Einstein Foundation Doctoral Program "Strengthening the Digital Humanities in Ancient Studies" (EFDP-2022-734)

The project aims at increasing the competence of doctoral researchers in the field of Digital Humanities. This primarily involves digital research methods and tools and research data management, but also digital publishing. This concept will be implemented in close cooperation with the BBAW and the DAI, both internationally leading institutions in all the areas mentioned. The concept is innovative and aims at testing and permanently implementing new formats which will contribute significantly to further developing the curriculum, strengths, and international attractiveness of BerGSAS.
The Digital Humanities are a relatively new and rapidly developing field in Ancient Studies. This is reflected, for example, in the nationwide working group “Objekte - Digitalität – Hochschulen” (Objects - Digitality - Universities), founded in 2020, which offers interested teachers and students from the archaeological sciences and their neighbouring disciplines an open forum for exchanging views on challenges posed by digital research. Another example is the open access journal RIDE (a Review Journal for Digital Editions and Resources), which has been published since 2014. It is a platform for exchange on current methods of digital text editing and digital tools for text research.
The present Doctoral Program will meet the growing demands in practice and increase the competitiveness of BerGSAS graduates in the labour market. This is also important in light of the fact that nowadays, when applying for third-party funding projects, solid knowledge of novel research methods must be demonstrated, and a solid data management plan must be presented. Knowledge in the field of research data management and specifically in the implementation of the FAIR principles is thus indispensable for future scientific careers. Also, students who pursue different careers after their doctoral studies will significantly benefit from in-depth expertise in computer-based methods and IT skills which include strategies for processing, storing, and making data available. It is therefore important to provide our doctoral students with the appropriate skills that will optimally prepare them for various career paths.