European Doctoral Summer School
Delegates of the 2nd European Doctoral Summer School meet the Lord Mayor of York and Sheriff of York at the Mansion House
2nd Annual European Doctoral Summer School in Professional Development
University of York, University of Münster, Maastricht University
8 – 11 July 2019
York, UK*The 3rd Annual European Doctoral Summer School will be held on Monday 22 - Thursday 25 June 2020 in Maastricht
“My professional skills received a clear polish. It gave me a real sense of direction about what I really want to do and what I need to do to ‘sell’ myself effectively in the competitive job market around the globe.”
- Summer School participant, 2018
The 2nd Annual European Research Summer School provided a unique opportunity for 15 exceptional doctoral research students (five each from the Universities of York, Münster and Maastricht) to come together to develop their professional skills, share and exchange ideas, and network.
The focus was on developing networking and communication skills and profile development with a view to presenting the best possible version of yourself to funders, employers and industry.
By the end of the Summer School 2019 students:
- developed pitching and relationship building skills
- reviewed future career options – academic and alternative careers within a global market
- identified potential avenues for commercialisation, entrepreneurship and social enterprise in the context of their research
- pitched and received feedback from an expert panel including representation from industry, SMEs, media as well as academic audiences.
The University of York provided accommodation and food. Travel costs to the Summer School are covered by students’ home institution.
Programme themes
Pitching and public engagement
The pitching and public engagement sessions were led by the University of York and included hands-on training in identifying stakeholders and beneficiaries of your research, developing a pitch and communicating to a non-specialist audience. On the final day, students pitched their research and ideas to a panel of judges including representation from industry, media and entrepreneurs, who provided feedback on readiness for transfer and knowledge exchange.
Your career
Led by Maastricht University, the career session explored destination data, career options in a European and global setting and provided practical support in developing a social media profile.
Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurship session, led by the University of Münster, covered personality traits of good entrepreneurs and what it takes to set up a realistic, workable business.
Download the full programme
, 458kb)About the European Doctoral Summer School
The first Summer School took place in July 2018 in Münster, Germany, with 14 doctoral students representing 10 nationalities.
Each of the collaborating universities have in common a rich history, vibrant culture and commitment to developing and supporting research excellence. The Graduate Centre at the University of Münster, the York Graduate Research School and Maastricht University each provide excellent programmes of training and support to enable research students to achieve their potential as leaders in industry, academia or third sector.
The European Doctoral Summer School brings together the best of that training to enable exceptional doctoral students to come together as an international community of practitioners who aspire to change the world through their research.
How to apply
Eligibility
Postgraduate research students need to have completed 1st year progression.
The 3rd Annual European Doctoral Summer School will be held on Monday 22 - Thursday 25 June 2020 in Maastricht.
Application information for York students will be available closer to the time.
We expect considerable demand for places and will include departments in shortlisting, where necessary.
