The junior professorship is an official title for a position in the teaching staff of German universities. In 2002, this position in the group of university lecturers was introduced with the fifth novella of the Framework Act for Higher Education. Its purpose is to enable young scientists and academics with an outstanding doctorate to do independent research and to teach at universities before having completed their habilitation (equivalent to postdoc). Furthermore, this position is supposed to qualify them for a lifetime professorship. Description Tasks Tasks of junior professors at universities do not differ considerably from those of other professors. They mainly consist of independent university research and teaching according to Humboldt's educational ideal. The junior professorship is a limited qualification position with lower income, fewer equipment and less teaching obligations. The latter are set by the state regulations and usually consist of a total of four to five semester hours per week for junior professors, compared to other professors who have a total of eight to nine. Recruitment process An outstanding doctorate is usually the hiring requirement. Overall, the employment before the doctorate and as a postdoctoral researcher should not take longer than six years (in medicine nine years). Those regulations can change depending on the state. While the respective professorship decides on the occupation of their habilitation positions and can leave out job postings, the decision to occupy junior professors is made by an appointment committee. The reason for this is to increase transparency and clarity of the criteria for the decision making. Historical development Origin and goals Between 1969 and 1974, several states in Germany already introduced the assistant professorship (Assistenzprofessur). This dates back to the demands of the conference of federal assistants (Bundesassistentenkonferenz) and the Concept for Higher Education from Kreuznach (Kreuznacher Hochschulkonzept), which pursued similar goals as the junior professorship. However, the assistant professorship was abolished by the first Framework Act for Higher Education from 1976, as a result of reservations from professors and criticism on the side of future job candidates (the mid-level academic positions "akademischer Mittelbau"). They criticized the fixed-term contract and the lack of prospect of gaining a civil servant status. During the preparation period of the junior professorship, other expressions were also used interchangeably such as: "Assistenzprofessur", "Qualifikationsprofessur" and "Nachwuchsprofessur". Switzerland and Austria already introduced the assistant professorship some years before 2002. The assistant professorship in Switzerland is only partly comparable to