From 19 till 20 March 2018 the 4th NEXT conference - Networks of EXcellent Doctoral Training in Germany (NEXT) took place at Freie Universität Berlin. The conference was organized by the executive managers of the four graduate schools at Freie Universität: Dr. Lars Ostermeier (Berlin Graduate School of Muslim Cultures and Societies (BGSMCS)), Dr. Jeanette Kördel (Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies (FSGS)), Dr. Katrin Gengenbach (Graduate School of East Asian Studies (GEAS)) und Dr. David Bosold (Graduate School of North American Studies (GSNAS)).

Executive managers and coordinators of Graduate Schools from all over Germany, including Dr. Sabine Schäfer, Melanie Eulitz and Thomas Abel from the BGHS, discussed in various sessions current plans and challenges of the graduate schools within the Excellence Initiative. The focus was on strategies to stabilize the individual institutions in structures at home universities.

Other topics included curricula and finances, supervision agreements for doctoral researchers and questions of personnel development, career services, and perspectives for Alumni.

In addition to the individual sessions, there was a panel discussion on Challenges of Graduate Schhools with discussants from different fields:

• Dr. Markus Edler, Executive Manager Dahlem Research School
• Dr. Anselm Fremmer, German Research Foundation (DFG)
• Dr. Sandra Janßen, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
• Prof. Dr. Gudrun Krämer, Director BGSMCS
• Prof. Dr. Jule Specht, Humboldt-University and member of Junge Akademie - academy of young academics worldwide
Host: Christine Prußky

A conference report by radio station »Deutschlandfunk« (in German) can be heard here: Exzellenzmittel gestrichen: Graduiertenschulen vor unsicherer Zukunft [Excellency canceled: graduate schools in uncertain future] (Author: Claudia van Laak).