The new call is now open to encourage the participation of projects in the areas of social sciences, arts and humanities
The 2016 edition also includes a new European modality and makes it easier for companies to find compatible sources of financing
The Government, through the Secretariat for Universities and Research, is launching the 2016 Industrial Doctorates Plan campaign, which incorporates important new features to promote new areas of research, after the success of previous editions. One of the most important novelties is the granting of a maximum of 15 grants for foundations and non-profit associations and entities linked to the public sector, among others. According to the Secretary for Universities and Research, Arcadi Navarro, "the purpose of these new grants is to facilitate research and innovation to also reach vital areas for our society such as social sciences, arts and humanities".
With the aim of responding to the current reality, where research is increasingly international and global, a new modality of industrial doctorate has been introduced, with which research groups in Catalonia can collaborate and develop projects with companies that do not have their workplace in Catalonia, but in another country of the European Union. In addition to the grant, allocated to the research group, tuition, the international mobility grant and the cross-disciplinary training of doctoral students will be financed.
In order to facilitate the participation of companies in other calls for aid and in the search for compatible sources of financing, the current call is subject to the General Regulation of Exemption by Categories (RGEC).
Success of past editions
Since the beginning of the Industrial Doctorates Plan, which began at the end of 2012 with a pilot plan and which in 2016 reach the fourth edition, more than 240 R+D+I projects have been launched, with the collaboration of Catalan universities, both public and private, together with 176 companies, from start-ups to large companies and in all fields (sciences, engineering, health sciences and humanities, among others). The Plan has mobilized 34 million euros, two thirds of which were committed by companies.
The objective of the Industrial Doctorates Plan is to contribute to the competitiveness and internationalization of the Catalan business and research fabric, strengthen the instruments to capture the talent generated by the country and place future doctors in a position to develop R+D+I projects in a company. The essential element of the Plan is the company's research project in which the doctoral student develops their research training, in collaboration with a university, and which is the subject of a doctoral thesis.
Industrial doctorates allow companies to access leading research groups and the use of their infrastructures, as well as obtain financial aid and benefit from tax deductions and bonuses. Universities facilitate the transfer of their technology and knowledge to the productive environment and strengthen their links with the business world. Doctoral students are allowed to train in a highly innovative environment with dual supervision, academic and business, within the framework of a three-year employment contract and with various advantages, such as free enrolment or a mobility pool.
The Plan is managed by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) and has the collaboration of the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) for its dynamization. It also has the support of the 12 Catalan universities and the business world to promote the transfer of knowledge to the productive sector.
