PRIDE: Professionals in Doctoral Education: Supporting skills development to better contribute to an European knowledge society

The PRIDE project aimed to provide an alternative approach to administration in the area of doctoral education. The overall aim of the project was to professionalize administrative staff in doctoral education, in order to provide better support to PhD supervisors, PhD candidates and external stakeholders.

Funding Scheme

EC’s Lifelong Learning Programme

Aims and general information

1. to collect and analyse needs and good practices focusing on the different roles and responsibilities of administrative staff in doctoral education as well as expectations they are confronted with;
2. to describe in a handbook for professionalizing administrative staff the roles and responsibilities of professionals to highlight their formal status in administrative positions and the potential benefits for institutions;
3. to design a training course for professionalization of administrative staff.

All objectives followed a multi-target group approach regarding potential end-users of the results, namely administrators in doctoral education, directors of doctoral schools and programs, HR units, and career service centres. Through the formalization of an international network for professionals in doctoral education the awareness for continuous improvement was addressed.