From Doctoral Program to Doctoral Academy – A New Chapter in Ethical Research Training

History and Development

The Doctoral Academy continues and expands the tradition of doctoral education at the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics (WCGE). From 2016 to 2026, the WCGE hosted the Doctoral Program "Ethics and Responsible Leadership in Business", generously supported by the Karl Schlecht Foundation (KSG). Over these years, the program provided an intensive three-year structured curriculum for cohorts of doctoral researchers. Each year, a new group of PhD candidates entered the program and engaged in a combination of core courses, elective seminars, regular Jour Fixe meetings, research colloquia and mini colloquia for presenting work in progress. This structured format laid a strong foundation for WCGE’s role as a hub for ethical research and doctoral support.

Transition to the Doctoral Academy (from 2024)

In 2024, the Doctoral Program evolved into the Doctoral Academy – a more flexible and inclusive model designed to respond to the growing diversity of research projects, disciplines, and international partnerships connected to WCGE. While the Doctoral Program operated in fixed three-year cohorts, the Doctoral Academy now offers modular participation, where max. 20 doctoral candidates for each event can join at different stages of their research. This evolution reflects WCGE’s commitment to shaping a dynamic research community – one that remains academically rigorous while addressing contemporary ethical challenges in a rapidly changing world.

Our Mission

The Doctoral Academy aims to:

  • Promote interdisciplinary ethical research of high academic quality.
  • Support the personal and professional development of early-career researchers.
  • Bridge academic insights and societal impact through dialogue with practitioners.

Partners

The Doctoral Academy is hosted by the WCGE and the Friede Springer Chair of Business Ethics and Management Accounting at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. It is generously funded by the Karl Schlecht Foundation.