Industry-Embedded Doctoral School

Wrocław University of Science and Technology is implementing the project Raise excellence in R&S&I in HEI for widening countries (acronym: Unite.WIDENING), carried out in partnership with universities of the Unite! alliance, with participation of the representatives of industry. As part of the project, the initiative titled “Industry-Embedded Doctoral School” has been planned, aiming to foster collaboration with industry in the education process of doctoral students in Widening countries (i.e., Poland and Portugal). The action provides direct support in the form of an increase in the doctoral scholarship for PhD students who are preparing their dissertations in strategic areas defined for Poland and Portugal, in collaboration with industry and under the academic supervision of a second supervisor from a Unite! alliance university based in a non-Widening country.

Who can apply?

Doctoral students of the Doctoral School of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, in their first year of studies, may apply for the increase in the doctoral scholarship by submitting an application to the Dean of the Doctoral School.

Eligibility for the increase in the doctoral scholarship is granted to the following doctoral students:

1) Students conducting their doctoral dissertation in at least one of the strategic areas defined for the project:

• Health & Biotech,
• Urban and Resources Sustainability,
• Circular Economy & Materials,
• Digital & Autonomous Technologies.

2) Students having a second supervisor employed by a Unite! alliance university based in a non-Widening country.

The following countries are considered non-Widening in the project: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy.

Unite! Universities from the non-Widening countries:

Politecnico di Torino,
Graz University of Technology,
Technical University of Darmstadt,
University Grenoble Alpes,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Aalto University,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

3) Students conducting a research project that has the potential to be developed in collaboration with industry, including through an internship in a company.

What is the amount of the increase in the doctoral scholarship?

The increase in the doctoral scholarship amounts to PLN 7,300 gross paid monthly. The doctoral student may receive this increased scholarship for a maximum of 36 months.

When will the increase in the doctoral scholarship be granted?

The increase will be granted no earlier than October 2025, subject to the conclusion of an agreement with the Doctoral Student.

For how long will the increased scholarship be granted?

The increased scholarship will be granted for 12 months. Its extension for another year requires the signing of an amendment to the agreement.

What obligations come with receiving the increase in the doctoral scholarship?

A doctoral student selected to receive the increase in the doctoral scholarship is obliged to:

• establish cooperation with at least one entity from the business sector, including completion of an unpaid internship of at least 3 months,
• conduct their dissertation under the supervision of two supervisors: one from Wrocław University of Science and Technology and the second supervisor from a non-Widening country university of the Unite! alliance,
• complete a stay of at least 6 months at the university of the second supervisor,
• participate in additional forms of competence development (training, courses, workshops, visits, and other educational activities) for a total of at least 30 hours,
• participate in a joint seminar for doctoral students from Poland and Portugal involved in the project.

Number of places available

The number of places available for doctoral students of the Doctoral School at Wrocław University of Science and Technology is 7.

Application form

The application form is included as an Attachment no. 1 to the Regulations (download).

When and how to apply

The application for the increase in the doctoral scholarship must be submitted within the deadline set by the Dean of the Doctoral School. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Applications must be submitted by July 10, 2025, by 2:00 p.m. to the Doctoral School office (Room 313, Building A-1).

A signed scan of the application and a PDF version must also be sent to: agnieszka.chaszczewska@pwr.edu.pl.

Evaluation criteria

Each application must meet the following mandatory criteria:

• The topic of the doctoral dissertation must be aligned with at least one of the strategic areas defined for the Project.
• The candidate’s second supervisor must represent a Unite! alliance university from a non-Widening country.
• The candidate’s research project must involve cooperation with industry.

Detailed evaluation criteria:

• Relevance of the dissertation topic to the given strategic area
• Novelty of the dissertation concept
• Scientific cooperation with a Unite! alliance university
• Exposure of the research project to industry challenges
• Scientific achievements and motivation of the candidate

Each criterion is scored on a scale from 0 to 5. The final score is a weighted sum considering the weights assigned to each criterion.

The detailed scoring table can be found in Attachment no. 2 to the Regulations.

Candidate selection procedure

Submitted applications will be evaluated by a committee appointed to conduct the procedure. The evaluation of whether the candidate meets the criteria will be based on the submitted application and a qualification interview.

When and how will the results be announced?

Based on the procedure, a ranking list will be prepared, ordering candidates according to their scores. The increased doctoral scholarship will be awarded to the 7 candidates with the highest scores, provided they exceed the minimum score threshold specified in Attachment no. 2 to the Regulations.

The results of the competition will be communicated to the doctoral students who submitted applications.

Further information

For further information, please contact:
Krystyna Kubiak, Project Office
e-mail: krystyna.kubiak@pwr.edu.pl

Documents for download:

Regulations on granting  an increase in doctoral scholarships under the Unite.WIDENING Project

Attachment no. 1 – Application form template

Attachment no. 2 – Assessment criteria for applications

Strategic areas defined for the Unite.WIDENING project (presentation)

Regulations Industry-Embedded Doctoral School