Industrial Ph.D.

In compliance with art.15 bis of RD 99/2011  of January 28, the designation "Doctorado Industrial" (Industrial Ph.D.) applies to programs whose candidates take part in industrial research work or experimental development projects connected to their theses. These projects must be hosted by a company or Public Administration other than a university. They can be carried out exclusively at said company or Public Administration, or as a joint effort between those and the university.

The Ph.D. candidate's work is supervised by a thesis tutor appointed by the university and a supervisor appointed by either the company or the Public Administration.

Tutors can also be thesis advisors according to the Ph.D. Rules and Regulations for Doctoral Studies in Spain.

The main purpose of Industrial PhDs is the training of researchers at companies with ties to any field of knowledge or at Public Administrations. This training consists of experimental development or industrial research projects to be undertaken as part of their Ph.D. thesis.

According to the RD 99/2011, January 28, of Rules and Regulations for Doctoral Studies in Spain, the Ph.D. degree certificate can incorporate the Industrial Ph.D. (“Doctorado Industrial”) distinction, provided that the following requirements are met:

a) An employment or commercial contract of the Ph.D. candidate of al least one year during the thesis development by a private or public sector company or by a Public Administration other than the university.

b) Participation of the PhD candidate in an industrial research or experimental development project hosted by the employing company or Public Administration (other than a university). The project must be directly related to the PhD thesis of the candidate, who is required to provide a scientific and technical progress report as proof of this attachment. The report will be subsequently validated by the university.

c) An agreement must have been signed between the entity, company or public administration and the university for teh academic development of the doctoral thesis, which will establish, as a minimum, the obligations of the parties and the industrial property right that may be generated.

Yes, a signed agreement is required between the university and the entity, company or publica administration employing the PhD candidate.

Procedure

Candidates must apply for admission according to the usual procedure at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Additional requirements for Industrial Ph.D. candidates are:

• Motivation letter for Industrial Ph.D.

• Endorsement letter by an expert from the company or Public Administration where the project is to be carried out. This letter serves as an introduction of the Ph.D. candidate and his or her project. The expert can be also appointed as Ph.D. co-advisor (provided that he/she holds a Ph.D. degree).

• (When applicable) Agreement between Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the company or Public Administration for joint development purposes regarding the project on which the Industrial Ph.D. is based.

Candidates are enrolled according to the usual enrollment procedure at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

The written agreement among the Ph.D. candidate, tutor, advisors and the Academic Committee of the program will take into consideration the specifics of the agreement signed by uc3m and the company or Public Administration (when applicable). 

Prospective Ph.D. candidates benefitting from a financial aid program for Industrial Ph.D. projects must notify the university in order to establish the discount of tuition fees, if applicable. 

Ph.D. candidates must renew their enrollment at the beginning of each academic year during the periods set for this purpose by the university.

Academic monitoring and annual assessment follows the usual procedure at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

All candidates, regardless of the nature ot their Ph.D., must provide an Initial Research Plan (1) of their thesis project in the month of June of their first academic year. This plan contains the details of the research, including its methodology and timeline. If the plan pertains to an Industrial Ph.D., this document will be designated as Industrial Ph.D. Research Plan.

Additionally, candidates of Industrial Ph.D. programs must provide:

(2) A detailed report* of the industrial research or experimental development project in which the company or Public Administration participate, signed by the uc3m tutors and advisors and the supervisor appointed by the company or Public Administration*.

(3) A copy of the employment or commercial contract** by the company or Public Administration in which the project is carried out.

Student's Guide. Industrial Ph.D. Mention

*This report is subsequently validated by the Academic Committee in order to guarantee the attachment of the project to the thesis.

**Once the hiring of the candidate by the company or Public Administration is confirmed, the candidate's academic record is formally registered as Industrial Ph.D.

The annual assessment of the Ph.D. thesis will be carried out each academic year according to the calendar and instructions provided by the Ph.D. program. The candidate must also complete the mandatory activities set by the program.

The thesis defense follows the usual procedure according to the Rules and Regulations of the Doctoral School at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the specific conditions established in the written agreement between uc3m and the company or Public Administration for the Industrial Ph.D. (see Enrollment for details).

Ph.D. candidates must provide along with their application for thesis deposit: 

a. Report stating the completion of the research project, signed by the Ph.D. advisor, the supervisor appointed by the company or Public Administration and the Academic Committee of the Ph.D. Program.

b. Working Life Report (Informe de Vida Laboral) verifying that the thesis research has been carried out during the employment period at the company.

According to art.15 bis of RD 99/2011, of January 28, of Rules and Regulations for Doctoral Studies in Spain, the Ph.D. degree certificate can incorporate the Industrial Ph.D. (“Doctorado Industrial”) distinction, provided that the following requirements are met:

a) That the thesis has developed a research project of industrial, commercial, social or cultural interest of an entity, public or private company or public adminsitration. Universities, public research bodies (national or regional) and university hospitals are excluded. The direct relationship between the doctoral thesis and the work carried out by the doctoral student in the institution or company must be formalised in a scientific-technical report that must be approved by the university.

b) That an agreement has been signed between the entity, company or public administration and the university for the academic development of the doctoral thesis, wich will establish, as a minimum, the obligations of the parties and the industrial property rights that may be generated.

c) That the doctoral student has been employed by the entity, company or public administration where the research project is being carried out for at least one year during the development of the thesis, a substantial part of which must be carried out in the entity company or public administration.