New Challenges and Skills: The METEOR Project Highlights the Need to Transform Doctoral Education in Europe
A recent study conducted within the framework of the European METEOR project, with the participation of European University Cyprus, highlights the need to transform doctoral education across Europe.
The study was based on interviews with doctoral candidates, supervisors, university administrators, and employers, as well as on an analysis of policies and scientific literature. It examined doctoral education systems in ten countries: Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Poland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Turkey, and Georgia.
The findings reveal a gap between traditional doctoral education and contemporary career pathways, as many doctoral programmes continue to focus primarily on academic careers. At the same time, the study identifies an emerging need to strengthen transferable skills, such as communication, leadership, project management, interdisciplinary collaboration, and knowledge transfer. The findings underline the importance of shifting towards more flexible and interdisciplinary models that move beyond narrow scientific specialization and better prepare graduates for the demands of today’s labour market and society.
To support this transition, the consortium developed educational material structured as asynchronous online courses organised by thematic area. The material is offered free of charge, following registration, to doctoral candidates and early-career researchers.
More information about the training resources is available online: METEOR Training Resources.
For any questions, please contact Prof. Loucas Louca (L.Louca@euc.ac.cy), local coordinator of the project at European University Cyprus.
The METEOR project – Methodologies for Teamworking in Eco-outwards Research – is funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe programme.