30 April 2025

Are you a PhD candidate looking to strengthen your interdisciplinary research skills – and your impact? Or a supervisor interested in enhancing your approach to doctoral supervision?

Apply by 1 June to participate in a unique interdisciplinary doctoral training programme. Twenty people will join this exciting learning experience, organised by the Una Europa team at Leiden University. 

As a participant, you’ll explore cutting-edge methods, tools and best practices through two online sessions and a week-long in-person training session in The Hague. You’ll expand your international network by working alongside PhD candidates and supervisors from other Una Europa universities, and you'll have conversations with academics, policymakers, and publishers. Participation is free of charge.

Why should I participate?

• Advance your interdisciplinary methods and research skills.
  PhD candidates will learn techniques and methods to critically address complex challenges related to global governance and Europe’s place in the world. Supervisors will gain tools and best practices for guiding researchers.

• Learn how to make an impact.
  Strengthen the connection between your research and policy by engaging with EU policymakers and receiving training on how to communicate with non-academic audiences.

• Grow your network.
  Connect with fellow doctoral researchers, supervisors, policymakers, and practitioners from across the Una Europa alliance and Europe as a whole.

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance. The total study load is 84 hours (3ECTS).

What can I expect from the programme?

• 18–19 October: Research methods and transferrable skills workshop (online). Participants will receive methods training for both qualitative and quantitative methods. In a roundtable discussion, supervisors will share good practices for the supervision of doctoral researchers. A keynote lecture will explore the role of theory in conducting research.
• 17–21 November: In-person programme live in The Hague. Supervisors will receive guidance on interdisciplinary research supervision and fostering diversity and inclusion. Doctoral researchers will present and refine their research with expert feedback. Advanced methods and research training as well as transferable skills training will cover literature review techniques, research design, conducting policy-relevant research, engagement with EU policymakers, and scientific as well as academic communication. Additionally, there will be sessions on academic publishing, keynote lectures and networking opportunities with policymakers and journal editors.
• 8 December: Follow-up meeting (online). We will reflect together on lessons learned and future directions.

Meet the organising team

Lead organisers:

• Seda Gürkan: Assistant Professor in European Approaches to Security, Diplomacy and Global Affairs at Leiden University (host and academic lead).
• Mariëlle Veldhuijzen van Zanten: Una Europa Senior Project Lead at Leiden University.

Co-organisers:

• Chad Damro: Professor of European Politics and Academic Convenor of the FUTURES Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the University of Edinburgh (academic lead).
• Conor Galvin: Director of PhD Programmes at University College Dublin (academic lead).
• Thomas Rixen: Head of the International and Comparative Political Economy at Freie Universität Berlin (academic lead).
• Matthias Hahn: Berlin International College of Research and Graduate Training.
• Lisa van Hoof-Maurer: Internationalisation Coordinator at Freie Universität Berlin.
• Joachim Koops: Professor of Security at Leiden University.

Am I eligible to participate?

The programme is open to doctoral researchers in their first or second year of their programme, as well as doctoral supervisors, at Leiden University and LUMC. Proficiency in English (B2) is required. We are focusing particularly on candidates from the social sciences, humanities and law domains, and who are working on topics related to global governance and Europe’s place in the world. For example:

• Peace and security.
• Promotion of universal values and human rights.
• Poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
• Global trade and financial interdependence.
• Global digital connectivity, market regulation, and cooperation on technological developments affecting world affairs.
• Global pandemics and health cooperation, especially with a view to tackling rising inequalities.

How can I apply?

Submit your application by completing the application form by 1 June, 23:59 CEST.

PhD candidates are asked to provide a letter of support from their supervisors. A committee consisting of staff members from Una Europa universities will select participants based on their biography and motivation. Participants will be notified by 18 June 2025.