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EUA is a leading voice in doctoral education in Europe. The Association works with members to strengthen their doctoral research capacity and tackle pressing topics for the European doctoral education community. Notably, EUA has widely contributed to doctoral education reform in Europe, as well as research training.
The Association primarily carries out this work through the EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE), a special membership service which promotes collaboration and exchange of good practices. EUA-CDE is the largest European network in the field. It covers 38 countries and brings together a community of academic leaders and professionals from more than 280 universities.
Get to know EUA-CDE
EUA-CDE is the driving force behind the creation and implementation of the “Salzburg Principles and Recommendations”. In this context, its efforts have resulted in strengthening doctoral education at the intersection between the European Higher Education and Research Areas.
In its many activities related to doctoral education, EUA-CDE focuses on topics like research ethics and integrity, career paths in and outside of academia, internationalisation, Open Science and the wellbeing of doctoral candidates.
Discover EUA-CDE’s vision for the future of doctoral education
Postdoctoral researchers are important contributors to European higher education, playing significant roles in research, but also in teaching and societal engagement. ...
University R&I, and its synergies with education and service to society, is the premier gateway to the knowledge and skills needed for scientific progress and sustainable societal development. ...
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 emergin ...
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 strat ...
Scholars in many parts of the world are experiencing threats to their careers, liberty, and even their lives. Many of these at-risk researchers have to leave their countries in order to find refuge, s ...
Based on data collected in 2021 by the International Association of Universities (IAU), Michael Gaebel and Henriette Stoeber reflect on the impact of the pandemic on European higher education. ...
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 ...
The process to renew the European Research Area (ERA) is gathering pace and is set to continue in the coming weeks, months and years. Building on previous policy positions, this policy input further e ...
Granting refuge and academic freedom to scholars and students, who had to flee persecution and wars in their home countries and regions, is an eminent function of universities. Over the past decades, ...
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 ...
This article aims to map the landscape of teaching and learning excellence prizes across higher education and research institutions in Europe, to evaluate their impact on the recognition and assurance ...
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 ...
EUA welcomes the document as a sound draft, though still in need of essential amendments. The document, as stated, should function as a framework for institutional and national codes and pra ...
The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the continued implementation of reforms in doctoral education building on the Salzburg Principles and Recommendations. It is directed at ...
As defined in the Salzburg Recommendations, internationalisation is a significant component of developing the quality of research and of doctoral education within universities. At the s ...
The project “Promoting Collaborative Doctoral Education for Enhanced Career Opportunities” (DOC-CAREERS II) looked at how universities work with their business and other non-university partne ...
Major concrete results have been achieved by EUA with its large membership in moving forward the implementation of European Research Area policies and raising further awareness of their importance. Su ...
Quality assurance and doctoral education have been elements of the Bologna Process since the 2003 ministerial meeting in Berlin, but until rather recently, they have been developing on two differ ...
Abstract The ORPHEUS/AMSE1/WFME2 PhD standards document, published January 2012, is a practical tool for quality assurance of PhD programmes. Another document, the new PhD principles document: &ldquo ...
Abstract The main purpose of the paper is to present the concept for assessment of the doctoral programmes implemented by PKA as an important supplement of the institutional evaluation. The paper pre ...
Abstract The process of adaptation to the challenges in the European Higher Education Area, lead to the development of an Integrated Quality System at IST (SIQuIST), consolidating the quality culture ...
The starting point for the CODOC project was the need to develop a new, global approach to doctoral education, taking into account the development of new means of communication and easi ...
In 2005, the Salzburg Principles were established in the Bologna Process as the basis of the reforms for doctoral education. In the half decade that has passed since then, Europe’s univers ...
This report, “Collaborative Doctoral Education: University-Industry Partnerships for Enhancing Knowledge Exchange” presents the findings of the project “DOC-CAREERS: From Innovati ...
At the first-ever global meeting on graduate education, "The Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education" held in Banff, Canada on August 31, 2007, higher education leaders from North Americ ...
Doctoral education is a major priority for European universities and for EUA. In the context of the Bologna Process the importance of doctoral education as the third cycle of higher education and ...
This report aims to provide EUA members and other stakeholders in higher education and research with a broad view of the current landscape of doctoral programmes in Europe. EUA is grateful t ...
The Bologna Seminar on ''Doctoral Programmes for the European Knowledge Society'' provided the first major forum to discuss the new Action Line in the Bologna Process entitled “European Higher Educa ...
The European University Association is pleased to announce that it is strengthening its Secretariat with the appointment of a new senior team member. ...
VLIR's Mind the GAP is an online training tool for researchers on Good Academic Research Practices (GAP). ...
In a joint statement, the European University Association (EUA), the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN), Aurora Universities, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universiti ...
The European University Association is pleased to announce that the Association’s Council has endorsed three candidates for the position of EUA President for the period 2023-2027: ...
EUA has launched a survey to capture the experience of the European higher education sector with the Erasmus+ programme 2021-27. The results will notably feed into the Association’s contribution to ...
The EU-funded iRECS project will provide training material for research ethics committee members and other stakeholders to help them deal with the ethical issues of new and emerging technologies. ...
The European University Association (EUA) has joined the “Improving Research Ethics Expertise and Competencies to Ensure Reliability and Trust in Science” (iRECS) project. ...
Last week, the EUA Council for Doctoral Education has released a new publication entitled “Building the Foundations of Research - a Vision for the Future of Doctoral Education in Europe” that iden ...
The EuroScience Open Forum 2022 (ESOF2022) will take place from 13 to 16 July 2022 in Leiden, the Netherlands. Several EUA colleagues will organise and contribute to various sessions during the confer ...
EUA-CDE has published a new report on the findings of the 2020 Thematic Peer Group on “Co-tutelles and Joint Doctorates”. The report outlines the conclusions of this second EUA-CDE Thematic Peer ...
EUA and other associations representing European universities, research performing organisations, research funding organisations, research libraries, and repositories in Europe have released a joint s ...
The secretariat of the Education Department of the Council of Europe launched a call for applications for the Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity. The deadline for applications is ...
Scholars at Risk – Ireland and ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, organise the online conference “Academic freedom and intellectual dissent” on 8 June, from ...
The Education Department of the Council of Europe launched the application period for Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity during Covid-19, open until 20 August. ...
Ghent University’s Research Department organises a MSCA Master Class for incoming postdocs on 20 – 21 May 2021. Applications are open until 19 April. ...
The University of Aveiro in Portugal organises an intensive training session on Innovation and Global Engagement in Doctoral Education from 25 to 27 March. Registrations are open until 31 January. ...
The EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) brought together 225 participants on 7 and 8 June to discuss excellence through diversity in doctoral education. Hosted by the University of Ljubljana, ...
Registrations for the 11th EUA-CDE Annual Meeting “Excellence through diversity: Doctoral education in a globalised world” are now open. The event will be hosted by the University of Ljubljana on ...
Implementing an ethos of research integrity has become a crucial challenge for academic leaders and professionals working on doctoral education. Universities are facing uncharted ethical questions ste ...
Save the date! ...
More information will follow in September. ...
The 2024 EUA-CDE Thematic Workshop addressed the multiple dimensions of leadership in doctoral education. To meet today’s large-scale, complex societal challenges and to respond to the big transform ...
The 2024 EUA-CDE Annual Meeting focused on the topic of data from various perspectives. Hosted by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, it discussed this topic by looking into the available data on ...
Photos taken during the event are now available! The 2023 EUA-CDE Annual Meeting will focus on the different dimensions of communication in doctoral education and developing comprehen ...
The 2023 EUA-CDE Thematic Workshop will focus on how universities can develop a strategic approach to sustainability in doctoral education, while maintaining key principles and values. Topics ...
The EUA Council for Doctoral Education is organising an online focus group on 20 January. The event contributes to the development of a new EUA-CDE vision paper on the future of doctoral educa ...
The 2022 EUA-CDE Annual Meeting ddressed the question of time and timing, taking a close look at this key issue for doctoral education. Through workshops and sessions in various format ...
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In the light of the current coronavirus pandemic, the EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) chose to replace the 2020 EUA-CDE Annual Meeting with a series of online sessions and a webin ...
Nowadays, doctoral candidates pursue different careers both inside and outside of academia. Many will become highly qualified knowledge workers for the public and private sectors, while others ...
Recording of the webinar is available on the EUA YouTube Channel. Doctoral education is at the forefront for the future of research, but how does its current landscape look like today in Euro ...
The Annual Meeting of EUA-CDE is the largest and most comprehensive event dedicated to European doctoral education. It is an opportunity for all stakeholders in doctoral education from Europe ...
The EUA-CDE thematic workshops provide a forum for exchange and discussion between members. The tenth edition focused on ethics and integrity in doctoral education and research training. ...
The EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) was proud to present its 10th annual meeting, titled ‘Doctoral Education and Harnessing Digital Possibilities’. The event was hosted by Tal ...
The EUA-CDE Thematic Workshop on doctoral education reform in Europe reflected on the impact and outcomes of newly implemented practices and institutional structures. ...
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of EUA-CDE, the Meeting highlights diversity as an enduring characteristic and strength of doctoral education in Europe. ...
The 2019 EUA-CDE Annual Meeting explored the many aspects involved in the larger social contribution of doctoral candidates and doctoral schools and their exchange with various sectors of soci ...
The 2019 EUA-CDE Thematic Workshop will focus on inter-institutional collaboration in doctoral education. Participants will reflect on how universities with different goals and levels of devel ...
Reflecting on progress made in the enhancement of quality, transparency and mobility over the past two decades, early findings from the QA-FIT project provide some noteworthy insights into the sector ...
FAIR data is an essential component of the open research ecosystem. In this article, Alexander Refsum Jensenius argues that "FAIRification" can also benefit research-based and research-led education, ...
For Anders Ahlbäck, universities must embrace inter- and transdisciplinary education to equip students with the skills to tackle sustainability challenges. Here, he presents an approach to achieving ...
Can, and should, quality assurance play a greater role in ensuring that common academic values are respected? EUA’s Maria Kelo examines recent debates on the scope of QA in higher education. Qualit ...
As places of teaching and learning, how can universities tangibly create a culture of togetherness and well-being? Here, Jochen Schellinger explains Bern University of Applied Sciences’ efforts to d ...
The culture of interdisciplinarity and co-creation is one of the strongest assets of research and innovation in the quest for sustainability. As honest brokers and exponents of this approach, universi ...
Universities must rethink the way they address digital transformation. Strategic planning must evolve to take advantage of opportunities in the digital world and organisations must learn to use data m ...
In May 2022, the world of higher education met for the first UNESCO World Higher Education Conference in over a decade. Here, after returning from the event in Barcelona, EUA’s Thomas Jørgensen rec ...
The European University Association’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) has outstanding experience in conducting institutional evaluations. Here, our quality assurance experts Elena Cirlan an ...
What will the future hold in terms of geopolitics, digitalisation and democracy? How will this affect universities? This University World News piece delves into different scenarios, offering a reflect ...
External quality assurance across the European Higher Education Area is highly diverse. EQAR’s Melinda Szabo maps the situation through the rich datasets of the Database of External Quality Assuranc ...
A new EUA study reveals that higher education institutions in Europe are highly engaged in activities that address environmental challenges and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ...
Sustainability is an important issue for universities. At Trinity College Dublin, the current strategic plan articulates sustainability as a priority supported by two goals: alignment to the UN Sustai ...
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the European University Association, Andrée Sursock analyses two decades of transformation and renewal in Europe’s higher education landscape, and charts ...
Gathering feedback is a key element in internal quality assurance. However, “closing the feedback loop” requires acting on the data gathered and informing respondents about the subsequent actions ...
As the world faces complex challenges, universities are taking the time to reflect about the future strategically. How do we want Europe’s universities to look in ten years? What should be their rol ...
We enter into a New Year, a world more enriched and more impoverished than just 12 months ago. We have endured great loss of life, a heavy burden of illness and deep economic shock. Yet, lessons from ...
In a rapidly-changing labour market, how can students be prepared to be citizens of the world, as well as the future job creators and workers? Wyn Morgan and Catherine O’Mahony look at the definitio ...
The radical digitalisation of higher education due to the Covid-19 crisis offers an opportunity to engage in deeper institutional change addressing the digital and green transitions. As Natalia Timus ...
Fair recognition in the European Higher Education Area can only be fully achieved if practices in higher education institutions are more systematically addressed. As Jenneke Lokhoff at Nuffic points o ...
As reflected by the European Green Deal, the environmental revolution is likely the main challenge of the 21st century. And it is a great opportunity for Europe to take the lead. But, according to Kar ...
The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) have led to major developments, however there are now proposals for revisions. EUA expert Tia Loukkola lo ...
As universities across Europe move to online learning and teaching amid the coronavirus crisis, questions might arise about what steps may be needed to ensure quality. EUA expert Tia Loukkola explains ...
What would be the most effective way forward for universities to promote social dimension in their respective contexts? EUA expert Tia Loukkola discusses the role that quality assurance can play and i ...
Research assessment practices are becoming more accurate, transparent and responsible. This is partly due to the sharp increase in external evaluations of universities that lead to internal evaluation ...
A new year brings new opportunities to address global challenges. EUA President Michael Murphy addresses university leaders and the crucial role of higher education in discovering solutions to urgent ...
Cross-border quality assurance has been slow in the making over the past two decades. However, as EUA’s Tia Loukkola explains, a new political context in Europe and the launch of new networks and co ...
The quality of student assessment is one of the major concerns in Europe’s universities. Emmanuel Sylvestre from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland discusses the issues related to student ass ...
Will quality assurance as we know it remain relevant amid the changing higher education landscape? What changes are needed? EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives an overview of the diverse questions to be addres ...
The Global Convention on Recognition will provide a strong instrument for higher education institutions in dealing with the increasing global mobility of students. Allan Bruun Pedersen, Vice-President ...
How can universities frame their internal quality assurance and shake up the image of the bureaucratic burden? EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives us three approaches and tells us why the most effective proces ...
Universities together with business partners are the motors of regional development. As EUA’s Lidia Borrell-Damian and Thomas Jorgensen explain, by fostering the link between education, research and ...
External quality assurance reports are publicly available, demonstrating transparency and building trust and confidence in the quality of higher education. As EQAR’s Colin Tück explains, a new data ...
Reports produced by quality assurance agencies can be used in many ways, including in policy-making. As EUA’s Tia Loukkola explains, there is much room for bettering the accessibility and use of inf ...
Why should sustainable development be on universities’ agendas? Monika Skadborg from the European Students’ Union discusses the purpose of higher education institutions and why it is strategically ...
Universities have a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and it is clear that they are ready to face the challenge. However, as EUA’s Thomas Jorgensen explains, universities still ...
Quality assurance and the enhancement of learning and teaching are no longer exclusively the responsibility of those with the explicit responsibilities attached to their job titles. As EUA’s Tia Lou ...
Research-based education is happening in Europe, but there are clear challenges with how it is defined and understood. Bjørn Stensaker from the University of Oslo breaks down the topic and makes some ...
New approaches to quality assurance in different regions of the world are contributing to a global dimension in the field. EUA’s Tia Loukkola takes note of frameworks in Africa, Asia and Europe, exa ...
It is at the apex of higher education, research and innovation, but issues around integrity and employability must be addressed for doctoral education to continue to thrive, says Luke Georghiou. Ambi ...
In the Upper Rhine region, the universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace and Strasbourg together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are breaking new ground in cross-border cooperation. The ...
The research ethics process is facing increasing challenges posed by new technologies and social developments. ...
InSPIREurope is a Europe-wide initiative to support researchers who are at risk due to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence. Funded under the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Cu ...
“Yebo! Development of the Internationalization of PhD Studies in South-Africa” (2017-20) is an Erasmus+ funded project focused on further developing the internationalisation of doctoral education ...
The FRINDOC project was managed by a consortium of six partners, coordinated by EUA, and consisting of the University of Hong Kong, Stellenbosch University, Imperial College London, the University of ...
Europe’s universities are increasingly developing partnerships in their research and innovation missions, embracing the “Open Innovation model” of university-business collaboration and seeking t ...
The call for participation for the 2025 EUA-CDE Thematic Peer Group on “Doctoral schools: building bridges beyond academia” is now open. ...