Programme

The SINCHEM doctoral programme is a three-year world-class Joint Doctoral Programme offered by the SINCHEM consortium of 33 European partner institutions. All SINCHEM doctoral candidates will carry out research at three partners of the network (the second mandatory period preferably in one of the associated company members). Within SINCHEM, educational training, science communication training (attendance of conferences and writing for refereed journals) and actual research (original scientific topics, relevant for society) are covered. In connection with the annual call for applications, the coordination board of the SINCHEM doctoral programme will publish a catalogue of SINCHEM doctorate research topics within the applied scientific fields of Sustainable Industrial Chemistry. 

There are excellent fellowship opportunities for students accepted to the SINCHEM Programme. These fellowships are given to the highest ranked PhD candidates for the duration of the Ph.D. program (three years). The offer of scholarships depends on the category to which the  candidate belongs (see Call for application for details Art. 7). 

Common foundation: The SINCHEM doctoral programme defines a common foundation which all doctoral candidates must build on regardless of research topic and institutions. This common foundation is the following:

1. A mobility programme, with at least two mandatory mobility periods, the first in a different Universities of the consortium (for at least 26 weeks) and the second (for at least 10 weeks) in one of the associated company members (or alternatively in a second different University); at least6 months (25 weeks) of mobility should be in a different country from that of the Home University.

2. A educational/training programme to provide general knowledge on science and technology tools on sustainable industrial chemistry and technical skills in specific thematic fields. A part of these activities will be local based, i.e. for the PhD students participating to the Doctorate of the Home or Hosting Universities, but with the key seminars made available electronically (e-learning, videoconference) to the other PhD students of SINCHEM. Due to the heterogeneity of the possible educational backgrounds, person-based educational activities for each PhD student will be also considered (using the courses available at the Home or Hosting University) to cover personal deficiencies in the educational background.

3. A part of the activities will be instead common for all PhD students: i) participation to programmed Summer Schools, ii) dedicated training on specific equipments/techniques, and iii) specific activities dedicated to promote personal awareness and capacities: a) technical presentation skills, b) capacity to write a scientific article, a technical report or a project proposal, c) team working, d) management of research projects, including aspects related to budget, etc.

4. A professional skills programme, in collaboration with companies, dedicated to improve the capacity of the students in transferring idea to innovation: intellectual capital management, valorisation, commercialisation and entrepreneurship, IPR and data protection, writing a business plan.