Autonomous Community of Catalonia - Industrial Doctorates

What the Industrial Doctorates programme offers

You will undertake a paid PhD programme within a company or organisation in Catalonia whilst simultaneously writing your dissertation at a university or research centre. As a PhD student, you will receive a personal scholarship of about 1,830 EUR per year (up to 10,800 EUR over three years) to cover tuition fees, travel expenses, professional development and publications. The project itself is funded separately with up to approximately 60,600 EUR, with the company and the research group sharing the costs. The funding runs for 3 years. You can extend it by up to 1 years, plus up to 4 additional months for parental leave or sickness. The Generalitat de Catalunya funds the programme through its research funding agency, AGAUR.

Who can apply

The grant is awarded to the company and the university; however, they must have already identified you as a PhD student before submitting the application. You must meet the following requirements:

• Level: You have been admitted to a PhD programme.
• Grades: Your weighted average mark from your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees is at least 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
• Where you work: You are carrying out your research within a company or organisation in collaboration with a university or research centre in Catalonia.
• Supervisor: Your supervisor is a member of an active, recognised Catalan research group (SGR) or is an ICREA researcher or ERC fellow.
• Field of study: Open to all disciplines and sectors.
• Nationality: All nationalities can apply.
• Independence: They do not hold a majority stake in the applicant company.
• One try: You can only be nominated for one project.

How to apply

Firstly, the research project must be published on the ‘Pla de Doctorats Industrials’ website at least five working days before the application deadline. The company and the university then jointly select candidates and conduct interviews with them. The formal application is submitted online via the AGAUR portal. The application period for 2025 runs from 28 February to 10 December and is divided into four windows, ending on 16 April, 11 June, 8 October and 10 December.

How realistic are your chances?

You don’t receive this scholarship on your own. It depends on a company and a university jointly developing a PhD project centred around you. The real hurdle, therefore, is securing a place on one of these projects. Once you have been assigned to a project, the requirements for the researcher are manageable: a grade point average of 6.5 and admission to a PhD programme. The annual budget funds well over a hundred projects. If you have a firm agreement with a Catalan company and a qualified supervisor, your chances are good, and applying early is an advantage.