The Industrial PhD programme

An Industrial PhD is a three-year PhD project, where the PhD student is employed by a private enterprise and has an enrolment at the university at the same time.

The PhD student is admitted to a PhD programme at the PhD School of SCIENCE like all other PhD students, but shares his/her working time between the private enterprise and the university as it makes sense for the project.

Funding and requirements

To apply for funding for an industrial PhD, you yourself must first find a Danish company and a supervisor at the company. You then need to find a second supervisor at UCPH SCIENCE. Together with your supervisors, you define an industrial project, and together with the company, you apply for funding at Innovation Fund Denmark.

Once Innovation Fund Denmark approves your application for funding, only then can you apply for admission to the PhD School of Science.

The monthly salary subsidy for companies from Innovation Fund Denmark is DKK 17,000. The subsidy can max. make up 50% of the student’s salary.

Industrial PhD students are subject to the same requirements as all other university PhD students, but are not obliged to teach courses - it is not included in the contract. Industrial PhD students must also take a specific PhD business course. 

Help with your application form

When applying for an Industrial PhD project, the SCIENCE Research and Innovation office can be of assistance with application advice, questions regarding budget and the application system, e-grant. For more information, please see: 
The Researcher Portal (KUnet intranet page)

For questions, please contact Stefan de Graaf at the SCIENCE Research and Innovation office, scg@science.ku.dk, tel. 35 33 12 68. 

Please note, that the SCIENCE Research and Innovation office does not have a list of professors at SCIENCE known to have ties with companies that typically operate within this programme.

No more business courses at the moment

Until now it has been mandatory for all Industrial PhD students to participate in a business course. However, no more courses are held at the moment, and students who are yet to participate are thus exempted from participating. The course’s 7.5 ECTS-points can be used on another project relevant course.

More information

Read more about the Indutrial PhD and Innovation Fund Denmark.