Aarhus University Seal

For Industrial PhD Applicants

An Industrial PhD is an industrially focused research project and PhD education, which is carried out in a collaboration between a company, an Industrial PhD student and a university.
 

What to gain from entering into an Industrial PhD project?

  • The project allows the Industrial PhD student to carry out a research project where results are applied in an enterprise setting.
  • The company gets an Industrial PhD student who is able to carry out a high quality research project and create results that can lead to commercial gain. At the same time, the company strengthens its relations to existing and new collaboration partners at the university.
  • The university strengthens its relations with the business sector and a foundation for new research is created.


An Industrial PhD student is employed in the company and enrolled at the university (in this case the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS at Aarhus University). The Industrial PhD student shares his/her working time equally between the company and the university and spends all the working time on the Industrial PhD project.

How to get started

If you do not have any company or university supervisor contacts yet, there are several options:

To find a company:

  • Contact any potential companies you would like to cooperate with
  • Contact a university supervisor who might have company contacts
  • Contact one of the Danish innovation networks, which may put you together with partners in the field

To find a university supervisor:

  • A list of the PhD programmes available at GSTS with a description of the research fields can be found here, and a list of the Departments and Centers at GSTS with details of assigned supervisors (Professors and Associate Professors) and their research fields can be found on the different programme websites.


Please note that GSTS does not provide any company or university connections.

Supervisors

GSTS encourages candidates to contact a potential university supervisor prior to preparing the application. The university supervisor must be a recognised researcher within the relevant field, as well as being tenured at Aarhus University and affiliated with GSTS. He/she has the formal responsibility for the Industrial PhD student’s project and PhD studies.

A list of the PhD programmes available at GSTS with a description of the research fields can be found here, and a list of the Departments and Centers at GSTS with details of assigned supervisors (Professors and Associate Professors) and their research fields can be found on the different programme websites.

In accordance with Innovation Fund Denmark’s rules, a company supervisor and a company co-supervisor must also be appointed.

Prior to application

GSTS recommends that the applicant, the company supervisor and the university supervisor discuss the project closely prior to submitting an application to ensure that all parties agree on the framework and content of the application – and thereby the Industrial PhD programme.

Issues/questions on confidentiality/IPR should be discussed and resolved before commencement of the project. Please note that the Graduate School does not offer any assistance in this regard. 

Be aware that the Industrial PhD candidate formally applies to GSTS, and the company formally applies to Innovation Fund Denmark.

Application procedure

The Industrial PhD candidate formally applies to GSTS, and the company formally applies to Innovation Fund Denmark. Please note that GSTS regulations require that the Industrial PhD applicant must have a conditional approval from GSTS before the company submits an application to Innovation Fund Denmark.

The applicant applying to GSTS:

The applicant formally applies to GSTS. More information on application deadlines, language requirements and our online application facility can be found here. The applicant must have a conditional approval from GSTS before the Head of Department signs a signature sheet for the company’s application to Innovation Fund Denmark.

The applicant has to apply to a relevant PhD programme available at GSTS. A description of the research fields can be found here, and a list of the Departments and Centers at GSTS with details of assigned supervisors (Professors and Associate Professors) and their research fields can be found on the different programme websites.

When applying, please enter the name of the company in the application under ‘Admission - If industrial PhD: enter company’.
Under the heading “Financing”, please do the following:

  • Under ‘Source of financial support’, please choose ‘Industrial PhD funds’
  • Under ‘Indicate sources and amounts of possible financial support, if any’, please state the following: ‘Applying for approval on the condition that Innovation Fund Denmark approves the Industrial PhD project’

Please note that all information in the application must be in English or Danish, preferably English.

If accepted by GSTS, the offer of admission will only be granted on the condition that the PhD project is later approved and the funding secured from Innovation Fund Denmark.

The company applying to Innovation Fund Denmark:

The company formally applies to Innovation Fund Denmark. For more information on application deadlines and guidelines, please visit their website (in Danish or in English). Please note that the applicant must have a conditional approval from GSTS before the company submits an application to Innovation Fund Denmark.

24996 / i43