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Doctoral Studies A Joint Vision with Common Challenges

Doctoral Studies A Joint Vision with Common Challenges. UNICA General Assembly Bratislava, 14-16 October 2004 M. Gabriela Fernandes. Definition of Doctoral Study (University of Vienna). Institutionally supervised research project carried out by an young academic

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Doctoral Studies A Joint Vision with Common Challenges

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  1. Doctoral Studies A Joint Vision with Common Challenges UNICA General Assembly Bratislava, 14-16 October 2004 M. Gabriela Fernandes

  2. Definition of Doctoral Study(University of Vienna) • Institutionally supervised research project carried out by an young academic • Goal: acquiring capability & demonstrate quality in carrying out independent original scientific research • Doctorate: original research work (Dissertation) & a final examination (Rigorosum)

  3. Short overview on models of Doctoral Studies S, CH, FS -- Doctoral Studies, Doctoral School D, F -- (Intern.) Doctoral Studies (+ Cotutelles de Thèse) -- Intern. Max-Planck-Research School on Astrophys. Examples for a stronger Professional Orientation: ESO -- Intern. ESO Studentship Programme (D & Chile) USA -- Mid-Atlantic Center for Mathematics Teaching and Learning (MAC-MTL) (Doctoral & Post-Doctoral) (having Austria / University of Vienna in mind...)

  4. Admission: • bottom up candidature • submission within calls (open field or specific PhD research projects) • restricted to universities from member states • restricted by number per Study / research field • selection check after the first year (by 4 years Doctoral Study)

  5. Admission requirements & selection procedure: • Formal: • Certificate of Master Degree or equivalente • Cotutelles: support by an agreement between the 2 institutions • Eligibility as PhD at the home institution • Restricted to students who have funding for the entire period

  6. Quality: • Restricted to excellence (Good – Very Good) • Capability to carry out postgraduate doctoral research • Doctorate must be in the interest of the faculty • Selection: • evaluation Board, Doctoral Committee, Department of Postgraduate Studies • Doctoral School and/or Supervisor, Lab director

  7. Foreign candidates access: • Foreign PhD students have access for a limited period of time • Cotutelles: citizenship or residence in one of the partner countries • Open to candidates from all countries

  8. Foreign candidates access requirements: • Exchange agreement or similar • Excellence, quality & scientific interest • Recognised quality of the supervisors & existence of a collaboration at the supervisors level • Financial support guarantee from the home institution (ESO)

  9. Foreign PhDs language requirements: • No formal requirements • Well defined for both the courses & PhD work • If not German or English native language, than TOEFL or IELTS required

  10. Status during Doctoral Study: • (may vary within the same institution) • Doctoral Student, Doctoral Fellow • Professionals (large majority employed as Assistants)teaching assignments to the undergraduate level and other duties in the institution

  11. Main characteristics: • Duration:~ 3-4 year • Doctoral Schools as strategy instruments within the institution • Cotutelles: based on bilateral agreements • PhD Students as Professionals are required to fulfill a number of additional requirements (undergraduate courses, Symposia, Book seminars, smooth running of their research unit)

  12. Financing: • Diverse: institutional, nat., intern., private, own funding • Cotutelles: extra funding for exchange periods additionally ruled • Through a major grant from the national Funding Agency (ex.: NSF, SNF, FWF, DFG)

  13. Why discuss Joint Doctoral Studies? • Basic assumptions:ONE of different valuable models! Different disciplines have different needs in different countries and institutionsEither a new defined or a modular accorded curricula • Rapid exchange / complementary of knowledge, methods & experience • Increase employability of young researchers • Promotion of quality standards & quality assurance

  14. Which added value and synergy can be expected from Joint Doctoral Studies? (Austria - legal basis on place) University of Vienna views: • Capitalize education & research • Visibility & critical mass (brain drain-gain equilibrium) • Support institutional strategic focus & priority fields • Development of new sub-fields capitalizing existing expertise • Increase competitiveness

  15. Which challenges do we face in the implementation of Joint Doctoral Studies? • Different admission standards & procedures • Compatibility of curricula in all 3 cycles easy Joint PhD • Legal aspects (free move of PhD’s, their status, maternity leave, etc.) • Competition between cooperating institutions (Student – Fellow – Professional) • Language requirements underline inequality of chances (independently from the scientific skills & excellence) • Precary financial support difficults the envolvement of economically less favoured

  16. Goal:Attracting resources and skills, target excellence Bottom up approach: researchers, existing research activities Top down approach: institutional strategy instrument (filling gaps) (“Innovation / Originality doesn’t happen by decrete”) Choice of partners and decision upon curricula: responsibility of academics and researchers Duration:~ 3 years in average for a PhD; Joint Doctoral School should run for ~ 10 years. Related implementation issues:

  17. Dimension: 5-10 faculty, 10-20 PhD Students, 10-20% PostDocs (?) • Share of infrastructure and equipment: needs & costs vary with field (case by case agreement) • Exchange of students and faculty: agree on minimum/maximum levels • Legal issues: rule through agreement or contract (IPR, work contracts, partner funding contributions, conflicts, ethik issues, knowledge transfer & commercialisation, etc) • Administrative support: for agreements & cooperation contracts, legal & joint curricular issues, allocation of funding, quality assurance & monitoring, etc.

  18. The costs of excellence: dealing with financial aspects of Joint Doctoral Studies • Salary costs = [PhD Students + Gast Researchers, exchange Faculty + Post-Doctoral positions + administrative staff] • Material, equipment (vary from field to field) • Travel & Allocation costs • Additional measures like Symposia, Workshops • Publication & dissemination of scientific results; Translation costs (official documents, contracts, Diploma)

  19. Calculation basis (examples): • Doctoral School (University of Vienna) outstanding researchers teams 5-12 researchers duration: 12 years (mid-term evaluation every 3 yr) funding volume: 340 – 680 kEuro/yrdimension: 10-20 PhD-St., 1-2 Post-Docs, Adm. support • Science College CMS (Uni Vienna, Tech. Uni Vienna) 4 Institutes, start Autumn 1998, 2 positive mid-term evaluationsuntil now 8 PhD theses finished Present Status: 8 Professors (Faculty), 12 Post-docs, 13 PhD Students, 7 undergraduates

  20. Salaries ~ 500.000,00 Euro / year Travel & Allocation ~ 50.000,00 Euro / year Additional costs ~ 15.000,00 Euro / year subTOTAL ~ 565.000,00 Euro / year • Overhead / Infrastructure costs not included • Material costs Molecularbiology, Genetic... add ~ 12.000,00 Euro / Student / yr

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