Training Activities Programme for the Doctorate in Biomedical Research
The completion of the doctoral thesis and the supervision of the doctoral student by their supervisors continue to be the main means of achieving successful research training, i.e. to turn the doctoral student into a person capable of carrying out research autonomously. However, students' research activities and tasks are complemented by a series of activities proposed by the Programme, some of them with the direct support of the EsDUVa, which cover the transversal competences of doctoral training. The whole process of doctoral training can be considered as a flexible and personalised, but at the same time institutional, scaffolding that provides support to achieve the competences that correspond to the doctoral degree together with a better doctoral thesis.
By agreement of the Academic Committee of the Programme, each student must complete a minimum of 30 hours of training activities/year (of the EsDUVa or the Programme) to obtain a positive evaluation in the course.
The activities offered by the programme are:
AF01 - RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES
- Number of hours: 30 per course.
- Details and planning: The IBGM coordinates throughout the academic year (From October to June) a cycle of seminars that are given mainly by experts invited by IBGM professors and researchers from national or foreign research centres. By default, these lectures are held on Fridays from 12.30 to 13.30, and at the end of the lecture, a debate is opened in which Master's and PhD students are particularly encouraged to participate. In addition, the lecturers are aware of the presence in the audience of all these students in order to adjust the level and content of their talk and, as far as possible, to guide the subsequent debate.
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: The expenses derived from the travel and stay of the guest lecturers are financed through different sources, including the Master's internship grant, the Institute's budget and the mobility grants for the research projects of the programme's lecturers.
- Timetable: 2-3 seminars per month, the timetable is provided at the beginning of the course.
- Type of activity: Compulsory.
- Control procedures: Students must attend at least 50% of these seminars. A signature control sheet is passed around.
AF02 - "COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" SEMINARS
- Number of hours: 5 hours (one morning).
- Details and planning: This is a very interesting and enjoyable activity, which allows us to invite at the end of December some of our graduates to give a short talk about their current research and to participate in a round table with PhD students. It is a very well-received activity by all involved (present and past students and the professors and research groups in which the graduates were trained), very affordable and very formative. We invited 2-3 graduates currently working in another city or country to take advantage of their trip to spend the Christmas holidays with their families. In a first session, each of the guests gives a talk/seminar on their recent research work, lasting about 20-30 minutes, which is followed by a discussion. In a second session, the speakers act as moderators/facilitators in a round table discussion on career opportunities after a PhD, using their own experience.
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: A lecture room (IBGM or Faculty of Medicine) is used. The activity is financed by the budget of the Master's internship grant.
- Timetable: The last school day of the first term, just before the Christmas holidays. The whole morning.
- Type of activity: Optional.
- Control procedures: Control of signatures to certify attendance.
AF03 - SEMINARS OF THE DOCTORAL PROGRAMME
- Number of hours: 10 hours/academic year.
- Details and planning: On a monthly basis, and at the same time as the research seminars (Fridays from 12.30 to 13.30), seminars are organised to present the progress of the research project of the students on the programme. These talks last approximately 30 minutes, and each session is given by two doctoral students. With the number of PhD students that we manage (around 50), each student carries out this activity twice during their PhD (more or less once every two years). In this way, there is a first talk at the beginning of their project in which they present the current state of the subject, the planned experimental approach and the preliminary results, and a second one towards the end of their training period, which is almost a rehearsal for the presentation of their doctoral thesis. The talks are of an internal nature, addressed to all the research staff of the Programme and especially to the students of the Programme, who are encouraged to participate actively in the discussion. This is also an activity that can be evaluated by the programme's Academic Committee.
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: The activity takes place in the IBGM Assembly Hall. No additional financial resources are required.
- Timetable: 1 seminar per month with the participation of two students. The timetable is announced at the beginning of the course so that students can plan their attendance and participation.
- Type of activity: Compulsory.
- Control procedures
- Listeners: Attendance at these seminars is compulsory for all students, and absence must be duly justified. Signature control is used to certify attendance.
- Speakers: it is compulsory for students to do this twice during their PhD. Members of the programme's academic committee attend these talks and actively participate in the subsequent discussion, allowing them to evaluate each student's research plan.
AF04 - DAY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS
- Number of hours: One full day (8 hours).
- Details and planning: The Doctoral Students' Day is a one-day session that includes a poster presentation session of the students' research project in a format that favours interaction and communication. In addition, there is a guest lecturer who organises some kind of talk-workshop that delves into transversal aspects of the training of doctoral students (writing and presentation of papers, the process of publishing articles, professional opportunities for doctoral students, access to the world of private enterprise, pharmaceutical companies, the publishing world... ).
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: The activity takes place on the premises of the Faculty of Medicine. The poster session is held in one of the Faculty's halls, and the seminar sessions are held in the Faculty's conference rooms or practice rooms, depending on the specific format. The lecturer's fee, poster printing and lunch are covered by the programme budget.
- Timetable: 1 full day in the first four-month period, with at least 1 month's notice.
- Type of activity: Optional.
- Control procedures: Students register in the space for the activities prepared on the virtual campus and can choose different types of participation: Attendance at the conference, attendance and presentation of a poster or attendance and participation in the organisation of the conference. The virtual campus issues a certificate accrediting these different types of participation and the use made of them, which is assessed by means of a series of activities.
AF05 – CONGRESSES ATTENDANCE
- Number of hours: Variable, minimum 10 h.
- Details and planning: With the approval of the Tutor/Director, the attendance and participation of the PhD student in national and international congresses, workshops or conferences in his/her field of specialisation will be considered as a training activity. Whether by attendance, given the interest of the subject matter of the event, or by active participation, through the presentation of papers, these activities are of particular interest in introducing the PhD student to the world of specialists and research approaches in their field. As far as possible, PhD students will be encouraged to participate in at least one scientific event of this type each year. Oral communications will be encouraged. Throughout their doctoral thesis, PhD students must attend at least one of these international scientific conferences. The language will be the working language (usually English).
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: There are different ways to finance the stays:
- Call for grants for attendance at courses, conferences and scientific meetings relevant to the development of doctoral theses at the UVa.
- Other public/competitive support, such as travel grants from participating scientific societies, sponsors or the Congress organisers themselves.
- Funding from research projects of the research groups to which the PhD student belongs.
- Timetable: Throughout the entire training period. Minimum of one participation. Failure to comply with this criterion throughout the doctoral training period must be duly justified to the Academic Committee.
- Type of activity: Compulsory.
- Control procedures: The student must provide the corresponding certificate of attendance and/or present the corresponding communication to the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme.
AF06 - RESEARCH STAYS
- Number of hours: Variable, at least 480h in case of International mention (3 months).
- Details and planning: An important aspect of doctoral training is to offer students the opportunity to interact directly with other laboratories with related or complementary lines of research. This is a very important training experience, and in many cases, these temporary contacts determine postdoctoral stays and long-term collaborations. The duration of the stays varies between 1 and 3 months, and in all cases, it is duly planned and justified, as the student must present a project and a final report. These stays are supervised by the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme, and it is recommended that at least one stay be carried out during the training period, with the student and their Thesis Director duly justifying non-compliance with this requirement.
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: All students with grants that finance these mobility aids (FPU, FPI) carry out at least one stay, and in most cases two, throughout their training period. In the case of the rest of the students, there are alternative funding channels, such as collaboration agreements, exchanges under joint projects or grants from the call for student mobility of the University of Valladolid. If funding is not available through any of these channels, funding will be sought from research projects of the group to which the PhD student belongs.
- Timetable: Throughout the doctoral thesis, preferably from the second-third year in the case of full-time doctoral students and a little later for part-time doctoral students.
- Type of activity: Optional.
- Control procedures: The student must inform the Academic Committee in advance of the stay. Once the stay has been completed, the student must provide the corresponding certification of the stay and a summary of the work carried out, signed by the person in charge at the other institution, with an express indication of its relation to the thesis plan.
AF07 - COURSES OFFERED BY THE DOCTORAL PROGRAMME
- Number of hours: Up to 60.
- Detail and planning: The funding of programme activities through EsDUVa has made it possible to organise a number of courses of interest to students on the programme. These are seminars and short courses specifically aimed at students on the programme, normally organised by the Academic Committee (at the request of the researchers). In carrying out this activity, both researchers participating in the programme and invited external expert researchers may give the courses and seminars. If the activity so requires, the participation of technical staff from the research groups, or even external technical experts, may be necessary. Some examples of this type of courses that have been offered in some years are practical courses on basic laboratory techniques, courses on alternatives to animal experimentation, courses on handling experimental animals...
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: In general, funding for courses and seminars will be provided by the Doctoral School upon request of the programme. Where possible, some of these activities may be co-funded by the research groups themselves, as these activities may be proposed to coincide with the visiting researcher's work visits/stays.
- Timetable: Attendance at this type of activity can take place throughout the entire period of doctoral training. As far as possible, it is recommended that these activities be carried out more intensively in the first years of the doctoral programme. They are generally planned as sessions held on a single day or several days, usually consecutively.
- Type of activity: Optional.
- Control procedures: For the organisation of each of these activities, a space is created on the Virtual Campus, which, as well as facilitating registration and the distribution of materials, also allows the satisfaction survey, the evaluation and the issuing of the certificate of attendance and achievement to be carried out. Each student must include this certificate in the doctoral student's activity document.
AF08 - TEACHING COLLABORATIONS
- Number of hours: Up to 180.
- Details and planning: With the approval of the tutor, the PhD student may participate in teaching tasks under the current regulations for Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (PIPF). This training activity involves the members of the teaching team involved in the subjects to be taught. The management of the Department involved, in agreement with the thesis tutor/director if applicable, will indicate to the student the convenience of carrying out the teaching collaborations.
- Material/financial resources for the development of the activity: Those necessary for the teaching of the subjects.
- Timetable: Throughout the entire doctoral training period.
- Type of activity: Optional.
- Control procedures: The management of the department involved in each subject in which the doctoral student participates will draw up a report detailing his/her participation/performance to be included in the doctoral student's activities document.