices in (science) communication: Annie Brookman-Byrne (BOLD Blog & Jacobs Foundation), Matthias Fejes (German Association for University Communications), Emily Horbach (Education Influencer), Annette Kuhn (Education Journalist), Susanne Kuger (German Youth Institute & LMU Munich), and Raphaela Schlicht-Schmälzle (DIPF). The discussion explored how research and public communication can meaningfully intersect.
Following the panel, Fellows engaged in a round table with journalists and communication professionals, offering ample opportunity to discuss their research and gather practical feedback.
November 6, 2024 | CIDER Fall Workshop 2024 in Munich
The CIDER Fall Workshop 2024 took place at the ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich. It was organized by the ifo Institute, the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW), and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, in collaboration with the CIDER Coordination.
The event began with a session in which CIDER Alumni presented their results and experiences from working in interdisciplinary Micro Groups, followed by a keynote address by Fabian Pfeffer (LMU) titled Wealth and Education. In the evening, participants gathered for dinner at the “Hofbräukeller.”
On the second day, the Fellows had the opportunity to exchange ideas in various formats and explore potential collaborations within Micro Groups. These included the presentation of data sets, a dedicated Open Space session, and paper presentations, which were commented on by discussants from other disciplines.
See the detailed program here.
April 11, 2024 | CIDER IV Kick-off Workshop 2024 in Frankfurt
The fourth cohort started with the CIDER IV Kick-off Workshop 2024 at the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education in Frankfurt (April 8-10, 2024). The workshop’s main goal was to introduce the new Fellows to each other. The program offered plenty of opportunities to get to know each other, with formats like poster presentations, an open space focusing on shared research interests as well as different social events. Furthermore, the Fellows got an introduction to the three central research topics by interdisciplinary talks from different disciplines, which were given by CIDER alumni from the last cohort and CIDER seniors. Jannis Burkhard and Lisa Ziernwald were elected as CIDER IV cohort representatives. Have a look at the detailed program here.
March 20, 2024 | Livia Kuklick wins the GEBF Young Publication Award
Congratulations to Livia Kuklick (CIDER IV Fellow) for winning the GEBF Young Publication Award in the category for doctoral students for her work “Affective-motivational effects of performance feedback in computer-based assessment: Does error message complexity matter?“!
January 4, 2024 | Selection of CIDER IV Fellows completed
The selection process for the new cohort CIDER IV is completed: The CIDER Steering Committee has selected 30 promising researchers for the Fellowship. The decision was really hard, as there were more than twice as many applications for the 30 Fellowships, all of them of very good quality.
The CIDER Coordination congratulates the new Fellows and is already excited to get to know all of them at the Kick-off Workshop in April at the DIPF in Frankfurt!
November 28, 2023 | CIDER III Public Science Award 2023
Congratulations to Henning Hermes for winning the CIDER Public Science Award 2023! His contribution “(Trying to) Communicate Research Findings to Political Decision Makers” convinced the Jury by the interdisciplinary approach and the excellent concept as well as realisation.
The 2nd prize was awarded to Katarina Weßling for her public science activities and cooperations regarding regional infrastructure and occupational plans and chances of adolescents in Germany. (see e.g. her keynote at policy conference of transfer inititaitive municipal education management)
Sauro Civitillo won the 3rd prize for his interview on multicultural education and cultural responsive teaching in Europe.
The Jury was very impressed by the high quality of all submissions and congratulates the three winners and all participating fellows to their excellent Public Science Projects!
November 28, 2023 | CIDER III Final Conference in Berlin
CIDER Fellows from all three cohorts gathered for a great CIDER reunion at the WZB in Berlin from November 20-22, 2023. The program commenced with a collective visit to the German Resistance Memorial (Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand) and a fireside chat on perspectives in educational research with CIDER Fellows and Seniors.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, all 16 Micro Groups of CIDER III presented their research topics and results. Furthermore, the Fellows reflected on the benefits and obstacles of interdisciplinarity in a World Cafe, listened to two captivating keynotes by Richard Münch and Valentina di Stasio, and discussed ways to stay connected as CIDER alumni. In addition, there was ample time for informal exchange during a walk through Tiergarten and the conference dinner on Tuesday.
All participants enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and establishing new contacts with Fellows from other cohorts.
See the detailed program here.
October 12, 2023 | Extended Call for applications for CIDER cohort IV
As a consequence of the ongoing impact of the Covid 19-pandemic on the careers of young scientists, the CIDER Steering Committee has decided to adjust the criteria for applications for CIDER Cohort IV and to extend the application deadline.
Please spread the extended Call for applications for CIDER Cohort IV (Link) in your networks. Deadline for applications is November 30, 2023. Thank you!
In case of questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the CIDER Coordination Team ().
We are looking forward to promising applications!
July 17, 2023 | Great news: CIDER is continuing after the end of Cohort III
Please spread the Call for applications for CIDER Cohort IV in your networks. Thank you!
In case of questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the CIDER Coordination Team ().
We are looking forward to promising applications!
June 16, 2023 | CIDER Spring Workshop 2023
The CIDER Spring Workshop 2023 took place from May 22-24, 2023, at the ZEW in Mannheim.
Pedro Carneiro of University College London gave a key note on public childcare, labor market outcomes of caregivers, and child development. Later fellows from CIDER cohorts II and III participated in a plenum discussion to share their experiences with applications for professorship with the other Fellows. Moreover, Cordula Artelt introduced the new DFG Infrastructure Priority Program “New Data Spaces for the Social Sciences”. Finally, Brent Roberts of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign gave a key note on the conceptualization of traits or skills in educational psychology. The program was complemented by a walking tour through Mannheim, the visit of an art exhibition and a joint dinner at the ZEW Bistro.
See the detailed program here.
