The Danish Industrial PhD Programme Promoting research and innovation

General PhD population in Denmark Approximately 1100 PhD students enrolled at Danish universities in 2001 The present Danish government has made PhD education one of its top priorities The aim is to enroll 2400 PhD students at Danish universities in This goal is included in mutual, binding agreements between the government and the universities

The Industrial PhD Programme in Denmark Established in 1970 An Industrial PhD project is a three-year research project and a PhD education with an industrial focus The programme’s aims are to: promote research and innovation in the private sector that would not otherwise be undertaken support public-private partnerships within research and innovation stimulate the education of new researchers

The Industrial PhD student is hired by a private company and enrolled at a university and divides his or her time roughly equally between both The company receives a monthly wage subsidy of approximately half of the student’s salary The host university receives a subsidy to cover academic supervision and other expenses

Application The programme is open to projects within all scientific fields, all types of companies and candidates from all countries. The student must be employed in a company branch located in Denmark Applications are assessed by an advisory interdisciplinary committee appointed by the Danish Council for Technology and Innovation Fast track from application to decision: answer within 45 working days from application

Programme advantages The programme is user driven. The company is the project owner It ensures research training at a highly specialised level. The university is responsible for the academic quality of the scientific education It is an effective network promoter between universities and the private sector Employment options upon completion of an Industrial PhD are excellent: most candidates gain employment in the private sector

Satisfaction with the Industrial PhD Programme 98% of students 94% of company supervisors 94% of university supervisors... are satisfied or very satisfied with the Industrial PhD programme according to an external analysis conducted in 2007

Programme development The number of new Industrial PhD projects per year in Denmark has increased by 138 percent since 2002: from 50 to 119 in 2008 High application success rate: In 2008, 62 percent of applications were approved Approximately 400 Industrial PhD students are currently under way covering all scientific areas

New Industrial PhDs Year Applicants Approved projects

Academic fields Industrial PhD projects started in 2008 divided into academic fields: Technical Sciences: 45,3 pct. Agriculture/Veterinary Science: 4,2 pct. Health Sciences: 8,7 pct. Natural Sciences:17,6 pct. Social Sciences and business:15,1 pct. Humanities: 9,2 pct.

C ompanies Projects started in 2008 according to company size: Large enterprises: 62 pct. Medium-sized enterprises:21 pct. Small enterprises: 17 pct.

The Industrial PhD Programme attracts international students Approximately 20 percent of all Industrial PhD students accepted in 2008 were from other countries than Denmark The current population of Industrial PhD students consists of students from 26 different countries

Industrial PhD is on the national and international agenda Aim of 150 new Industrial PhD projects in Denmark in 2010, which is twice as many as in 2004 Programmes with aims similar to the Danish Industrial PhD Programme exist in Canada, Finland, France, Holland, Norway, Sweden and Wales NordForsk (research board under the Nordic Council of Ministers) had first call for applications for Public-Private Partnership PhD Projects in November 2008

Challenges for the Industrial PhD Programme Maintain a growing number of applications and approved projects in the face of the current financial crisis Promote companies’ motivation to prioritize research and innovation activities and invest in Industrial PhD projects

Proposal of a European Industrial PhD The Danish government has launched the idea of an European Industrial PhD Programme The aim is to promote academia-industry cooperation and innovation in the European Research Area (ERA) The proposal furthers mobility in Europe: the involved company and university should be located in different European countries

Proposal of a European Industrial PhD A European Industrial PhD Programme would contribute to the vision of ERA through its focus on the knowledge triangle: research, education and innovation. Relevant forums could be the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) or FP7’s People Programme