EUA Council for Doctoral Education

Postdoctoral researchers are important contributors to European higher education, playing significant roles in research, but also in teaching and societal engagement.

The EUA Council for Doctoral Education has developed this publication at a time when global challenges such as the climate crisis and the need to build a more sustainable planet, together with emerging opportunities (e.g. digitalisation), have led universities to a deep reflection on how doctoral education can further progress and remain open and observant of the core values of academia.

In recent years, co-tutelles de thèse have become increasingly popular among universities in Europe in the area of doctoral education as one of the main components of their internationalisation strategies.

This publication provides an up-to-date overview of important developments in doctoral education in Europe. It serves as a follow-up publication to the previous large-scale study “Doctoral education in Europe today: approaches and institutional structures” (2017-2018).

In recent years, European universities and other stakeholders have taken interest in career tracking in doctoral education as one of the ways to better understand the potential professional future of doctoral candidates.

The EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) organised a series of online sessions on the implications of the current coronavirus crisis on doctoral education. The sessions took place from 3-12 June and each session gathered between 50 and 80 representatives of EUA-CDE member universities.

This EUA-CDE report presents the results of an extensive and unique study on the state of play of doctoral education in Europe. Offering findings gathered from more than 300 institutions across Europe, it provides an overview of the deep transformation that has taken place in doctoral education over the past ten years.

By generating knowledge and scientific and technological breakthroughs, universities play a crucial role in advancing European societies.

The EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) conducted a focus group on implementing an ethos of research integrity in doctoral education on 24 and 25 October 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. The event was attended by academic leaders, doctoral education professionals and research ethics and integrity officers from 15 higher education institutions in 11 European countries.

The European University Association (EUA) survey on doctoral education in Europe, the aim of which was to give an insight into the status of doctoral education in Europe and inform the future work of EUA and its Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE), which brings together a community of academic leaders and doctoral education professionals from more than 230 universities in over 30 countries.