Developing and implementing an interdisciplinary training programme for doctoral researchers and supervisors

Those who participate in the Una Europa Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Programme learn to:

• Advance their interdisciplinary methods and research skills.
  Doctoral researchers learn techniques and methods to critically address complex challenges. Supervisors gain tools and best practices for guiding researchers.

• Make an impact.
  By engaging with EU policymakers and receiving training on how to communicate with non-academic audiences, scholars learn how to apply their research beyond the classroom.

• Grow their network.
  The programme brings participants together with senior academics from across the Una Europa alliance, policymakers, publishers and companies

• Researching needs
  We started with extensive desk research, consultations, and interdisciplinary mapping exercises.

• Designing the training
  Professionals from across the alliance came together in 2024 for a two-day design workshop at Universiteit Leiden’s campus in The Hague. A dedicated working group was created and concrete plans were made to run our first training session.

• Launching the programme
  In 2025, the first group met twice online and once in person at Universiteit Leiden for several days of lectures, debates and discussion. Plans were tentatively laid for future editions.

'Opportunities to meet scholars from across Europe are extremely valuable. They allow us to understand how academic systems differ from one country to another, and they help us understand the doctoral candidates who come to our institution – particularly in the context of exchange programmes and double-degree initiatives. Bringing together diverse experiences is not only enriching but essential for improving the quality of doctoral education.’

– Kinga Gajda (Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie), doctoral supervisor and participant of the first edition of the IDTP.

‘This programme was a real blessing. It was concrete, simple and focused on professionalising PhD candidates. I learned, for example, how my research can be relevant to policymakers. Bridging academia with the real world was fantastic. We also tackled publishing. I had no idea how to start, but we had a brilliant session on all the steps in this process. I’m going back home with an urge to be more conscious of the impact that my PhD can have and how useful I want it to be.’

– Augustin Mari (University of Edinburgh), doctoral researcher and participant of the first edition of the IDTP.

‘We need research and we use it. But for it to make an impact, it has to meet us where we're at as policymakers. We need it to be relevant, timely, digestible, and easy for us to share. This workshop was my chance to talk to PhD researchers about what life is like as a policymaker at the European Commission, and how we use research in our work.’

– Deirdre Hodson (European Commission Policy Officer), speaker during the first edition of the IDTP.

‘It's important to let doctoral students know that this opportunity exists, that their research can be heard, and contribute to developing public policy. The interdisciplinary aspect is also key because, when you’re talking about applied research, it’s all about bringing stakeholders together. This workshop is an exercise in bringing different perspectives and topics together and making sense of them.’

– Austėja Švedkauskienė (Visionary Analytics), speaker during the first edition of the IDTP.

Have we piqued your interest? Read more insights into the IDTP with this article published by Universiteit Leiden.

The background to our work is outlined in our report on Doctoral Interdisciplinary Methods Training in Una Europa. The report outlines our goals, scope and initial proposals for a curriculum, along with our reflections and recommendations.

You can also download the day-by-day schedule from the first edition of our programme, for an in-depth look at what participants covered.