The Industrial Doctorates Plan is a strategy by the Catalan Government, in collaboration with the Catalan universities, which aims to increase the competitiveness and internationalisation of companies in Catalonia, retain talent and give doctoral students the opportunity to undertake R+D+I projects whilst working at a company. To do this, the Catalan Government provides funding to doctoral students enrolled at Catalan universities, to established research groups and to companies in all sectors that have a base in Catalonia.
The core element of this strategy is the Industrial Doctorate project, which is characterised by a doctoral student receiving their research training by carrying out a strategic research project at a company and in collaboration with a research group. The project will form the subject of a doctoral thesis that in turn will lead to the awarding of the Industrial Doctorate distinction on the doctoral degree certificate.
For further information, please email escoladedoctorat(ELIMINAR)@urv.cat
If you are a company or entity interested in industrial doctorates, consult: Doctorat industrial a la teva empresa
Information for student
What does it consist of?
It is not a scholarship. It is a funding grant for doctoral tuition fees, international stays, conferences, workshops and the publication of articles, which is managed through the Research Group to which you will be affiliated as a researcher. The grant lasts for three years, even if you submit your thesis later.
The company will employ you as a worker for three years at a minimum salary of €22,000 per annum. It may be the case that you are already employed by the company; if this is so, you must still receive at least the minimum salary of €22,000.
You must be registered for a university doctoral programme and, upon successful completion, you will be awarded an Industrial Doctorate.
Your research will be conducted in the form of a project that is related to the company's strategic interests, and you will be supervised by a company supervisor and your thesis director.
You will have to complete 60 hours of cross-disciplinary training, that is 30 hours provided by the Catalan Government and a further 30 hours of activities or courses relating to one or more of the following business-relevant competencies:
- Leadership, coordination and management of R&D&I projects and negotiation.
- Evaluation and transfer of research results.
- Development of new businesses: entrepreneurship and sources of funding.
- Protection of research results (industrial and intellectual property).
The Doctoral School's Cross-Disciplinary Training includes activities and courses that develop these skills and, as is the case with all doctoral students at URV, you will also receive information about cross-disciplinary training by email.
The company may also offer you this type of training, in addition to the specific training you will receive as an employee.
It is worth noting that, by working in a company, you will not only enter the job market directly, but you will also have the opportunity to establish contacts and professional relationships that will serve you in your future career.
How can you access it?
If you are not a doctoral student, you must hold an official master's degree or an equivalent qualification that enables you to access doctoral studies. Your weighted average grade for this qualification must be 6.50 or higher.
Your grant application will be submitted by the company or the research group; however, in order for them to do so, you must first apply as a candidate for the project and be selected. You can find how to do this at Buscant candidats/es, which will direct you to the projects that are looking for candidates and that are registered for at URV. When you click on a project that interests you, information will appear on how to register as a candidate.
If you are selected, you must send to the company or research group (whoever is responsible for submitting your application) the academic certificates of the postgraduate qualification that enables you to access the doctorate and your admission or registration document for the doctoral programme.
When will you receive the grant?
First you must wait for the decision to find out if you have been awarded the grant. If the decision is positive, you must indicate your acceptance of the grant by submitting the required documents.
There are 2 types of aid: jointly funded grant and specific grant.
The grant starts on the date of the contract issued by the company. If you are already an employee of the company, the start date is the date of the resolution, although it may be later if deem it more appropriate by the company and the research group.
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For further information, please email escoladedoctorat(ELIMINAR)@urv.cat |
Frequently Asked Questions
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What happens if I cannot submit my thesis when the 3 years of the grant end? |
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If you do not submit your thesis at the end of the 3-year grant and you have funds remaining, you can apply for a one-year extension to use up your funding. |
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Can I switch from full-time to part-time? |
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If you have the jointly funded three-year grant, you cannot switch from full-time to part-time until the three years of the grant have ended. |
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What is the difference between the jointly funded grant and the specific grant for a doctoral student? |
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In both cases, the grant received by the doctoral student is the same. However, if you register for the doctoral programme on a part-time basis, you will receive the specific grant, which only affects the funding from the company and the research group. |
Information for research group
What does it consist of?
Your research group will help design the doctoral thesis with the doctoral student, who will then conduct the research within one of the company's research projects. The project will be aligned with the company's strategic interests, and it will be conducted in collaboration with an established research group.
The company must employ the doctoral student for three years and pay them a minimum gross annual salary of €22,000.
The thesis supervisor must be a member of an SGR group, an ICREA researcher, or hold a European Research Council grant.
The doctoral student will have to undertake 60 hours of training in cross-disciplinary business skills, 30 hours of which will be delivered by the Catalan Government.
The Doctoral School's Cross-Disciplinary Training includes activities and courses covering the cross-disciplinary skills required for Industrial Doctorates.
Candidate/student requirements to obtain the grant
In order to be eligible for the grant, the candidate must:
- Have a weighted average grade of 6.50 or higher for the qualification that enables them to access the doctorate.
- Be admitted to or registered for a doctoral programme.
Funding
Funding is provided for 3 years and there are two types of grant: the jointly funded grant and the specific grant.
The grants awarded are subject to the tax regime in force at the time of award.
Jointly funded grant
- Funding for the doctoral student: up to €10,800 over 3 years (€3,600 per year) for tuition fees, mobility, training and article publication.
- Funding for the research group: up to €22,800 over 3 years (€7,600 per year).
- Funding for the company: up to €22,800 over three years (€7,600 per year).
If the doctoral student has been working for the company for 12 months at the time of application, the company must waive the grant if the decision is positive.
Specífic grant
- Funding for the doctoral student: up to a maximum of €10,800 over 3 years (€3,600 per year) for tuition fees, mobility, training and article publication.
- Funding for the research group: up to a maximum of €8,400 over 3 years (€2,800 per year).
In this modality, the company does not receive funding for specific aid, which is granted when the company is an entity in the public sector of the Generalitat (departments, delegations and territorial services), the work center is outside Catalonia or for any other business reason described in the rules of the call.
Steps to follow
1. Project submission and public offer
To initiate the collaboration agreement between the university and the company, the company or research group must complete pages 1 to 4 of the project form and send it to doctorats.industrials.reu(ELIMINAR)@gencat.cat , with a copy to convenisepd(ELIMINAR)@urv.cat.
The Catalan Government will publish project proposals on the Industrial Doctorates website so that interested parties can submit their applications. During this period, the Catalan Government will send companies/research groups a list of the applications received. The industrial doctorate project will remain published on the website for a minimum of five working days.
2. Application submission
To be eligible for the Industrial Doctorate training scheme, the student must register as a candidate for one of the URV projects published on the Industrial Doctorate website. The student must complete the "TO BE COMPLETED BY THE CANDIDATE" section of the form and email a signed copy to doctorats.industrials.reu(ELIMINAR)@gencat.cat .
If the student's application is successful, they must pre-register or be registered for the URV doctoral programme indicated in the project.
3. Collaboration Agreement
The company and the university must sign a collaboration agreement, which is a prerequisite for the grant to be awarded and will be invalid if the decision to award the grant is negative.
In cases where there is more than one entity on either the academic side or the business side, the distribution of the call's funding must be agreed upon, and a coordinator must be appointed for the parties on the side concerned.
Please note that, although the agreement is managed at the URV by the Doctoral School, all agreements signed by the Rector must be reviewed and approved by various management units. For this reason, the application process must be initiated as early as possible.
While the project form only contains a brief description of the project, the collaboration agreement includes the following annexes:
- Annex 1. Description of the research project.
- Annex 2. Doctoral student's work plan.
4. Selection of the candidate
Before the outcome of the selection process is published, the company/research group must ask for the Industrial Doctorate advertisement to be closed.
5. Application for the grant
The company or research group must submit the application via the Catalan Government's Online Procedures Office.
The application must include:
- The application form, with the basic details of the project, the company, the university, the doctoral programme, the research group and the doctoral student.
- The collaboration agreement.
- The official candidate selection document.
- The academic transcripts of the qualification that enables the selected doctoral student to access the doctorate.
- The admission or registration document of the relevant doctoral programme.
6. Resolution and acceptance of the grant
Once the application has been approved, the company or research group has 60 calendar days to submit the grant acceptance documents, also via the online portal.
The acceptance forms must state the project start date, which must be on or after the date of the resolution. If the doctoral student is already an employee of the company, the project start date will be the date of the resolution.
For further information, please email escoladedoctorat(ELIMINAR)@urv.cat
Doctoral Degree
Industrial Doctorate award
The Industrial Doctorate award is generally given to doctoral candidates who have benefited from the Industrial Doctorates scheme of the Catalan Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Department of Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government.
Remuneration for the Industrial Doctorate Mention
The research group and the company (if it has received funding) will each receive a remuneration of €2,000 if the doctoral thesis is awarded the international distinction.
Call schedule
The call for Industrial Doctorates is open all year round. There are four application deadlines and four partial resolutions, with the final resolution in February of the following year.
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Application deadlines |
Grant decisions |
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First fortnight of April |
First fortnight of June (1st partial resolution) |
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First fortnight of June |
First fortnight of July (2nd partial resolution) |
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First half of October |
First half of December (3rd partial resolution) |
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First half of December |
First fortnight of February (4th partial resolution) |
You can find the exact dates for the deadlines to submit applications and for the partial decisions of the current call in the Industrial Doctorates Agenda.