On 13 May 2026, the first-ever European Doctoral Day will be celebrated, with the aim of establishing it as an annual event. The day seeks to highlight the central role of doctoral education in advancing scientific excellence, innovation, and societal development.
The aim of the initiative is to showcase Europe as an attractive environment for early-career researchers to pursue research and develop their careers, and to:
- showcase the diverse career opportunities and societal contributions of doctoral graduates,
- encourage master’s students to continue their career through doctoral studies,
- raise employers’ awareness of the value of a doctoral degree.
During the week of 11–17 May, all doctoral researchers and doctoral degree holders are invited to share on social media what value doctoral studies have brought to them. When posting on social media, the hashtags #EuropeanDoctoralDay and #EuroopaDoktorantidePäev may be used.
Led by the Estonian Doctoral School, one video per day featuring a doctoral researcher from the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University, Tallinn University of Technology, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonian Business School, or the University of Tartu will be published on LinkedIN. In the videos, doctoral researchers discuss their research and reflect on their experiences in doctoral studies.
Tegevust viiakse läbi Haridus- ja noorteprogrammi ja Ühtekuuluvuspoliitika fondide rakenduskava meetmete nimekirja meetme 21.4.4.2 “Hariduse, ühiskonna ja tööturu seosed” sekkumise “Kõrghariduse kvaliteet, rahvusvahelistumine ja doktorikoolid” tegevuse “Kõrghariduse kvaliteet ja rahvusvahelistumine” raames.
