Doctoral School

General

What are the general characteristics and requirements?

  • Doctoral theses are developed within the framework of a collaboration agreement between a university (and, where appropriate, a research centre, a technology centre or a hospital foundation) and a company or several companies.

  • Doctoral candidates must have a thesis supervisor from the University or research centre and a supervisor appointed by the company.

  • Doctoral candidates must be selected jointly by the signatory parties of the collaboration agreement and must be accepted and admitted to the corresponding university doctoral programme.

  • The minimum average mark in candidates’ academic records for the degree that qualifies them for the doctoral programme must be at least 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

  • The thesis supervisor must be part of an active recognised research group (SGR) of the Government of Catalonia, a researcher in the ICREA programme or the recipient of funding from the European Research Council (ERC).

  • Doctoral students must work on the research project within the company and the University.

  • The company will cover the recruitment expenses for the doctoral student, who will receive a minimum annual gross salary of €22,000 for a period of 3 years, in addition to associated employer contributions.

  • Doctoral students must participate in training programmes in cross-disciplinary skills related to leading, coordinating and managing R&D&I projects; the transfer of research results; the development of start-ups; and intellectual and industrial property, among other relevant subjects.

  • The Government of Catalonia provides doctoral students with an annual fund for a period of three years (or 4 in the event of an extension). Eligible expenses are those corresponding to enrolment, mobility, training and article publication. The goal of mobility expenses is attendance to seminars and conferences related to the research project and visits to other offices of the company, other universities or research centres outside Catalonia. When a project is developed in a company based outside Catalonia, the fund can also be used for travelling to Catalonia.

  • All the theses defended in the framework of the Industrial Doctorates Plan will receive the Industrial Doctorate mention. The companies and academic supervisors will also receive recognition for their participation in the Plan.

  • A collaboration agreement shall be executed between the academic sphere and the business sphere for a duration of at least three years.
  • The applicant entities may request a justified extension of up to 1 year (beyond the initial 3 years) in order to complete the thesis and exhaust the available funds (no additional funding will be provided).

What types of financial aid are available?

There are two types, based on the execution of the project:

  1. Co-funded industrial doctorate projects.

  2. Industrial doctorate projects with specific financial aid.

Summary table:

Co-funding

Specific funding

Framework

Collaboration agreement between the signatories (publication of results, intellectual and industrial property rights, funding, etc.).

Academic sphere

Public and private universities within the university system of Catalonia, research centres, hospital foundations, and technology centres based in Catalonia.

The thesis supervisor must be a member of a current research group of the Government of Catalonia (SGR), a researcher in the ICREA programme, or a recipient of funding from the European Research Council (ERC grant).

Workplace

Catalonia

Catalonia and the European Union

Type of business / institutional sphere

Public and private companies. Non-profit foundations and associations, entities belonging to the local public sector, consortia with majority public participation, and municipalities.

Companies or entities with a work site in Catalonia or outside of Catalonia. Entities from the public sector of the Government of Catalonia can only apply for the specific aid modality.

Public funding for 3 years

Business sphere (€22,800)

Academic sphere (€22,800 for the Research Group + a €4,200 overhead)

(+ €2,000 for each of the spheres if there is an International Mention)

Doctoral candidate (€10,800)

 

Academic sphere (€8,400 for the Research Group + a €2,400 overhead)

(+ €2,000 for the academic sphere if there is an International Mention)

Doctoral candidate (€10,800)

Employment of PhD student
Business sphere
Business or academic sphere

Minimum gross salary
€22,000 per year

Duration

3 years

At least 3 years

Dedication to R&D project
Exclusively
Exclusively or part-time

Working hours distribution
To be agreed between the academic and business spheres

The following are excluded:

  • Research organisations or entities that depend on them.
  • Entities formally linked to management or promotion of the Industrial Doctorates Plan.
  • Centres affiliated with the universities.

What requirements must projects meet to qualify for co-funding?

  • Doctoral students must work full-time on the research project and be enrolled full-time.

  • Companies must hire doctoral candidates directly.

  • The company's workplace must be located in Catalonia.

What requirements must projects meet to qualify for specific financial aid?

This funding type is applicable in the following cases:

  1. The business sphere is unable to directly employ the doctoral candidate and agrees with the university to cover the employment costs for their hiring.

  2. The doctoral student cannot work full-time on the project and the doctoral thesis. Therefore, the duration of the agreement between the University and the company and of the doctoral project will be longer than three years.

  3. The workplace of the company is located outside Catalonia.

  4. Other cases different from those mentioned above and which are of special interest may be considered by the Selection Committee, as long as they are duly justified.

Queries: doctorat.industrial@upc.edu