On 23 June 2026, CESAER participated in the launch of the 2026 call for expressions of interest for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP), held at the Fondation Universitaire in Brussels.
The JRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships are an established programme enabling universities and research organisations to work with the JRC on jointly designed, hosted and supervised doctoral projects. The programme offers doctoral candidates the opportunity to combine excellent research with experience at the science-policy interface, while strengthening collaboration between universities and the European Commission’s in-house science and knowledge service JRC.
The event was opened by Jolita Butkevičienė (Director for Innovation in Science & Policymaking, Joint Research Centre, European Commission). Mattias Björnmalm (Secretary General, CESAER) joined the panel discussion “Doctoral Research and Science-for-Policy”, moderated by Koen Jonkers (Head of the JRC Centre for Advanced Studies). The panel explored how collaborative doctoral projects can contribute to societal challenges, what lessons can be drawn from industrial doctorates, and which skills doctoral programmes should foster in policy-relevant research environments.
Drawing on experiences from CESAER Members such as for industrial doctorates, Björnmalm highlighted that collaborative doctorates should be seen as part of a broader evolution in doctoral education. Europe increasingly needs researchers who can operate across boundaries: between disciplines, sectors, research and innovation, and research and policymaking.
The discussion also stressed that collaborative doctoral programmes can create strong value for candidates, universities, the JRC, employers and funders, provided they are designed carefully. Key conditions include academic excellence, clear co-supervision, transparent arrangements from the outset, proportionate administration and a coherent doctoral experience for the candidate.
The European Commission's 2026 call invites Partner Institutions, including higher education institutions and research organisations, to participate in the CDP programme across eight Collaboration Themes. Successful applicants will establish institutional-level scientific collaboration with the JRC, leading to PhD projects of common interest that are jointly designed, hosted and supervised.
Doctoral candidates under the programme spend 12 to 24 months of their PhD project at one of the JRC sites in Brussels, Geel, Ispra, Karlsruhe, Petten or Seville, with the remaining period spent at their own university. The CDP does not involve a transfer of funds between the university and the JRC; each institution covers costs related to the doctoral candidate during the period spent at its premises (i.e., JRC pays for the time spent at the JRC site).
Applications are submitted by universities, not by individual doctoral candidates. The call is open to institutions from EU member states and countries associated to Horizon Europe.
The application deadline is 25 September 2026 at 23:59 (Brussels time). Results are expected to be announced by December 2026, enabling the subsequent definition of PhD projects, signature of CDP agreements and selection of doctoral candidates.
The European Commission will hold an online information session on 1 July 2026, from 16:00 to 17:30 (Brussels time). The session will present the programme and the 2026 call, including eligibility criteria, mobility arrangements, administrative workflows, the application process and the eight Collaboration Themes.
Given the high policy relevance of the research and education of universities of science and technology, the European Commission warmly invited all CESAER Member universities to consider reviewing the call and circulating it internally to relevant doctoral schools, research support offices, faculties and prospective supervisors.
The photos are courtesy of the European Commission.
From left to right: Jolita Butkevičienė (Director for Innovation in Science & Policymaking, Joint Research Centre, European Commission) and Mattias Björnmalm (Secretary General, CESAER).
For more information, please contact the Secretariat.
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