The Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Programme (CDP) is a JRC initiative to establish strategic collaborations with HEIs/universities. The programme facilitates dual PhD projects, where HEIs/universities partner up with the JRC to jointly design, host, and supervise doctoral research.
The CDP provides a unique opportunity for HEIs/universities to tap into the JRC’s robust research capacity and expertise while gaining a deeper understanding of research needs throughout the European policy cycle. The CDP promotes mutual enhancement of related skills and competences, combines existing knowledge and capacities, and enhances networking in key scientific areas.
This ultimately provides high-quality policy-oriented research opportunities for doctoral candidates and equips them to navigate the science-policy interface.
The call is now closed.
The Call for expressions of Interest is directed at HEIs/universities that wish to jointly organise PhD projects with their JRC counterparts. They should be able to host and train PhD candidates, and fulfil at the closing date of the Call and for the duration of the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) Agreement with the JRC (at least 5 years from the time of signature) the following criteria:
- Originate from an EU Member State or country associated to the EU Research Framework Programme in force, in the case of nuclear collaboration topics, the HEI should originate from a country associated to Euratom; and
- Be entitled to award doctoral degrees and have administrative autonomy including signing agreements with external partners
Institutions that are not HEIs/universities may also submit applications when they have an agreement with a HEI/University that satisfies the two criteria above. In case their application is successful, the JRC will sign the CDP Agreement with both the applicant Institution and the HEI/University that delivers the PhD degree.
Successful applicants will have the opportunity to establish a scientific collaboration with the JRC at an institutional level. This collaboration will engender PhD projects of common interest to jointly design, host and supervise.
Rather than an exchange of money between the HEI/university and the JRC, the CDP entails that each institution covers the cost of the doctoral candidate according to their stay at the respective institution. Whilst staying at JRC premises, the JRC will cover the costs of the PhD candidate including salary, necessary training and work-related travel costs as part of a 'Grantholder Category 20' position for the PhD candidate.
PhD candidates partaking in the CDP will spend roughly half of their time at their home university and half of their time at one of the JRC campuses in Ispra, Petten, Geel, Karlsruhe, Brussels or Sevilla. The campus location depends on the collaboration topic and is indicated in the Factsheets.
The PI and PhD candidates will become a part of the CDP community. The community comes together once a month, as an additional platform to develop the capacity to provide scientific support to policy and use transferable skills in science communication and knowledge management.
The 2025 Call for Expressions of interest is formulated around 25 collaboration topics. Applicants shall submit one proposal for each collaboration topic they wish to apply for. Multiple applications from one HEI/university shall all be considered independently from one another. Multiple successful applicants from the same HEI/university will proceed to sign one collaboration agreement on multiple collaboration topics with the JRC.
The JRC will assess and rank eligible proposals according to the following criteria.
Research (50 points)
- Reputation: Does the PI have a demonstrated track record within the collaboration topic? (10 points)
- Profile:
- To what extent does the PI have relevant expertise in the collaboration topic? (20 points)
- How does the PI’s expertise complement the JRC's in the collaboration topic? (20 points)
Collaboration (30 points)
- Co-designing and co-supervising:
- To what extent does the PI have a history of successful (international) research collaborations? In particular, does the PI have experience with collaborative doctoral programmes and dual supervisorship? (5 points)
- Does the PI propose adequate ways of collaboration and communication, to the extent that they can co-design, co-host and co-supervise a PhD candidate with the JRC? (10 points)
- Valorisation: To what extent does the PI have experience in policy-oriented research? To what extent does the PI consider open innovation approaches or propose to involve relevant stakeholders for data collection, prototyping and feedback cycles? Do they propose valorisation pathways? (15 points)
Organisation (20 points)
- PhD programme: Does the HEI/university host a well-functioning and supported PhD programme? (15 points)
- Open access: To what extent does the HEI/university have an adequate policy on accessibility and dissemination of research output? (5 points)
The application deadline is 18 March, 23.59 (CET).
The results of the call will be announced in the first week of April, so as to consecutively define the PhD project, sign the collaboration agreement and recruit the PhD candidates by the start of the academic year.
The CDP onboarding workshop for HEIs/universities will be held online on 8 April 2025, from 14.00 to 15.30 (CET). The workshop is mandatory for all selected PIs, and recommended for at least one administrative supporting staff.
For more information see the FAQ.
