Great research thrives on great connections

The ENLIGHT Doctoral Network is dedicated to elevating the quality of doctoral studies across the ten ENLIGHT universities — whether through knowledge-sharing sessions, networking events, or new international research, study and mobility opportunities.

By bringing together doctoral education professionals, coordinators, and early career researchers, the network creates a vibrant space for collaboration, exchange, and growth.

To turn this vision into action, the DN is organized into several working groups, each focused on specific topics and activities that drive meaningful progress for doctoral education across the ENLIGHT alliance.

Doctoral Network is co-led by the University of Bern and the University of Tartu. The Core Group of the Doctoral Network, in charge of the network’s strategy and coordination, comprises nine universities: University of Bern, University of Tartu, Ghent University, University of Galway, Comenius University Bratislava, University of the Basque Country, University of Groningen, University of Göttingen, and University of Bordeaux.

Cutting through red tape, opening up new possibilities

Led by the University of Ghent, this working group developed a joint PhD framework agreement, now signed by all ten ENLIGHT universities.

By establishing a shared foundation, the agreement removes long-standing administrative hurdles and makes it significantly easier to set up joint PhD trajectories between ENLIGHT institutions.

The result: doctoral candidates benefit from enhanced mobility, joint supervision, and access to integrated research environments across borders.

Learning without borders

This working group is dedicated to expanding training opportunities for doctoral candidates and supervisors across all ENLIGHT universities. During the pilot phase, five universities are opening selected existing transferable skills training events.

The working group is jointly led by the University of Tartu and the University of Bern.

Doctoral Network co-leads: Lenka Fehrenbach (University of Bern), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Monika Tasa (University of Tartu), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.