PhD research training
Fellows carry out research projects as agreed with their individual thesis committee in the participating research groups, and are integrated in their internal and international networks and collaborations, and in the scientific environment of the university.
The fellows participate in research group seminars and special lectures on the topics of their specific groups, and participate in discussions and collaborations with other MSc and PhD students and postdocs in the groups. These "regular" courses and activities are in accordance with the implemented PhD curricula at UIBK for the various involved scientific disciplines. The curricula are scheduled for three years (six terms), which is equivalent to 180 ECTS credits, of which 25 ECTS credits are attained through mostly elective training courses.
In addition to the field specific courses, fellows should participate in several of the interdisciplinary DOCC courses and retreats, which address common research issues, problems and tools of relevance for all fellows and participating research groups:
DOCC specific training programme
- DOCC interdisciplinary advanced research training (read more...)
- DOCC transferable skill training programme (read more...)
The MSCA PhD training plus
The DOCC programme is based on the three essential "inter"-related training elements, which are inherent to EU funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA):
Interdisciplinary training
- Discipline specific research through experienced main supervision and training in research groups
- Co-supervision by the second (and optionally third) supervisor from another discipline
- Joint DOCC training programme with interdisciplinary and soft-skill courses, workshops and schools
- Multi-disciplinary projects: e.g. peer-instruction workshops and methodological research clusters
International mobility
- Transnational mobility of the incoming ESR
- Possibility of research secondment to international academic partner institutions
- Participation in international conferences and workshops
- International research networks of the supervisors facilitate development of individual collaborations
Intersectoral contacts
- Practical experience through possibility for secondments to industry and public-sector partners
- Individual mentoring by alumni now working outside of academia
- Training in transferable skills (including communication skills) as part of the formal programme
- Guest lectures and training by intersectoral experts from industry, transfer services, and media
Training and research partners
All supervisors maintain many international collaborations with possibilities for specific research visits of fellows to partner universities all over the world. We have procured 12 formal academic partner organisations from Europe, USA, Asia, Africa and Australia, that together offer 24 international research secondment options with individual durations between 4 and 24 weeks, so that the 15 fellows will have some choice between several suitable institutions. More options for research visits to additional institutions may become further available informally.
Regarding the intersectoral cooperations, we put an emphasis on regional industrial partner companies to strengthen research, development and innovation in key technological fields within Tyrol and Austria. 12 intersectoral partner organisations have offered possibilities for overall 18 non-academic secondments with relations to modelling and simulation for various commercial and public applications, and more contribute individually to training, for example by providing presentations or mentorships. During intersectoral secondments the fellows will get valuable insights into work flows and processes, implementation of applications, and other practical work experiences in the industrial sector. Through the availability of 18 options for 12 fellows, each fellow is guaranteed to be able to attend a secondment, with some possibility of choice between the secondment options. More options may informally become available later, so that fellows could have an even broader choice.
Participation in at least one of the two secondment possibilities is mandatory for fellows if they want to receive a formal DOCC "Diploma Supplement" certificate (in addition to the official PhD degree certificate), which attests successful participation in the DOCC programme on top of the usual PhD curriculum.
Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 847476.
