From the discussions in Salzburg a consensus emerged on a set of ten basic principles:

1. The core component of doctoral training is the advancement of knowledge through original research. At the same time it is recognised that doctoral training must increasingly meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academia.
2. Embedding in institutional strategies and policies: universities as institutions need to assume responsibility for ensuring that the doctoral programmes and research training they offer are designed to meet new challenges and include appropriate professional career development opportunities.
3. The importance of diversity: the rich diversity of doctoral programmes in Europe, including joint doctorates, is a strength which has to be underpinned by quality and sound practice.
4. Doctoral candidates as early stage researchers: should be recognised as professionals – with commensurate rights - who make a key contribution to the creation of new knowledge.
5. The crucial role of supervision and assessment: in respect of individual doctoral candidates, arrangements for supervision and assessment should be based on a transparent contractual framework of shared responsibilities between doctoral candidates, supervisors and the institution (and where appropriate including other partners).
6. Achieving critical mass: doctoral programmes should seek to achieve critical mass and should draw on different types of innovative practice being introduced in universities across Europe, bearing in mind that different solutions may be appropriate to different contexts.
7. Duration: doctoral programmes should operate within an appropriate duration in time (three to four years full-time as a rule).
8. The promotion of innovative structures: to meet the challenge of interdisciplinary training and the development of transferable skills.
9. Increasing mobility: doctoral programmes should seek to offer geographical as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and international collaboration within an integrated framework of cooperation between universities and other partners.
10. 1Ensuringappropriatefunding:thedevelopmentofqualitydoctoralprogrammesandthe successful completion by doctoral candidates require appropriate and sustainable funding.

Participants recommended to the BFUG that the ten principles outlined above should provide the basis for the further work of the BFUG and thus feed into the drafting of the Bergen Communiqué, and that the Ministers in Bergen should then call on the EUA through its members to prepare a report to be presented to Ministers in 2007, under the responsibility of the BFUG, on the further development of these principles.

Source: General Report to the Bologna Follow-Up Group to the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education - Bergen 19/20 May 2005
Bologna Process between Berlin and Bergen

Related documents

Seminar on Doctoral Programmes for the European Knowledge Society - Salzburg 2005

Recommendations
Programme
Participants

The EUA Doctoral Programmes Project (2003-2005)

Conclusions from the EUA Conference “Research Training as a Key to a Europe of Knowledge”, Maastricht, 28-301004

Presentations and statements (in order of appearance)

Welcome addresses

Sigurd Höllinger, DG for Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Austria
Eric Froment, President, European University Association (EUA)

Statements from key stakeholders

Doctoral candidates and young researchers, Renzo Rubele, President, EURODOC + Speech
Universities as research training institutions, Peter Gaehtgens, President, German Rectors’ Conference
The reform of doctoral education in France and the link between universities and public research organizations, Jean Marc Monteil, Director General, French Ministry of Education + Speech
The EU and the European Knowledge Society, Guy Haug, DG Education and Culture
Comments from the industry and trade unions on employability of doctoral candidates, Maria Rimini-Döring, Robert Bosch GmbH, Corporate Research and Development + Speech
Gerd Köhler, The German Education Union
Summary presentation of the EUA “Doctoral Programmes Project”, Lesley Wilson, Secretary General, EUA

Working Groups

Structure/ organisation of doctoral programmes (1)
Structure/ organisation of doctoral programmes (2)
Quality of doctoral programmes
Different roles of doctoral candidates/ Individual conditions for doctoral candidates
Comparing “good and innovative practices” at/among institutions

Wake up panel on doctoral programmes in the light of world wide competition

Magda Lola, Marie Curie Fellowship Association and University of Patras, Greece
Louise Ackers, Director of the Centre for Study of Law in Europe, University of Leeds, Unite Kingdom
Debra Stewart, President of the Council of Graduate Schools, USA