Supervision in the research training group is based on the four elements of "Levelling", helping doctoral candidates from diverse backgrounds to rapidly blend into the research environment, "Bonding", aiming at establishing a local and global research network, "Progress", which amounts to supervision and active support, and "Exchange", guaranteeing visibility in the scientific community. Together, these elements will support the doctoral candidates in becoming independent researchers who will be able to investigate complex problems autonomously and to effectively interact with the international research community.

In Leveling, we aim at equal starting conditions for SCARE doctorands regardless of different social and cultural backgrounds or life situations. Examples are special seminars and trainings, summer- and winter schools, foreign and German language courses, as well as child care.

In Bonding, SCARE doctorands are offered a collection of measures for creating, enforcing, and experiencing a "team spirit” among them. Examples beyond the graduate seminar are self-organized conception workshops, self-initiated peer-coaching groups, guidance of master and bachelor students working towards their theses in the context of SCARE as well as guiding and supervising research students, a Common Room serving as an exclusive meeting space for young researchers and peers, and the election of a speaker of collegiates and stipend holds who serves as confident as well as contact person with the peers.

In Progress, emphasis is put on assuring steady improvement and development of collegiates and stipend holders. A Personal Committee consisting of two peers and the young researcher will be installed. It meets at least once every six months and accompanies the young researcher during his or her entire PhD project. The peers may be chosen by the young researcher while considering the particular research topic. In its meetings the Personal Committee reviews the progress of the young researcher since the last meeting and decides on subsequent, required actions to be taken. The collegiates and stipend holders are required to formally report to his or her Personal Committee. Additional instruments are the formal PhD proposal and the Internal Colloquium to be mastered at the end of year 3.

In Exchange, interaction with the international research community is fostered by visits of foreign guest researchers at Oldenburg as well as visits of up to two months of our young researchers at cooperating research institutions abroad. It is accompanied by visiting and presenting research results at international conferences, alone as well as in company of (research) students possibly involved in a publication to be presented.

Furthermore, SCARE researchers may subscribe to a structured qualification program called OLWiN (Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs in Oldenburg). In OLWiN, guidance and assistance in a) career planning, b) scientific work methodology, c) communication and (self-) presentation skills, d) leader skills for academia, e) English for academics, and f) scientific communication skills are given. Besides offering qualification programs to young researchers, the Graduate Academy of the University of Oldenburg serves as an "umbrella organization" providing particular services for dedicated graduate programmes.