EUROPEAN COMMISSION Head of Unit RTD B2 ERA Policy and Reform – Fabienne Gautier LERU Open Seminar on Innovative Doctoral Training Date: Tuesday 7 October 2014 Timing: 8.30 am till 4.30 pm Venue: Lombardy Region Delegation to the EU, Place du Champ de Mars 2, Brussels SPEECH • Ladies and gentlemen, may I start by first thanking LERU for hosting this timely event. • Innovative doctoral training (IDT), I am sure you will agree, is of utmost importance in this increasingly globalised world. If we want to continue to compete with the best, and attract and retain the best, then we have to adapt to society's changing needs. • Today I will outline what we have done and are doing at European level to give our doctoral candidates the best possible environment to carry out and exploit their research. • As you will see there is a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach. From the top we are supporting doctoral training through the Innovation Union flagship initiative, with a commitment dedicated to delivering the European Research Area, specifically on the quality of doctoral training. From the bottom, we expect institutions to implement the IDT principles agreed to in 2011. • I can safely assume that we all agree that doctoral training must increasingly meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academia. • Training researchers just to be researchers in academia is no longer sufficient. We know the majority of researchers will pursue careers outside the university environment. • From the outset, knowledge transfer should be given more recognition as part of an academic career, researchers should be better attuned to the innovation potential of their findings, and academics should be trained in entrepreneurial skills. • Innovative doctoral training will give European doctoral candidates the skills needed to meet 21st century employment needs. Gone are the days of getting your PhD and burying your head in books and journals until the day you retire. • Today's doctoral candidates have global opportunities, and Europe has global competition. And we are stepping up to the plate and meeting it. • With our seven principles for innovative doctoral training we are putting the framework in place to enable our doctoral candidates to succeed. However, the time for lip service is over. These principles must be endorsed and implemented. We must move from words to deeds. • The IDT principles are just that: principles. They can be adapted to different contexts and academic environments. How this is to happen must come from the field – from the universities and institutes themselves. • This is why I am very encouraged by the positive actions taken on IDT by LERU members, as outlined in the Advice Paper. LERU is showing that implementing IDT is possible, and I am very pleased that we are singing from the same hymn sheet. I do hope that these good practice examples are studied and that there will be a wider uptake as a result. The recent report of the working group from the Steering Group on Human Resources and Mobility also confirms this in their recommendations. • I mentioned competition. There is no hiding from the fact that emerging economies are increasingly producing higher quality students and higher quality doctoral programmes. It is often said that if a Chinese student could choose, he or she would choose to study at home first, study in the United States second, and choose Europe third. • Our aim is to make Europe the most desirable destination to do your doctorate. The Doctorate in Europe. Let's aim to get the best brains to spend at least some of their time in Europe. Doctorates in Europe come in many shapes and sizes. Some doctorates will put emphasis on collaboration with industry and other employment sectors. Other doctorates will put an emphasis on cross-border cooperation of universities, sometimes being called 'European doctorates'. Some doctorates will put an emphasis on interdisciplinary research. • Whatever form they take, Doctorates in Europe must be attractive to encourage the best to apply. • As we know, Europe is producing more and more PhDs every year. And a growing share of these is finding work outside of academia. Thus, the education of excellent young scientists from within or outside Europe has become a key strategic goal in order to secure Europe’s position in the global knowledge economy. • This increase in scientific production, the growing competition for young talents and the necessary consideration for the job market outside academia have partly triggered what can be called a 'quiet revolution in doctoral training'. • You can call it 'transferable skills' training, or investing in '21st century skills'. The outcome is the same: PhD candidates are broadening their horizons as they notice their scientific knowledge is needed more than ever in order to drive innovation. • The Commission, together with Member States, is giving and will continue to give, full backing to the implementation of IDT across Europe. This is why we have opened up the Structural Funds to support universities in their uptake of the principles. Through our funding mechanisms in Horizon 2020 we will support up to 70 000 doctoral candidates in IDT. We will launch calls on 'institutions with innovative concepts' worth €25 million in H2020, which will include IDT. Under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme in Horizon 2020, which includes industrial doctorates and supports researchers at all stages of their career, we will fund over 25 000 PhDs. This will become the main funding programme for doctoral training. • Under Horizon 2020, the Commission has proposed to open COFUND to national schemes for doctoral candidates as well. I find this a most promising development, in particular when these schemes will follow the Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. • If IDT is to be entrenched in PhD programmes, it also needs sustainable funding. Having project-based IDT funding will not deliver long-term benefits. Therefore, co-funding from the EU or other sources cannot become the norm. Doctoral candidates should receive funding for the duration of their studies, usually 3-4 years. As the skills gained are largely for the benefit of the private sector, appropriate funding from industry should be considered. • At the upcoming Yerevan meeting in May 2015, Bologna ministers of higher education will address IDT and Europe's position in the world. • Also the upcoming ERA Conference on 16 March 2015 will have a specific session on Doctoral Training. • As you can see, the groundwork has been done, and it is now up to institutions to implement the principles. I am very encouraged by the excellent initiatives that LERU members have taken, and will continue to do going forward. Thank you