Objectives

Recent studies on the 3rd cycle (see Eua, Doctoral Programs in Europe's Universities: Achievement and Challenger, 2007; Crac, UK Grad Program-Final Report, 2008) emphasize that the training of doctoral students and the creation of conditions that foster their employment outside the traditional academic channels is a strong emergency in the Europe of Knowledge. The business community needs the PhDs to be in the centre of technological innovation. The University world needs to make more attractive the training of doctoral candidates, encouraging a interdisciplinary dialogue that can foster the creativity and develop their transferable skills that will enable them to manage with more awareness their skills in view of a career development in enterprise.
The project aims to enhance the employability and career prospects of the students in third cycle of technical and scientific area. The objective will be achieved through the design, testing and exploitation:

• of innovative training modules for the development of transferable skills not only in public research but in all areas of labor market
  
• of the university career counselling services which will meet the specific needs of a new kind of researcher, capable of innovation and effective knowledge transfer, whether as an employee or as an entrepreneur.
  

In this perspective, the project respects completely the objectives of the subprogram Erasmus and of the priorities of that action for which the project has been proposed, as:

• it contributes to the modernization of the University intervening on one of the nine measures identified in the Commission document of 2006 (point 4: provide the right mix of skills and competencies for the labour market),
• it strengthens the link between study courses and needs of the labour market providing a strong enterprises contribution in the core activities of the project, in particular in the design of the contents of training modules,
• It identifies a target group (the PhDs) that is the strategic link between universities and enterprises, and acts to enhance innovative skills,
• it proposes realistic activities starting from previous partners experiences and from a first phase of analysis (WP1) on existing practices,
• It sets the conditions for consolidation of the results at European level involving the main institutions in the phase of exploitation.