NRRP PhD scholarships are back: ideas, innovation and knowledge involving both universities and businesses

An opportunity to develop innovative research projects in close contact with the business world. The University of Bologna is offering 145 doctoral scholarships funded by Next Generation EU - NRRP: there is still time to apply and take part in the call for applications until 7 August.

The innovative NRRP-funded PhD programmes are designed to promote and strengthen higher education and postgraduate specialisation. The aim is to increase the number of PhD students in Italy and to link this training more closely to the economy, public administration and the world of work in general. PhD students carry out part of their research project in companies, enabling them to acquire valuable skills and expertise for their future entry into the world of work.

The data confirms this: one year after graduation, the employment rate of the University of Bologna PhD students is 95.8%, significantly higher than that of second cycle degree graduates but also higher than that of PhD students from other Italian universities. Moreover, a large proportion of employed doctorate holders (86% one year and 92% three years after graduation) are working in intellectual, scientific and highly specialised professions, with average monthly salaries of around €2,000 (one year after graduation).

The PhD scholarships funded by the NRRP cover a wide range of fields, including artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, inequality reduction, health, education and training, digitisation, preservation of cultural heritage and Industry 4.0, in the highly multidisciplinary context of the University of Bologna, which offers state-of-the-art research services and facilities to develop new ideas, innovation and knowledge.

This gives PhD students the opportunity to learn how to conduct original and independent research in a specific field, in close contact with the business world. This enables them to acquire important transferable skills that go beyond mastering their specialist subject such as the ability to tackle complex problems, deal with unforeseen events, work in a team and communicate the results of their work effectively.