The Doctoral Program in Business Research (DPBR) is a program founded in 2012 by the School of Business & Economics with support of the President of FU Berlin and Dahlem Research School.

This program aims to provide systematic research training for PhD students in business studies. The DPBR offers the central benefits of structured PhD program for students who are employed within the university e.g. as research assistants (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter) or are externally funded (Drittmittel, Individualstipendien etc) outside of other full-time PhD programs. The main elements of the DPBR involve team-based supervision and taught courses in three areas:  theory development, research methods, and professional skills.

Thus, the DPBR aims to bridge the gap between the more traditional “apprenticeship” model of the German PhD and the more structured approach to PhD training found in leading US and UK universities and many graduate schools and DFG-funded research training groups in Germany. In short, DPBR combines the best of both worlds to offer young researchers an optimal start into academia.