Alongside research and teaching, the university has a third mission: to serve society. In pursuing this goal in a spirit of critical enquiry and reflection, it seeks to drive change and stimulate innovation to address the major challenges facing society today.
The promotion and transfer of knowledge gained from research is a key factor in this mission, both for the university and for society. This may involve technology transfer or the provision of services or specific expertise.
Over and above its research findings, the university also seeks to promote the quality of its PhD students and graduates.
In terms of skills and expertise, those directly linked with the research task itself or with the specific research topic explored are often the first things that come to mind. In actual fact, however, PhD students acquire and/or enhance many other capabilities over several years of doctoral research. These are transferable skills that can be used in other professional contexts (e.g. communication, project management or teaching skills). It is the combination of all these skills possessed by PhD students and graduates that makes them so unique, a uniqueness that UCL seeks to widely promote in professional circles, whether in academia, the business world or the non-commercial sector.
Our PhD students and graduates have potential! Take a look at the following and prepare to be amazed:
- the winners of the interuniversity final in the French Community of Belgium appeared on television;
- video clips concerning the skills of PhD graduates, produced as part of an international project (Pro-Doc Interreg Project);
- video clips "Regards croisés sur le doctorat en 4 épisodes".