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Collaborative Doctoral Partnership programme

The programme facilitates joint doctoral research between higher education institutions (HEI) or universities and the JRC.

Through the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) programme, we aim to train a new generation of doctoral graduates on the science-policy interface. 

The programme facilitates dual PhDs where HEIs/universities and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) jointly design, host, and supervise doctoral research.

The JRC is the science and knowledge service of the European Commission, supporting EU policies with independent evidence. We are strategically placed between the scientific and policy spheres. Our mission is to reinforce evidence-based approaches in policy making. 

With the CDP, we integrate doctoral research in our scientific portfolios. CDP graduates understand research needs at different stages of the policy cycle and have the capacity to engage with policy makers and provide them with independent scientific support. 

The programme also provides the opportunity to strengthen collaboration between HEIs/universities and the JRC. The resulting PhD projects are intentionally collaborative in nature to benefit effectively from exchanges of knowledge and competence, and raise research excellence together. 

Read about the JRC's role in undertaking science for policy and see open PhD positions.