The different participating universities will count the time dedicated to the supervision and tutoring of theses as teaching activity. Although each university has its own regulations, the supervision of doctoral theses and tutoring tasks will be encouraged and valued in all of them.
In fact, the Research Service of all participating universities values thesis supervision in the research grants received by the Department/Institute where the director carries out this activity and in the research grants received by research groups.
The CAD will encourage the majority of theses presented in the doctoral program to have an international mention, which will imply the completion of at least one stay of a minimum duration of 3 months in a foreign research center, that the thesis be previously informed by two expert doctors from non-Spanish higher education or research institutions and that at At least one member of the thesis evaluation committee must also be an international awardee. The goal is for the percentage of theses that obtain the international mention to be higher than 60% of the total number of theses defended. This percentage is based on the previous history of theses that achieved the international mention.
It should be noted that, as a general rule and regardless of whether or not the thesis has international mention, both in the previous reports and in the thesis court there is the presence of international experts of recognized prestige (at least two foreign experts in total).
Provision of stays in other centres, co-supervisions and European mentions:
Through previous experience in the Doctoral Programme, it is known that most PhD students, especially those who have enjoyed a research/training grant, have carried out one or more stays during the completion of their doctoral thesis. Of the theses defended in the Doctoral Programme in recent years, a significant part has been directed under a co-supervision regime and has also obtained the European mention.
In subsequent years, it is estimated that all PhD students in the Programme will undertake stays at other universities or centres (in fact this is one of the training activities included in the Programme) and that, as we have just pointed out in the previous section, 60 % of the theses will be eligible for the international mention.
These stays will be carried out in the scientific and university institutions with which relations are maintained, and will include mobility between the different Spanish universities that make up the Program. These stays will not differentiate between full-time and part-time students. The institutions involved have been specified in section 1.4. With most of these institutions there are agreements that facilitate the realization of the stays, and even the necessary financing (through Spanish research excellence programs). of the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO type, or of European research and mobility programmes (the COST-PoCheMon action, for example).
The research activities that students will carry out at each of these institutions will obviously depend on their research experience. In a schematic way, we can divide them into the following themes:
· Chemistry of molecules and molecular materials: The aspect related to inorganic systems will be developed in the research centres involved in the COSTPoCheMon Action. The aspect related to organic systems will be developed in the organic chemistry groups participating in the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO NANOMOL, HOPE and SUPRAMED projects (for example, the groups of Nazario Martín (UCM), Tomás Torres (UAM) and Fernando Fernández (UMH)). · Molecular Magnetism: The aspect related to the design of molecular magnetic systems, with the magnetic characterization of these systems and with their nanostructuring and applications in molecular spintronics will be developed in the centers integrated in the European Institute of Molecular Magnetism. · Applications of Molecular Electronics and Molecular Electronic Devices: This aspect will be developed mainly in the centres integrated in the HOPE and NANOMOL projects, mainly in multidisciplinary research institutes such as IMDEA-Nanociancia and the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ). · Biomedical applications of supramolecular chemistry: This aspect will be developed in the centres integrated in the SUPRAMED project and will allow the student to carry out stays in the medical centres (university hospitals) with which this project has signed the corresponding agreements.
In the past, this Programme has demonstrated its ability to develop a significant number of theses under co-supervision. Most of these theses have involved French centres (Univ. Paris VI, Univ. Paul Sabatier) which are integrated into the European Institute of Molecular Magnetism. This institute also awards the mention of “European PhD in Molecular Magnetism”. One objective of the present Doctoral Programme is to encourage this European path in the future.
Provision of stays in other centres, co-supervisions and European mentions: Through previous experience in the Doctoral Programme, it is known that most PhD students, especially those who have enjoyed a research/training grant, have carried out one or more stays during the completion of their doctoral thesis. Of the theses defended in the Doctoral Programme in recent years, a significant part has been directed under a co-supervision regime and has also obtained the European mention.
Given the inter-university nature of the Programme, there is an Academic Doctoral Committee responsible for coordinating the different universities to carry out joint activities (the ENMM and ESMOLNA Schools described above), to promote collaboration between groups and co-direction and co-supervision of theses and to ensure that the doctorate meets the quality standards required for an excellent doctorate.
Furthermore, doctoral thesis directors must comply with the general regulations established by the participating universities:
1. Within a maximum period of six months from the date of registration, the CAD will assign each doctoral student a doctoral thesis supervisor who may or may not be the same as the tutor. This assignment may be given to any doctor with duly accredited research experience, regardless of the University, Centre or Institute in which he or she provides his or her services.
2. A doctoral thesis may be co-supervised by a maximum of three doctors who meet the above conditions, subject to prior authorization from the academic committee in cases of thematic interdisciplinarity or programs developed in collaboration with other State or international universities.
3. No doctor may direct or co-direct more than 10 theses simultaneously.
4. The director may resign from the direction by means of a reasoned written submission to the CAD, which will resolve the request and proceed to appoint another director to continue the doctorate.
5. The CAD may modify, after hearing from the doctoral student and provided there are justified reasons, the appointment of the doctoral thesis director at any time during the completion of the thesis.
6. The regulations of each University that govern the activity of the teaching staff will establish the equivalence in credits of the tutoring and direction of doctoral theses.
7. Each participating university may enter into agreements with foreign universities for the completion of doctoral theses under a joint supervision regime. In this case, doctoral students will carry out their thesis work under the supervision and responsibility of at least one thesis supervisor from each of the universities that signed the agreement.
8. For the purposes of depositing, evaluating and defending the doctoral thesis, each participating university will follow the regulations approved for this purpose. We must clarify that each university has established in its regulations on the Doctorate specific aspects regarding the assignment of the thesis tutor and director, the supervision and monitoring of the doctoral student, and the thesis direction. In any case, the regulations of all universities are based on the regulations established in Royal Decree 99/2011 of January 28, which regulates official doctoral studies. Therefore, we can affirm that the procedure for the assignment of the thesis tutor and director is unique for the doctoral program presented. The same occurs in relation to the procedure established for the possible change in the assignment of the tutor and/or director (point 5 of the general regulations) and for the monitoring of the doctoral student's activities (see next point).
In order to ensure equal treatment for all students with regard to the applicable regulations, the procedures and deadlines established for the assignment of the tutor and thesis director for the doctoral student will be those established by the University of Valencia, regardless of the university in which the student enrolls.