FAQ Doctoral Schools

2. Activities/events

Information for representatives of EDs/EDTs

What types of activities can be implemented by an ED/EDT?

Any activity likely to be interesting and useful for doctoral students in the field can be organized by an ED/EDT. It can be thematic or transversal. Ideally, it should be organized jointly between several institutions but the essential thing is that the activity is accessible to all doctoral students in the field and that publicity of the activity is extended to the entire target audience and not just to doctoral students of the institution(s) which organize(s).

Is an ED/EDT obligated to organize activities?

Many bodies are active in doctoral training. In addition to EDs and EDTs, universities offer a wide range of training (notably transversal); research centers offer specialist courses while training through international summer/winter schools is also widely available in some areas.

The priority mission of the EDs is to ensure that high-level training is available for doctoral students in the field, whether these are offered by themselves, by the EDTs attached to them or by other actors. If sufficient training of adequate quality exists, a ED may not consider it useful to add activities. However, its mission would then be to ensure the dissemination of the offer of doctoral training activities in its field and also to ensure a certain coordination and consultation between its possible EDTs. On the other hand, if shortcomings are noted in the training offering, the mission of the ED is to try to remedy them.

Can an ED/EDT impose activities on doctoral students in the field?

The imposition of specific doctoral training activities on doctoral students is a responsibility of local doctoral management bodies. It is nevertheless possible for the Scientific Councils and Committees of the EDs/EDTs to work in concert with all the local authorities concerned and to set up compulsory training.

The EDs/EDTs aim to facilitate the doctoral journey and not make it more restrictive, the Commission of Doctoral Schools is, a priori, rather favorable to the establishment of an optional but attractive training offer of doctoral activities from which each doctoral student can choose, according to their profile and their needs and in consultation with their promoter.

How are credits allocated for activities?

Scientific Councils and Committees may suggest adequate numbers of credits for the activities they organize, but the final decision regarding the credits acquired during the participation of a doctoral student rests with the local authorities.

Scientific Councils and Committees are free to coordinate with local doctoral management bodies in order to set up a homogeneous system for granting credits for the activities they organize.

Information for promoters and doctoral students

How to submit suggestions or proposals for doctoral training to the Scientific Councils and Committees of EDs/EDTs?

• Promoters can contact members of the Scientific Councils and Committees of their own institution in order to make suggestions or proposals for doctoral training. These members will then relay the information to their Council and/or their Scientific Committee.
• Some Scientific Committees are made up of doctoral student representatives who can serve as relays and privileged contacts for any doctoral student in the field.
• Submitting suggestions or proposals can also be done by requesting feedback from participants in activities organized by the EDs/EDTs. This makes it possible, where necessary, to adapt activities according to the needs of doctoral students.

Is it obligatory to follow doctoral training activities organized by EDs/EDTs in order to acquire the doctoral training certificate?

Certain local doctoral management bodies (whose names differ from one institution to another) require participation in certain activities organized by an ED/EDT. In other cases, the doctoral student (advised by his supervisor) has great freedom in setting up his doctoral training program. Often, doctoral training programs contain doctoral training activities set up by EDs/EDTs but also activities organized by other structures such as research centers or foreign institutions (summer or winter schools). In order to carry out your doctoral training in a calm and efficient manner, it is important to find out about any local constraints concerning the content of the doctoral training with a view to granting the certificate and also to find out about the training offers available at the different levels (ED/EDT, university, research centers, etc.).

Do you have to be “registered” for an ED/EDT to participate in the training?

Some EDs/EDTs have set up registration systems to facilitate the dissemination of information concerning the activities implemented. It is useful to inquire with EDs/EDTs about their respective practices.  

The activities are a priori open to all doctoral students who would like to participate, without prior affiliation with the corresponding ED/EDT being required.

3. Budget

How is the operating credit distributed between the EDs and between the EDTs?

The funding allocated by the F.R.S.-FNRS to the EDs is shared between the EDs in proportion to the number of doctors identified in the field over the last five years, in accordance with CRef statistics.

Each Scientific Council of an ED then defines a key for distributing its budget between itself and, where applicable, the EDTs primarily attached to it. In many cases, this sharing is done equally; in others, other criteria can be used. The scientific committees of the EDTs must be able to obtain information on the distribution rule used.

what can the budget be used for?

The use of the budget allocated by the F.R.S.-FNRS must be aimed at the training of doctoral students and/or the organization of activities linked to doctoral training.

The budget can also be devoted to the mobility of doctoral students as part of their doctoral training activities. It can also be used to award a prize to a doctoral student for their presentation (oral/poster) as part of a doctoral training activity.