B) Complementary Skills

The section B) Complementary Skills summarizes formal and technical aspects and offers language courses.
Beside basic immunology and a mandatory laboratory animal courses, statistic as well as language courses will be offered. In addition, IMMUCO students can participate in courses that focus on patent law, entrepreneurship or scientific public relation. Due to the close interaction and cooperation with various research institutes and the Dahlem Research School Berlin the IMMUCO students gain the opportunity to use a multifaceted program of courses, lectures and seminars.

Basic Techniques in Immunology

Time: once a month, 60-90 min
Teaching staff: Radbruch, Blankenstein, Höpken
This course focuses on the one hand on certain cell- or molecular biological techniques for instance flow cytometry, cell sorting, transfection and gene targeting. On the other hand, the students get the opportunity to discuss technical problems or to exchange their experiences with different methods. The aim of this lecture is to avoid beginner´s mistake. For this purpose standardized and uniform protocols will be accessible on the IMMUCO homepage.

Laboratory Animal Course

Time: quaterly
Teaching staff: in cooperation with the IMPRS-IDI, FEM
Many projects within the IMMUCO program are based on animal models and therefore knowledge about the handling of laboratory animals is mandatory. The German animal protection law regulates the participation in advanced training courses to qualify for an appropriate implementation of animal experiments. Approved seminars are already provided by the Max Planck Research School for Infectious Diseases (IMPRS-IDI) and by the Forschungseinrichtungen für Experimentelle Medizin (FEM) in Berlin Steglitz.

Statistical Evaluation of Data, Scientific Writing

Time: 3 appointments per semester
Teaching staff: in cooperation with the DRS and others
These courses give an overview about different statistical procedures and their application. Secondly, students learn to present and visualize their results in an optimal and clear way and to consider certain rules in writing of scientific publications. These courses will be offered in cooperation with the DRS.

Good Scientific Practice

Time: 1–2 appointments per semester
Teaching staff: in cooperation with the DRS and others
Science is subjected to a strict self control by the scientific community. In agreement with the recommendations of the Commission on Professional Self Regulation in Science, published on the undefinedhomepage of the DFG, this course familiarizes the students with the basic rules of Good Scientific Practice. The course will be organized in cooperation with the DRS.

Science and Entrepreneurship

Time: 1-2 appointments per year
Teaching staff: in cooperation with the IPAL, IBB and TSB
Results of the translational research should be applicable in a fast and transparent way. The founding of a company provide an excellent opportunity to turn the previously collected knowledge into an own economic and financial basis. In this course students get an insight into the main features of company and patent law, of business studies and the evaluation of financial concepts (government aid, venture capital etc.). The course is organized together with the DRS in cooperation with Innovation Patente Lizenzen (IPAL), Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) and the Technologiestiftung Berlin (TSB)

Language Courses, Scientific English

In cooperation with the DRS and in addition to their project-related work foreign students can participate in German language courses. Non-native English speaker can attend courses to improve their active scientific-English for later publications.