The Doctoral School of the University of Latvia (LU) began its work on July 15. The main tasks are the implementation and promotion of all doctoral study programs, ensuring the career development of young researchers, monitoring and improving the quality of doctoral studies, as well as promoting international cooperation. The new model of doctoral studies, which will be gradually introduced at LU by the end of 2026, foresees the transition to doctoral study with employment and strengthening the interdisciplinarity of studies.
The LU Doctoral School will offer a strong and high-quality part of academic studies with the opportunity to acquire a range of knowledge in one place, which is necessary for all performers of intellectual work of the highest order, starting from questions of cultural history and philosophy and ending with statistics and writing publications and projects. Doctoral students will have more opportunities to receive remuneration and will be involved in academic activities already starting to work on research. A customized doctorate board (individual promotions) will make it easier to carry out interdisciplinary research. Unified rules will reduce uncertainty and ambiguity, making its system more transparent. Also there will be a freer opportunity to evaluate the competences of the doctoral student and adapt them to the actualities of the industry.
"The new doctoral model determines that the doctoral student must be actively involved in the represented research field, as well as receive appropriate and stable, predictable remuneration for the work throughout the duration of the doctoral studies. The doctoral school will operate as a structural unit of LU, which will provide the necessary resources and quality control for the preparation of doctoral students in accordance with modern requirements. This includes both the development of international-level doctoral theses and the development of skills for greater competitiveness in the labor market. LU doctoral study programs will be implemented in cooperation with LU faculties and external partners, especially research institutes, departments and laboratories, in accordance with the field of research and interdisciplinarity of the doctoral study programs," explains LU vice-rector of researches Guntars Kitenbergs.
Every year, about 50 young researchers are awarded a doctorate degree at the University of Latvia. It is planned to enroll almost 100 new doctoral students in doctoral studie this years.
Until now, the LU has already implemented a system of internal grants for doctoral studies, as well as organized cycles of educational and informative seminars, including workshops on time planning, stress management, professional burnout, creation of digital profiles, scientific networking and publishing, research communication, etc. Experience exchange webinars were held, introducing doctoral students and scientific leaders to study and research experience in various universities around the world.
The creation of the LU Doctoral School is one of the activities in the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism Project "Internal and External Consolidation of the University of Latvia", which is implemented by the University of Latvia and the BA School of Business and Finance, continuing the improvement of doctoral studies in LU initiated by the European Social Fund project "Strengthening the capacity of the LU Doctorate in the framework of the new doctoral model".
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