Research Report Evaluation of the FWF Doctoral Programme (DK Programme) Brigitte Ecker, Andrea Kottmann, Susanne Meyer Assistant: Marion-Bianca Brandl Research Report Evaluation of the FWF Doctoral Programme (DK Programme) Brigitte Ecker, Andrea Kottmann, Susanne Meyer Assistant: Marion-Bianca Brandl Final version Study on behalf of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) September 2014 Institut für Höhere Studien (IHS), Wien Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna Contact: Brigitte Ecker : +43/1/599 91-117 Email: [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary (German) ............................................................................................................................ 3 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 10 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 16 2 Aims of the study, its analytical framework and methodology .......................................................... 22 3 Overview of the FWF DK Programme ................................................................................................. 28 3.1 The FWF DK Programme at a Glance........................................................................................................ 30 3.1.1 Development of the FWF DK Programme…………………………………… . ………………………………………………….30 3.1.2 Doktoratskollegs by scientific discipline…………………………………………………………………………............... …..32 3.1.3 Doktoratskollegs by host institutions…………………………………………. ......................................................... 32 3.2 Key figures on DK members, DK performance and institutional support of DK ..................................... 34 3.2.1 Key figures on DK members….. ................................................................................................................. 34 3.2.2 Key figures on the operation of DK............................ .............................................................................. 37 3.2.3 Institutional support……………………............................................………………………. .................................... 38 3.3 Some data-based evidences ..................................................................................................................... 38 4 Practices of doctoral training in Doktoratskollegs............................................................................ 40 4.1 Practices of doctoral training .................................................................................................................... 40 4.1.1 Selection of doctoral candidates .............................................................................................................. 40 4.1.2 Supervision of doctoral candidates .......................................................................................................... 44 4.1.3 Training programme of the DK ................................................................................................................. 45 4.1.4 International exposure .............................................................................................................................. 48 4.2 Professionalization of practices and application of international standards in doctoral training.......... 51 4.2.1 Professionalization of doctoral training in DK .......................................................................................... 51 4.2.2 International standards in doctoral training in DK ................................................................................... 52 5 Significance of Doktoratskollegs......................................................................................................... 54 5.1 Doktoratskollegs from the perspective of the Principal Investigators .................................................... 54 5.1.1 Motivation for applying a DK and the assets of a DK from the perspective of the Principal Investigators ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….54 5.1.2 Application, administration, review and evaluation procedures ............................................................ 55 5.1.3 Operation patterns .................................................................................................................................... 57 5.2 Studying in a Doktoratskollegs from the perspective of representatives of doctoral candidates and the representatives of doctoral service centers ............................................................................................. 62 5.3 Embeddedness of Doktoratskollegs ......................................................................................................... 63 5.4 Doktoratskollegs in the light of activities and initiatives in structured doctoral training set up by Austrian universities .................................................................................................................................. 64 5.4.1 Structured doctoral training at Austrian universities ............................................................................... 64 5.4.2 Doktoratskollegs from the perspective of the university management ................................................. 65 5.5 The added value of Doktoratskollegs ....................................................................................................... 66 6 Experiences from other countries: international comparison of structured doctoral programmes . 68 6.1 Description of the doctoral training and funding programmes in countries selected for the comparison ................................................................................................................................................ 69 6.1.1 The Netherlands: Graduate Programme of the NWO ............................................................................. 69 6.1.2 Germany: DFG Research Training Groups ................................................................................................ 71 6.1.3 Switzerland: SUK Doktoratsprogramme ................................................................................................... 73 6.1.4 Norway: National Research Schools of the Research Council of Norway ............................................... 74 6.1.5 Finland: Doctoral Programmes of the Academy of Finland ..................................................................... 76 6.1.6 Denmark………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….77 6.1.7 Some country based evidences ................................................................................................................ 78 6.2 Implementation of the programmes ........................................................................................................ 82 6.2.1 Selection of doctoral candidates for the funding programme/scheme .................................................. 82 6.2.2 Organisation of the supervision ................................................................................................................ 84 6.2.3 International orientation .......................................................................................................................... 84 6.2.4 Implementation compared ....................................................................................................................... 85 6.3 Output of the programmes ....................................................................................................................... 87 6.4 Significance of the programmes ............................................................................................................... 88 7 Lessons learned .................................................................................................................................. 90 7.1 Lessons learned from other countries ...................................................................................................... 90 7.2 Discussion of scenarios ............................................................................................................................. 92 7.3 Conclusions and recommendations ......................................................................................................... 93 References ……………………………………………………………… ...... ………….……………………………………………..……….97 Appendix I Interview guidelines ........................................................................................................... 100 Appendix II Interview partners .............................................................................................................. 102 Appendix III Activities and initiatives in doctoral training at Austrian universities according to the performance agreements 2013-2015 ................................................................................ 105 Appendix IV Current activities and initiatives of structured doctoral training at Austrian universities . 109 Appendix V Data sources of the international comparison ................................................................... 112 Appendix VI List of FWF Doktoratskollegs established 2004-2013......................................................... 113 Appendix VII FWF DK Programme Guidelines ......................................................................................... 115 IHS – CHEPS – AIT – Evaluation of the FWF Doctoral Programme (DK Programme) - 3 Executive