As a cooperative project of three outstanding scientific institutes and institutions - the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), the Hertie School of Governance (HSoG), and the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) - the BTS constitutes a distinctive platform for ambitious, innovative, and cutting-edge research in transnational and international relations. It situates itself at the intersections of international affairs and comparative area studies, of political science, economics, history, law, and sociology, assuming that this is where the most exciting changes and debates in an era of globalisation and fragmentation take place.
Through its cooperative structure, the BTS offers young researchers the possibility to work with three institutions and to benefit from the collaboration with an exceptional group of senior and junior scholars, from acquired professional skills and from sophisticated facilities. Thus, the BTS creates a unique place where young researchers find an adequate setting for their investigations, intellectual exchanges, and cooperation with other programme participants, as well as with staff and scholars at the three institutions involved.
Founded in September 2008, the planning for the Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies already started in the autumn of 2007. A joint endeavour of the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), the Hertie School of Governance (HSoG), and the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), a lot of effort and commitment went into building up the complex structure and organisation of the BTS.
The first call for applications in spring 2008 was a success all down the line: Of all recently-established graduate schools in the context of the FUB and its initiative for excellence, the BTS proved to be, by far, the one attracting the most interest and applications. Without having had a lot of time to advertise and communicate, this was a surprising level of popularity.
When the first carefully-selected PhD students started the programme in September 2008, participants, staff, and all those associated were excited and pleased by the sound set-off that resulted from months-long work. Although odds and ends still had to be arranged - the workplaces had to be completed, the enrolment processes to be finished - the first PhD students could tie in with a promising project to be developed with their own growth and creative, as well as scientific progress.
The inauguration was a thought-provoking and, at the same time, light-hearted event: Scholarship holders, as well as faculty and coordinators, had a first chance to get to know each other in the frame of a small, but festive ceremony.
The following information days helped the recent PhD students to gain a first insight into the programme, course, and structure of the context surrounding the PhD to be prepared during the upcoming three years. Further, the information days served as a welcome occasion to socialise and to get to know each other as a prospective group of young, ambitious, and interested researchers.
Next, while courses started, the students were introduced to their new environment, began with their research, and started to turn theory into solid practice. On and off, the office coordinators organised get-together evenings to have further occasions "off the job", getting to know each other and completing the BTS project.
Before the end of the year 2008, a seasonal holiday party took place in the rooms of the Hertie School of Governance, while shortly before Christmas, the graduate school even appeared in the supplement issue of the FU Berlin in "Der Tagesspiegel". "Promovieren über Transnationale Beziehungen" provided a detailed insight into BTS requirements, goals, and present achievements.
The second call for Applications in winter 2008/2009 was very successful. Due to an abundance of excellent applications we were in the very comfortable position to choose from a great variety of outstanding candidates. Twelve excellent PhD candidates started their research projects in September 2009. Following a new tradition that was successfully launched last year, the candidates were introduced in a BTS ceremonial inauguration. The DRS Welcome Weeks, the BTS Info Days and the advanced PhD candidates who assisted as tutors were very helpful in providing a quick integration into the BTS community for the 2009 cohort.
After the inauguration ceremony the first generation of PhD candidates presented their projects. The reception following the poster presentation offered the opportunity to discuss the research projects in more detail. The pleasant atmosphere allowed BTS faculty, the PhD candidates and all friends of the BTS to get to know each other in a more informal context.
In November 2009, the Einstein Centre of Hebrew University of Jerusalem in cooperation with the BTS and the Peace Research Institute of Frankfurt (PRIF) organized a PhD workshop on 'Global Order: Continuity or Change?' In 5 sessions international PhD students discussed the topics of power, security, justice, norms and economic order. Faculty members of the Department of International Relations at Hebrew University chaired the panels together with their German colleagues including Tanja Börzel and Thomas Risse from the Freie Universität Berlin as well as Harald Müller from PRIF.
After the successful workshop in Jerusalem last year Hebrew University, the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt and the BTS will be meeting in Berlin this year. Between 10 – 14 November 2010 the Freie Universität will host the workshop ‘International Order: transnational processes and their effects’.
