Context and background There are clear challenges in translating the Triple-I ideals of doctoral training as promoted by the Bologna Process and the EU Modernisation Agenda into practical operational models for graduate schools (GS). Graduate SPIRIT stems from a strong desire of the participating GS for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to have more adequate instruments for stimulating, organising and managing Triple-I training (understood as a "international cross-fertilization between disciplines and sectors") in the dimensions of 1) PhD researchers, 2) supervising teaching staff, 3) doctoral curricula and 4) organisational procedures. Objectives The partners in Graduate SPIRIT have committed to developing innovative and sustainable solutions to these four sets of challenges posed by Triple-I training at the four dimensions mentioned: of PhD researchers, supervising and teaching staff, curriculum and organisation. They aim to: • Provide a systematic Inventory of current policies, procedures and practices to promote interdisciplinarity and diversity in the participating GS. • Identify a full range of best practices for more detailed description and analysis, and combine them into a ‘Blueprint’ for successful interdisciplinary and diverse GS. • Develop and test innovative instruments Triple-I training in course and curriculum design, leading to an ‘Innovation menu’ from which individual GS can pick and combine according to their needs. • Engagement of a wide range of GS and policy makers in and outside the EU by opening and sharing results, using dedicated interactive instruments for data- and knowledge sharing. Number and profile of participants; The SPIRIT consortium consists of nine national GS of the SSH who together reflect the European diversity of these Graduate Schools; they comprise a mix of new and established GS varying in size from big to medium and small, and differing in terms of their funding and organisational structure. They cover a wide set of European countries, and bring in networks outside Europe as well, from both developing and developed countries. In addition, the SPIRIT consortium works with the US Council of Graduate Schools as a partner to source expertise from. Activities The activities undertaken to realize the goals of Graduate SPIRIT consist of collecting information through desk research, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups (Inventory); transforming this information into sustainable tools for managing Triple-I training ( Blueprint); developing, implementing and evaluating innovations with regards to the Triple-I training of and by PhD researchers, staff, curricula and organisation (Innovation Menu); sharing these tools and innovations with the project partners and a wider network of stakeholders through engagement activities and targeted dissemination (Engagement). Project methodology Erasmus University coordinates the project through a Critical Path Method, a step-by-step project management technique for which a detailed Gantt forms the backbone. Each individual project partner shares a coordinating role with another project partner for specific activities, thus dividing work and responsibility equally. The project leader monitors progress and quality of the different activities and reports every four months at a dedicated team meetings. A detailed strategy for handling project risks is in place. Results and impact The project uses a Chain of Impact Model to realize maximum results and impact. The Blueprint and Innovation Menu constitute the key results of SPIRIT. They will be directly beneficial to: better training and supervision provisions for PhD researchers; a wider intellectual and skill set and a greater sensitivity of staff to the interdisciplinary and diverse classroom; to more consistent and comparable interdisciplinary curricula; to a better facilitation and organisational anchoring of these GS in the mother organisation. Through a detailed, systematic engagement and dissemination plan, the impact of the project will extend to other graduate schools in other countries, to university networks and to EU and international policy bodies and will provide a crucial contribution to further policies. Long term benefits The project will be an essential contribution to the current discussions, developments and policies around doctoral training in the EU, US and Latin America. It will show, especially, how the interdisciplinary knowledge agenda can be made operational and successfully implemented in concrete everyday practices for PhD researchers, staff, curriculum and organisation. It will contribute to innovation and a further streamlining of graduate training and enhance the academic and general employability of researchers with a rich and diverse background.
Context and background Triple-I doctoral training, defined as the international cross-fertilization between disciplines and sectors, is promoted widely in higher education across Europe. A network of nine graduate schools for the social sciences and humanities (SSH) collaborated from September 2017 until September 2020 to produce adequate practical instruments for stimulating, organizing and managing Triple-I training, relevant to 1) PhD-researchers, 2) supervising and teaching staff, 3) doctoral curricula and 4) organisational procedures. Objectives Graduate Spirit aimed to • Provide a systematic Inventory of current policies, procedures and practices to promote interdisciplinarity and diversity in the participating GS. • Identify a full range of best practices and combine them into a ‘Blueprint’ for successful interdisciplinary and diverse GS. • Develop and test innovative instruments Triple-I training ileading to an ‘Innovation menu’ from which individual GS can pick and combine. • Engagement of a wide range of GS and policy makers in and outside the EU by opening and sharing results, using dedicated interactive instruments for data- and knowledge sharing. Number and profile of participants; The SPIRIT consortium consisted of nine national GS of the SSH in the Netherlands, Germany (2), Poland, Finland, France, the UK, Belgium and Hungary (our partner there, CEU, moved to Vienna during the project). They represented the two big organisational forms that are typical of European GS in the SSH: big umbrella organisations (Netherlands, Belgium, France, Finland) and small thematic schools or programs (Poland, the UK, Hungary, Germany). Activities Graduate SPIRIT conducted three types of activities: 1) collecting information through desk research, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. 2) producing practical tools for new schools and schools looking to improve their practices with respect to handling the diversity of their PhD-candidates, incentivizing their staff to follow Triple-I perspectives; adjust the curriculum to the digital age; and make their organisations safe and inclusive. 3) engaging with a wide variety of (inter)national networks and stakeholders to discuss and promote Triple-I doctoral training. Results and impact Graduate Spirit produced: * a systematic Inventory of current policies, procedures and practices to promote interdisciplinarity and diversity in the participating GS. This showed that all these dimensions are heavily influenced by the two main organisational forms of schools found in the project, i.e. large umbrella schools and small thematic schools. * a full range of best practices with respect to PhD-researchers, supervising and teaching staff, doctoral curricula and organisational procedures which were collected and presented in an easy searchable online catalogue of ‘Tips and Tricks’. * an online Innovation Menu for schools interested in: providing services to PhDs regarding their wider employability; training supervisors to handle the international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral diversity of their PhD-candidates; adjusting the curriculum to forms of e-learning and design thinking; helping the schools address the issues of vulnerability and safety in the PhD-trajectory. * important direct impact on the national doctoral training policies in Poland, Moldavia, Cuba and on practical arrangements of universities in Kurdistan and Chile, and significant engagement with university managers, higher education experts, supervisors and PhD candidates across Europe. Long term benefits All partners have adjusted their practices and incorporated the findings of the project in their activities for PhD-candidates, staff and supervisors, curriculum and organisation. Specific countries (Poland, Moldavia, Cuba) and universities outside of the network have used and are using the tools produced by Graduate Spirit. Please see for full detail about the project: www. gradspirit.eu