1) SEMINARS in Biomedical Research at the PRBB
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to attend the seminars
offered at the Biomedical Research Park of Barcelona (PRBB) by one of the
following institutions, Pompeu Fabra University, the Municipal Institute for
Medical Research (IMIM), the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Centre
of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB), within the framework of Biomedical
Research. The seminars offered are advertised weekly. Students are required
to attend at least 20 seminars in order to complete the PhD and to submit
proof of attendance for all seminars attended.
At the end of the course, students are required to submit 20 certificates
with the seminar title and the student’s name, signed by the lecturer,
to the Secretariat of the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS)
(on the 3rd floor of the PRBB).
- Scheduled
seminars
- Attendance form
2) Science in Action (includes Responsible Conduct of Research and Critical
Thinking)
This course will be offered at the PRBB. Students are required to successfully
complete the course and submit proof of attendance in order to complete the
PhD. The first part of the course will be online; whereas, the second part
will be based on group attendance. In special cases, students may be exempt
from pursuing a Science in Action course if they can show they have previously
attended courses with similar content offered by other institutions.
Subject:
Training in responsible conduct of research and good scientific practice
All students registered on the doctoral programme of the UPF Department of
Experimental and Health Sciences are expected to meet the Department’s
requirements for training in the responsible conduct of research and good
scientific practice. In order to meet these requirements all students are
required to attend the Science in Action course.
Students who are able to demonstrate that they have attended a similar course
elsewhere or who have covered similar material through extensive self-study
may be eligible for exemption from this course. Students seeking exemption
should submit proof of their previous studies in this area to the coordinator
of the doctoral programme.
3) DISSERTATION COMMITTEE:
OBJECTIVES:
The PhD Project Defence of each student will be assessed by a Doctoral Dissertation
Committee (DDC). The functions of the Dissertation Committee are: to assess
the viability of the project, to identify possible problems and to provide
alternative solutions to these problems. The Committee draws up a monitoring
report which includes an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the
project as well as specific recommendations for improving its development.
Recommendations by the DDC must be responsible, realistic, feasible and constructive.
The committee cannot limit itself to highlighting weaknesses or giving criticism.
It must propose viable solutions or approaches to solve potential problems.
If the DDC finds serious problems such as conflicts between a student and
supervisor or if it disagrees with the student or the supervisor, the DDC
will report such conflicts and seek advice from the Committee of the Doctoral
Programme.
REGULATIONS:
The DDC will consist of three researchers. At least one of the three members
of the DDC will belong to DCEXS’s senior teaching and research staff
(lecturers, RyC and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies
(ICREA)). The other DDC researchers will belong to one of the other institutions
from the PRBB (CRG, IMIM, CMRB) or to external institutions. The DDC members
will be proposed by the PhD supervisor. One of the members belonging to the
student’s institution will act as secretary and will be responsible
for writing the assessment report and submitting it to the PhD programme department.
The DDC will meet with the PhD student and his/her supervisor (the presence
of the supervisor is mandatory) at the beginning of the course. The PhD student
will present his/her future PhD research project to the committee no later
than six months after enrolling on the PhD programme. At the end of the meeting,
the DDC will meet with the PhD student and his/her supervisor separately in
order to identify possible problems. After the meeting, the DDC will send
a brief report (1 page) to the PhD programme department, which will forward
a copy to the student and his/her supervisor, including a summary of the committee’s
suggestions and recommendations as well as strengths and weaknesses of the
PhD project.
DEFENCE PROGRAMME:
The following must be considered for preparing the project defence: objectives,
hypothesis and methodologies.
- Students shall submit the committee proposal report to the CEXS Secretariat.
- Students shall submit the committee’s secretary report following the
defence.
- Committee Proposal
- Secretary report
DURATION OF THE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION:
Students carry out their PhD dissertation in diverse disciplines at the PRBB,
and the time needed for completion of a full-bodied and productive dissertation
work may vary depending on the discipline and type of project. A maximum of
3 years after the PhD Project Defence is considered a reasonable time period
to accomplish the research and training objectives needed to attain a doctoral
degree. Requests for extensions beyond this period must be made by the supervisor
and approved by the Committee of the Doctoral Programme. Said requests must
be justified, stating the requisites to accomplish the dissertation objectives
or for finishing manuscripts for publication, and include provisions to maintain
salary funding for the PhD student. Under exceptional circumstances, the DDC
can also recommend the PhD defence be made before the three-year period.
Remember that if your director is not a UPF – CEXS doctor you must ask
your department’s secretariat for a UPF tutor.