Funding for quality assurance and development at the doctoral level

With this funding GRC supports decentralized measures for quality assurance and development at the doctoral level. 

Through a variety of approaches, the funds should support relevant decision makers in critically questioning, and if necessary optimizing, offers, structures and processes at the doctoral level in the interest of junior researchers. In terms of good practice, applicants report on their experiences after completion of the implementation phase in the context of the Network Doctoral Programs. The format of fundable measures should be aimed directly at the requirements of applicants and is therefore left wide open.

Quality assurance and development measures are usually medium- to long-term projects. Therefore, continuity over time is an important quality feature. Ideally, the measures and offers are successively adopted within the faculty graduate programs and graduates stay associated over the course of their later academic or professional career.

All measures can be funded which contribute to an improvement or assurance of the quality of offers and general conditions for doctoral candidates. Measures can thereby address different levels:
 

• Recruitment and selection of PhD candidates

e.g. communication among supervisors about the goals and the requirements of the program, development of structured interview questions for the recruiting, recruiting workshops, use of databases etc.

• Doctorate phase

e.g. measures aimed specifically at improving supervision like exchange between supervisors, cooperative counselling among peers, workshops on good supervision, communication skills trainings, workshops on good scientific practice, mentoring programs like "buddy-prgrams", site visits, evaluations

• Graduation

e.g. monitoring or tracking of graduates etc.

However, activities that belong to the curricula of doctoral studies (e.g. student retreats, lecturer series, etc.) cannot be funded.

• Associated expenses (travel costs, accommodation, meals) at external retreats / meetings with peers outside UZH
• Expenses of external experts (travel costs, accommodation, meals)
• Fees for external experts
• Participation (of those responsible for the doctorate) at conferences on topics relevant to quality assurance (participation fees, expenses for travel costs, accommodation, meals)
• Measures for the establishment or enhancement of (career) tracking systems

The requested funds must be suitable for the scope and type of proposed measures. A maximum of CHF 7'500 can be applied for per application.

• Accounting of bills takes place through a UZH cost unit.
• Submission of a written and financial statement of accounts (a template will be made available) upon completion of the activity to the Graduate Campus.
• For activities with a duration of more than 6 months, the Graduate Campus retains the right to request an interim financial and status report.
• Report by those responsible on the experiences and target achievements of completed measures in the context of the Network Doctoral Programs.

• Applications may be submitted by those responsible for the (Individual) Doctorate at the respective faculties. 
• Clearly defined goals as well as a suitable action plan are required and, accordingly, must be clearly stated in the application.
• Applications can be submitted from one program as well as from multiple programs together.

Applications have to be submitted electronically: GRC Tool

Application periods:

• 1 September - 15 October, 23:59

The following documents must be submitted:

• Detailed description of goals including concrete measures and time plan (max. 2 pages)
• Detailed budget
• Support from the dean: Please inform the dean of your faculty about your application. In order to submit the application the dean of your faculty has to express her/his support via the application platform. A letter of support is not needed! 

Instructions for the application

The Awards Committee of the Graduate Campus decides which proposals are approved.

The approval decision will be communicated circa 8 weeks after the deadline.