The Integrated Research Training Group on Neurovascular Disease (IRTG-BrainVasc) is dedicated to advancing excellence in doctoral education and mentorship in the field of neurovascular research.

The program pursues two central goals:

1. to provide M.D. and Ph.D. doctoral candidates with a structured, high-quality research training program focused on neurovascular function and dysfunction, thereby addressing a current gap in the Munich research landscape; and
2. to strengthen supervisory quality by systematically training supervisors in effective mentoring and supervision. This innovative bilateral training approach—training both doctoral candidates and their supervisors—is implemented through the Train-the-Supervisor Program (TSP).

IRTG-BrainVasc builds on Munich’s outstanding infrastructure for graduate education, including the LMU Graduate Center, the TUM Graduate School, and the Munich Medical Research School (MMRS), the Graduate School of the LMU Medical Faculty. By leveraging these established resources, the program specifically targets the currently limited structured training opportunities in neurovascular research.

Ensuring high-quality supervision is an integral component of IRTG-BrainVasc. Supervisors participate in experience-exchange workshops developed by the LMU Graduate Center in collaboration with the MMRS, complemented by mandatory training courses on effective supervision, mentoring, and supporting doctoral candidates throughout their doctoral journey.

Through its integrated training activities for doctoral candidates and supervisors, as well as a strong emphasis on social and networking opportunities—such as self-organized doctoral clubs, symposia, workshops, and informal exchanges—IRTG-BrainVasc serves as a vibrant, cross-disciplinary networking platform for the next generation of neurovascular researchers.