The European Landscape of Doctoral Education: The Future of Research Collaboration
Report on the Joint Meeting with the EUA-CDE on 3rd May 2019 at the British Academy
In response to the uncertainties created by the Brexit negotiations, members of the European Universities Association Council for Doctoral Education and the UK Council for Graduate Education met in London to affirm the strengths of doctoral education across Europe and to develop a consensus for continuing pan-European co-operation in doctoral education and research.
This short report highlights some of the themes of the discussions.
Doctoral Education Across Europe
The meeting affirmed that doctoral education matters for Europe more than ever before. Enrolments at doctoral level have increased year-on-year across Europe for the last five years. The EUA-CDE estimates that there are now 750,000 people studying for a doctorate across Europe (“Doctoral education matters for Europe more than ever before”, June 2018).
This expansion of doctoral education is an indication both of the success of doctoral education in Europe, but also, given that on average 40% of doctoral researchers are international (i.e. studying outside their home country), it is an indication of the fundamental importance of doctoral education in fostering international research collaborations, and in contributing to ‘knowledge diplomacy’ more broadly. Delegates also noted the positive contribution to society and sustainable development goals that are enabled by doctoral graduates.
It was felt that the significance of doctoral education across Europe was not well reflected at the policy level, both in relation to Brexit negotiations, and more broadly in relation to national industrial strategies across Europe. In particular, concerns were raised that not enough is being done to safeguard the mobility of early career researchers, and that this posed a significant challenge for research collaboration between the UK and other parts of Europe.