From the first step of the RUB-RS PLUS review process (http://www.research-school.rub.de/rsplus.0.html) doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty are involved in every aspect of the reviewing process and receive training and further guidance in successfully writing and reviewing international grant proposals for the different RUB-RS PLUS funding lines.
This is how the RUB-RS PLUS review process actually works:
© RUB Research School PLUS
The first step of the quality review cycle begins with the doctoral student handing in his or her grant proposal for one of the RUB-RS PLUS international funding lines after having received training and further support from the Research School´s Central Coordination Office on how to successfully write international grant proposals.
The second step of the review process cycle sets in: two peer doctoral students, one doctoral student coming from the applicant´s discipline, the other having a non-subject specific background, review the applicant´s grant proposal based on pre-defined funding guidelines and training on how to do so provided by the research school´s Central Coordination Office.
This is followed by the third step of the review process cycle. The Early Career Researcher Board, consisting of two early career researchers (senior doctoral students, postdoctoral researches and/or junior professors) review the grant proposal of the applicant doctoral student and comment on the quality of the reviews of the first quality review cycle provided by the two reviewing doctoral students.
Based on those four reviews, the Executive Board of the RUB-RS PLUS then finally decides on the success of the applicant´s grant proposal. This board consists of five professors and four doctoral representatives from the Humanities, Natural & Life Sciences, Social Sciences and from Engineering. With this bundled expertise, it not only takes the final grant decision but it is also responsible for further developing the guidelines for the RUB-RS PLUS application and review process, thereby involving doctoral students in all the aspects of the quality review process.