Guidelines for the Industrial PhD Programme

• Download the guidelines in PDF 

In the following, The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation will be abbreviated as the Agency, The Danish Council for Technology and Innovation as the Council, and the Industrial PhD Programme Committee as the Programme Committee.

The guidelines are in force as of January 21, 2010.

1. What is an Industrial PhD?

An Industrial PhD education is a three-year research project and research training programme with an industrial focus conducted jointly by a private company, an Industrial PhD student and a university. The student is employed by the company and enrolled at the university. 

Public organisations and institutions may also apply for approval of an Industrial PhD project in cooperation with a university, as long as the project lives up to the general requirements described in these guidelines. If means have been allocated for this purpose in the Finance Act, public organisations and institutions may apply for subsidy at indicated application rounds, to be announced beforehand at www.erhvervsphd.dk. If no means have been allocated, public organisations and institutions must defray all expenses for the education, including expenses in connection with enrolment and supervision at the university, cf. rules in section 6.

Regulations on PhD educations are established in the Executive Order No. 18 of January 14, 2008 regarding PhD programmes at universities (the PhD Executive Order). The provisions of the Guidelines for the Industrial PhD Programme contain the funding requirements of the Industrial PhD Programme, which is financed by the Danish Council for Technology and Innovation (The Council).

2. Application procedure and general conditions

The first step when commencing an Industrial PhD project is to submit an application to the Agency. The application is drafted jointly by a private company, a university and a candidate. The company is the formal applicant for subsidy from the Agency for the project, since it is the company which upon approval of the project employs the candidate as an Industrial PhD student and acts as the host company for the project.

When the application is received by the Agency, it is assessed by the Industrial PhD Programme Committee (the Programme Committee), a professional advisory committee consisting of members from the corporate world and public research institutions. An application for an Industrial PhD can either obtain approval, conditional approval or rejection. Applicants will be notified of the decision within 45 working days after the deadline for the application.

If an application is approved, the applicants will first receive a letter of approval and subsequently a letter of commitment from the Agency. The letter of commitment contains the formal requirements set upon the company and the university during the course of the Industrial PhD project. Upon being signed, the letter of commitment constitutes the company’s and the university’s contract with the Agency.

During the project period, the company pays the student’s salary and receives a wage subsidy from the Agency. The university receives a subsidy to cover teaching and other expenses related to the enrolment of the student. As a starting point, the student must divide his or her time equally between the company and the university. Hence, the student is supervised by at least two supervisors: a main supervisor from the university and a company supervisor from the company. In addition, one or more third-party supervisors may also be attached to the project. The university appoints all supervisors (cf. the Executive Order on PhD Programmes, Part 11, Section 26), although the company supervisor is appointed at the recommendation of the company. The university supervisor, the company supervisor and any third-party supervisor must be evident from the application and sign the application.

In addition to the application procedure with a single named candidate per application, a company can seek approval of up to five projects per application round without named candidates. A final approval of such a project is given on the condition that the company subsequently finds a qualified candidate, e.g. through job advertisements.

The following sections will outline the different steps in applying for an Industrial PhD and the conditions applicable to an initiated Industrial PhD project.

3. Submitting applications

Applications regarding Industrial PhD projects must be sent to the Industrial PhD Secretariat, The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation, Bredgade 40, DK-1260 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Applications must be submitted in two formats:

• An unstapled original (paper)
• A digital version (in a single PDF file) on a CD-ROM or USB device.

The application form available for download at www.erhvervsphd.dk must be used exactly as given. The digital version of the application in Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format must be generated by ‘printing to PDF’ (for more information, see “Application” at www.erhvervsphd.dk). In addition, an online master data form must be filled out at www.erhvervsphd.dk.

The Agency must receive the application no later than 12 noon on the closing date for applications. There are four yearly application deadlines. The application deadlines are continuously determined and announced at www.industrialphd.dk.

4. Admission requirements

The host company, the student and the university must live up to certain criteria when applying for an Industrial PhD.

• The host company:
  Must be a Danish or foreign private company with divisions or subsidiaries physically located in Denmark or a private non-profit organisation such as an Advanced Technology Group (GTS) institute, private foundation or private organisation with a substantial element of commercial activity. The Industrial PhD student can periodically stay in one or more of the company’s foreign divisions.
• Must be able to provide financial support for the Industrial PhD student’s three-year education, since the student is employed in the company. Start-up companies should draw up a business plan including goals and milestones for new financing and an exit strategy for the student if these goals and milestones are not met.
• Must designate at least one person as the company supervisor for the project. The company supervisor may be someone on the staff or an external person attached to the project.
• Must have a professional milieu capable of supporting the project. This means that, in addition to the designated company supervisor, the company must have at least 2-3 people within the project’s professional field who could take over the supervisor’s function. If the company cannot meet this requirement on its own, the company may ask a private third party to serve in this function. Alternatively, the professional support can be assured by several companies collaborating on a project.
• Must ensure that the project is embedded in the company’s organisation.
• Must be able to document that the project is part of the company’s development strategy and that the project has a novelty value and a commercial aim for the company.

Other relevant participants with a professional milieu that can support the project may be attached to the Industrial PhD project. For instance, several companies can work together on a joint Industrial PhD project, as long as   

• They collectively meet the financial and professional requirements.
• They enter into a binding cooperative agreement regarding project financing and allocation of the Industrial PhD student’s time.
• They base the Industrial PhD project in one of the cooperating companies.
• They designate at least one employee with professional credentials to supervise the Industrial PhD student.

Industrial PhD students are subject to provisions of the Danish act on employee inventions. Any questions about intellectual property rights should be clarified before signing the employment contract.

Candidates for the Industrial PhD must:

• Hold a master’s degree or similar,
• Have attained a weighted grade point average of at least 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale or 9 on the 13-point scale for the entire master’s programme (ie. the grade point average must be the cumulative average of both the bachelor’s and master’s studies),
• Have earned at least the grade 10 on either grade point scale for any final thesis or examination project. Applicants with ungraded final projects must submit a written statement or assessment from the teacher and examiner who assessed the final thesis or examination project. Special rules apply to applicants enrolled under a ‘4+4’ scheme; see Section 7.

A calculation of the weighted grade point average for both bachelor’s and master’s studies must be included with the application. In special cases, an applicant with a lower grade point average may be approved if the applicant has documented research ability, such as peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals, patents or relevant experience with scientific research; ie. consisting of a longer period of work as a research assistant or work with empirical research that meets the demands of scientific research methodology. In addition, progression in grades or top grades (minimum 10) in subjects relevant to the project, relevant references or letters of recommendation may be considered as compensation for a grade levels slightly lower than required.

Applicants with foreign master’s degrees are required to have attained the same academic level as corresponding applicants with Danish degrees. The enrolling university must approve the assessment of the grade level of the foreign master’s degree compared with a corresponding Danish master’s degree. An assessment of the candidate’s level of grades must be enclosed with the application. The assessment must be signed by the Head of Studies, Head of Department, Head of PhD programme, Associate Dean, Dean, Pro-Rector or Rector at the enrolling university. If possible, a description of the foreign grading scale should be submitted along with the grade assessment (for more information, see www.ciriusonline.dk/eksamenshaandbog).

It is required that the applicant is admitted to a PhD programme at the enrolling university which is then the host university for the Industrial PhD project. Prior admission to a PhD programme at the host university does not, however, place the Agency, the Council or the Programme Committee under any commitment in their consideration of the application.

The host university:

• Must be a university or institution of higher education in Denmark or abroad. Foreign universities must be officially authorised in the country in question to conduct PhD programmes.
• Must have at least one permanent employee with the academic credentials to act as the main supervisor for the PhD student.
• Must have an academic milieu (PhD programme) within the Industrial PhD project’s field of research capable of supporting the project. This means the university must have several employees working within the field in question who could take over as supervisor if necessary.

If the host university is foreign, a Danish university must be attached to the Industrial PhD project as a third party. 

Supervisors at universities and other public research institutes are subject to the legislative provisions on inventions at public research institutes. 

5. Third parties

Other relevant parties – third parties – with a professional milieu capable of supporting the project may be attached to the project.
 
Third parties from the private sector: A third party from the private sector may be attached to the project, but cannot receive subsidy from the Agency.

Third parties from the public sector: A third party (co-supervisor) from the public sector may also be attached. This third party may be eligible for subsidy. To be eligible for subsidy, the attached third party must be a university or research institution within the public administration and not be part of the host university. A third party from the public sector may receive a subsidy of up to DKK 45,000 from the Agency for supervising an Industrial PhD student. The Agency can only provide subsidy for one third party. The third party will be jointly responsible for ensuring the academic completion of the project.

If several universities form a consortium in which an employee from a university other than the host university is co-supervisor, a binding cooperative agreement must be made concerning the Industrial PhD project. The project is based at the university conferring the PhD degree.

6. Industrial PhD projects in the public sector

Public institutions and organisations in collaboration with a university may also apply for approval of an Industrial PhD education, provided the education fulfils the regular requirements of these guidelines. If means have been allocated for this purpose in the Finance Act, public organisations and institutions may apply for subsidy at indicated application rounds, to be announced beforehand at www.erhvervsphd.dk. Should any means remain from the first application round where they were available, they can be applied for at subsequent application rounds. If no means have been allocated, public organisations and institutions must defray all expenses for the education, including expenses in connection with enrolment and supervision at the university.

Public institutions or organisations participate in an Industrial PhD project on the same terms as a company in the private sector. Like private companies, public organisations can jointly finance and apply for an Industrial PhD project.

The purpose of conducting Industrial PhD projects in the public sector is:

• To support the public sector’s focus on possible improvements through targeted, practical, research based projects.
• To train scientists with insight into the importance of research and development in the public sector.
• To build knowledge-sharing networks between public institutions and research institutes.

The Industrial PhD Programme in the public sector is targeted at:

• Public institutions and organisations financially and professionally capable of supporting a three-year research and training project.
• Holders of a master’s degree with the necessary qualifications to complete a PhD project, cf. section 4.
• Universities as supervisors, cf. section 4 and 5.

The programme does not include traditional medical science, which is covered by the health care sector’s PhD programmes.

7. Industrial PhD projects under 4+4 schemes

The following rules apply to projects approved after February 17, 2005 under ‘4+4’ schemes.

• As with three-year Industrial PhD projects, a project application is made wherein a company, a candidate and a university jointly pledge to carry out an industry-targeted course of research. At the time of application, the student should have completed or be working towards completing four years of university studies. In addition, the student should be enrolled in a 4+4 PhD programme at a university or should be able to render it probable that he or she can be enrolled into such a programme.
• The Programme Committee will assess the project description and give a conditional approval if the application meets the programme requirements and the applicant has at least an 8.2 weighted grade point average on the Danish 7-point grading scale (9 according to the Danish 13-point grading scale) at the time of application. 
• The student is enrolled or hired at the university during the first two years according to the university’s own regulations.
• After the first two years of the PhD education, the student submits a statement or grade for the examination which is part of the PhD education at the university and which the student is taking instead of the traditional thesis or final master’s project. If the examination is graded, the student must have earned at least the grade 10 according to both the Danish 7-point and the 13-point grading scales. If the Agency, possibly in consultation with the Programme Committee, assesses that the student lives up to the requirements for an Industrial PhD student, the company will then hire the student on the ordinary terms for Industrial PhD students.
   
  The Agency does not provide any subsidy during the first year of an Industrial PhD education under a 4+4 scheme. The Agency will provide subsidy to the company for the two final years of the education. The Agency will provide subsidy to the university for the final three years of the four year education.

8. Application content

Applications are sent to the Agency but will be assessed by the Programme Committee.

The application, the final Industrial PhD project, the business report and all other communication must be in either Danish or English.

Industrial PhD projects in a private company
An application for an Industrial PhD project in the private sector must include the following information about the specific project:

• A clear research hypothesis.
• A description of the state-of-the-art. On a single A4-sized page excl. references, the state-of-the-art description must summarise the general field of research which includes the project's subject.
• A description of the project’s research potential.
• A project description divided into phases.
• An account of the commercial perspectives for the company.

The commercial perspectives of a project can be prospects of direct economic gain, but may also be value adding perspectives in a more indirect way. The value adding perspectives of a project can take the shape of either:

• Improving administrative efficiency.
• Knowledge building which directly increases the company’s competencies.
• Strategically working towards establishing new products or markets
• Developing the long term concepts and/or strategies of the company.

If the direct economic gains of a project are not rendered probable, the company must clearly account for how the project is indirectly useful in the shape of broader value adding perspectives. The probability of obtaining approval diminishes the less the economic gains to the company are rendered likely. Accordingly, projects with clear economic perspectives are more competitive than projects with more indirect perspectives of value adding.

Industrial PhD projects in a public institution
An application for an Industrial PhD project in a public institution must include the following information about the specific project:

• A clear research hypothesis.
• A description of the state-of-the-art. On a single A4-sized page excl. references, the state-of-the-art description must summarise the general field of research which includes the project's subject
• A description of the project’s research potential.
• A project description divided into phases.

Unlike Industrial PhD projects in the private sector, applications for public sector projects are not required to demonstrate the probability of a successful commercial outcome. Instead, the application should include considerations about specific improvements for the institution or organisation in which the project is based. The application should render probable ways in which the project might benefit the institution, e.g. through: 

• Improving administrative efficiency.
• Knowledge building which directly increases the institution’s competencies.
• Systematic dissemination of knowledge and/or
• Strengthening the quality of the product/service provided by the institution in question.

9. Application assessment

Industrial PhD applications are assessed by the Programme Committee. In assessing an Industrial PhD application, the Programme Committee places weight on the factors listed above, as well as:

• Whether the company/institution is able to provide professional and financial support for the project.
• Whether the candidate is qualified to conduct a research project in the area specified.
• Whether the university milieu is relevant to the specific project.

An application for an Industrial PhD can either obtain approval, conditional approval or rejection. If the Programme Committee conditionally approves the project, the applicant will have to meet a number of conditions before the project can commence. These conditions will be set out in the letter which the Agency sends to the company, the university and the candidate after the application has been considered. When the conditions have been met and approved by the Programme Committee, the project may commence.

Applications without named candidates can either obtain a conditional approval or a rejection. If conditionally approved, the company must subsequently find a qualified candidate for the project, for instance through job advertisements. When the candidate has been selected, the company must submit documentation of the candidate’s qualifications to the Agency. If the Agency, possibly in consultation with the Programme Committee, assesses that the candidate lives up to the requirements for an Industrial PhD student, the company can then hire the candidate and commence the project. The candidate must be found and approved no later than six months after the projects has obtained a conditional approval.

If more qualified applications are received than there are means to subsidize, the Programme Committee will prioritise applications based on considerations of research, academic and sector aspects.

If a project is rejected, the applicant will receive a letter stating the grounds for rejection. A rejected project is not eligible for subsidy under the Industrial PhD Programme, regardless of whether the project has the university’s approval. However, it is possible to resubmit the application. When resubmitted, an application must include a summary outlining how the grounds for the previous rejection have been addressed. All application material incl. new original signatures must be resubmitted when reapplying.

The Danish Council for Technology and Innovation is the appeals body for all announced decisions, cf. the Act on Technology and Innovation (Act 419 of June 6, 2002). All rejections are elaborated and supplied with guidelines on how to appeal. Decisions on professional, academic and legal grounds may be appealed to the Council. The Council’s decisions cannot be appealed to any other instance, as its decisions may not be appealed to any other administrative authority, cf. § 4 (1-5).

10. Subsidy

When finally approved by the Agency, the Industrial PhD project may commence from the date of the student's enrolment in the host university's PhD programme, provided this date is on or after the date of the Agency's approval. Subsidy is provided to the company and the university from this date on, but is not paid out before the Agency has received the company’s and the university’s signatures from the letter of commitment, as well as the certificate of enrolment in the PhD programme. The subsidy is annulled if the Industrial PhD project has not commenced within six months of receipt of the letter of commitment.

Subsidy to the company:
From January 1, 2009, the wage subsidy to a company is DKK 14,500 per month or DKK 522,000 for three years.

In addition, expenses for the following activities may be refunded:

• Short stays in Denmark and abroad: Subsidy is provided to cover documented expenses related to the Industrial PhD student's project-relevant stays at foreign universities or research institutions. The duration of the stay must be less than two months. Subsidy is provided for a single round trip to the destination per stay.

 Subsidy is also provided to cover documented expenses related to the Industrial PhD student's participation in project-relevant conferences or courses in Denmark and abroad. In addition to any conference or course fees, the subsidy also covers travelling and living expenses related to the conference or course. The duration of the stay must be less than two months. Subsidy is provided for a single round trip to the destination per stay. The subsidy for conferences and courses cannot be used for participation in PhD courses that should have been held at the host university.

 A total subsidy of up to DKK 75,000 is available for ‘Short stays in Denmark and abroad’ for the entire period.

• Longer stays abroad: Subsidy is provided to cover documented expenses related to the Industrial PhD student's project-relevant stays at foreign universities or research institutions. A total subsidy of up to DKK 62,000 is available for the entire period. The duration of the stay must be more than two months and must not exceed one year. Subsidy is provided for a single round trip to the destination per stay.
• Stays at foreign host universities: A subsidy of up to DKK 122,000 is granted for the entire period. The subsidy covers documented expenses related to the Industrial PhD student’s stays at his or her host university abroad. The host university is where the student is enrolled during the entire project period and where the main university supervisor is based. DKK 32,000 is granted to cover documented travelling expenses for the entire period and DKK 90,000 for documented living expenses.

In private sector projects eligible for subsidy, the company must pay all other expenses, and co-financing from other public financing sources is not allowed. In other words, the applicant must be able to document a financial and professional division between the Industrial PhD project and any other development projects in the company receiving public subsidy. The Agency will not provide financial support for the Industrial PhD project if the project receives co-financing from other public sources, including the EU and other Nordic countries.

Public sector projects which have obtained subsidy when available in certain application rounds may not receive co-financing from private sources (incl. private non-profit foundations). However, unlike projects in the private sector, it is permitted to include co-financing from other public sources. The applicant must be able to document a financial and professional division between the Industrial PhD project and any other development projects in the public institution co-financed with private means. The Agency will not provide financial support for the Industrial PhD project if the project is co-financed with private means.

As a point of departure, subsidy is paid out to the company once a year when the financial report is submitted. Alternatively, the company may choose to submit financial reports quarterly or semi-annually and subsequently receive the corresponding subsidy. The financial report must contain a statement of expenses eligible for subsidy in the period itemised by type and the amount of subsidy requested. An auditor's statement, verifying that the receipts declared in the financial report exist, must be submitted annually. Forms for financial reporting and auditor’s statement are available at www.erhvervsphd.dk.

The Agency does not pay out wage subsidy to the company during periods of leave. If the education is temporarily interrupted because of periods of leave, including sick leave and maternity leave, the company must inform the Agency in writing prior to commencement of leave. The company is obligated to carry out the entire three year education, and the duration of the project will be extended correspondingly.

Subsidy to the host university:
Subsidy to host universities is paid out according to currently valid “Terms and Conditions for Grants” (“Vilkår for bevillinger”) for the Agency. 85 pct. of the university subsidy is paid out at the project’s commencement. The remaining 15 pct. is paid out when the student’s and university supervisor’s final annual statement is approved, cf. section 13 on Reporting and disseminating knowledge.

For projects approved after January 1, 2009:
The Danish host university is paid DKK 360,000 for experimental programmes and DKK 252,000 for non-experimental programmes. Experimental programmes include the technical, natural and health sciences. Non-experimental programmes include the humanities and social sciences. The subsidy includes university overhead.

For projects approved before January 1, 2009:
The Danish host university is paid DKK 300,000 for experimental programmes and DKK 210,000 for non-experimental programmes.

The subsidy covers:

• Supervision of the Industrial PhD student and dialogue with his/her workplace
• The Industrial PhD student’s work facilities at the host university
• The Industrial PhD student’s participation in relevant PhD courses at the university. If the host university does not offer relevant courses in the discipline, the host university may use some of its subsidy to pay for the student’s participation in PhD courses at other universities,
• Assessment of the PhD thesis.

An annual subsidy of up to DKK 100,000 per year will be paid out for three years to a non-Danish university for an Industrial PhD Education within a framework approved by the Agency.

Subsidy to public third parties:
Danish or non-Danish universities and public research institutions may participate as third parties and receive up to a total of DKK 45,000 to cover fees for co-supervision for all three years, corresponding to 80-100 hours of supervision. Applications for subsidy for a third party may be submitted while the education is ongoing. Applications must be approved by the Agency before subsidy can be paid out. Subsidy is paid out to the institution responsible for ensuring that supervision takes place as agreed. If the supervision agreement is not honoured, the subsidy agreement will be terminated.

Subsidy to third parties is paid out according to currently valid “Terms and Conditions for Grants” (“Vilkår for bevillinger”) for the Agency. 85 pct. of the approved third party subsidy is paid out when the third party enters the project. If the third party is participating in the project from the outset, the third party subsidy is paid out at the project’s commencement. The remaining 15 pct. is paid out when the student’s, university supervisor’s and third party supervisor’s final annual statement is approved, cf. section 13 on Reporting and disseminating knowledge.

For projects without subsidy the company must cover all expenses, including expenses for the business course.

11. Employment

The company hires the Industrial PhD student for the three year duration of the project as a full-time employee on the ordinary terms for salaried employees. A formal employment contract, freeing up the student from any work not part of the Industrial PhD education, must be drawn up and agreed to for the entire period of commitment. The student’s work for the company must be devoted exclusively to the Industrial PhD project and thus be part of the student’s research education.

Salary is negotiated between the student and the company, but must as a minimum correspond to the current pay rate (incl. pension) of the collective agreement for PhD students employed in the Danish state. All questions regarding the pay rate level for PhD students in the Danish state must be directed to The Office for Personnel and Institutional Law (Kontor for Personale og Institutionsjura) in The Danish University and Property Agency (Universitets- og Bygningsstyrelsen). Industrial Phd students in the public sector are subject to current collective agreements. However, the student must still receive a salary which as a minimum corresponds to the current pay rate (incl. pension) for PhD students employed in the Danish state.

As a starting point, working hours must be divided equally between the university and the company over the three year course of the project.

The host company may be ordered to repay any subsidy received if the company breaks off an Industrial PhD education, or if the company prevents the planned execution of an Industrial PhD project which the host university and the student are still interested in and capable of continuing. On the other hand, the student is obligated to fulfil the research and employment conditions agreed upon in the application.

The obligations of the host company and host university towards the Agency are set out in the letter of commitment drawn up by the Agency.

12. Business course

Industrial PhD students must complete the Agency’s business course, which is an approved integral part of the combined PhD programme. The theories and research questions which may be part of the mandatory business report will be introduced at the course. Business courses commenced after April 10, 2008 comprise 7.5 of the approx. 30 ECTS points required for a Danish PhD education. Students will be invited to take the course during the first or second year of their education.

The business course is intended to prepare students to write a business report in which the Industrial PhD project is to be viewed from the commercial perspective of the company. The report must document the student’s understanding of the commercial aspects of the Industrial PhD project in a theoretical and company-relevant context. For Industrial PhD projects in the public sector, the business report should document the student’s understanding of the project’s usefulness to the institution. 

A statement from the company supervisor will be part of the overall assessment of the business report. In addition, the business course teacher and an external assessor will assess the theoretical perspectives together. If both assessments are positive, the report will be approved by the Agency. If one or both assessments are negative, the entire report or parts of it must be rewritten under the supervision of a business course teacher. This revision must be completed within a set deadline.

If an Industrial PhD student does not accept the business report assessment, he or she can appeal. The appeal must be made to the university responsible for conducting the business course.

13. Reporting and disseminating knowledge

The student, university supervisor and any third-party supervisors must annually submit a brief statement on and account for the state of the project (max. 2 pages), in which it is confirmed that the project is proceeding satisfactorily.

In total, at least three annual statements must be submitted to the Agency during the entire three year duration of the Industrial PhD project. It must be clearly indicated on the statements what period of time they account for.

The original signatures of the student, university supervisor and any third-party supervisors are required for approval. Scanned or copied signatures are not acceptable. It must be clearly legible who the signing parties are. If the statement cannot be approved, is late or is not submitted at all, the Agency may demand repayment of subsidy.

All Danish PhD programmes require students to gain experience in disseminating knowledge which, to the extent possible, is directly related to their PhD project, cf. the Executive Order on PhD Programmes, Part 3, § 7. The business report (cf. section 12) counts as 120 hours of this dissemination of knowledge. The company, the Industrial PhD student and the university agree on the extent, type and period of knowledge dissemination. A knowledge dissemination plan must be drawn up when the application is submitted. The plan is part of the application for the Industrial PhD education and is incorporated in the overall project assessment. The company and the university are obligated to ensure that the student’s knowledge dissemination proceeds as outlined in the application. Failure to carry out dissemination activities is grounds for withholding the subsidy to the university.

14. Granting of PhD degree and Industrial PhD certificate

The university appoints the PhD Assessment Committee, which in Denmark must include at least one person with relevant corporate research experience in the discipline, cf. the Executive Order on PhD Programmes, Part 11, § 26.

As a starting point, any questions about confidentiality relating to the company or university must be agreed upon in advance between the parties to the education and should not cause a delay in the defence of the PhD thesis.

The host university approves the complete PhD education and confers the PhD degree once the PhD thesis has been accepted and defended at a public thesis defence. If the student is enrolled at a foreign university, this institution must confer the PhD degree, cf. the national provisions for the country in question.

Once the PhD thesis and business report are accepted, the student will additionally be awarded an Industrial PhD certificate. The certificate can be issued as soon as the university has documented to the Agency that the PhD degree has been conferred and when the Agency has been notified that the business report has been approved. The Agency issues the Industrial PhD certificate on behalf of the Programme Committee.

If the Industrial PhD project does not conclude with a PhD degree and an Industrial PhD certificate, the company and the university must jointly submit a short written account to the Agency within three months after the end of the Industrial PhD education. The deadline for submission can be extended in case of special circumstances. The account must briefly and precisely outline why the Industrial PhD project did not result in a PhD degree and an Industrial PhD certificate.

15. Right to information and confidentiality

The provisions on administrative transparency also apply to the Industrial PhD programme. The provisions generally distinguish between the parties’ right of access to documents in cases that concern themselves and the public’s right of access to documents in every case. 

The right of access to documents does not apply to information about individuals’ private circumstances, technical devices etc., if it is financially imperative to the person or company concerned that the information is withheld. The right of access to documents may also be limited to the extent necessary to protect private and public interests, ie. when warranted by considerations of secrecy or other special circumstances.

Each case must consider specifically whether it is plausible that public access to information could be damaging to that party’s interests, ie. the opportunity to exploit the results commercially in the short or long term.