When you start a PhD track at Leiden University, you will follow the central introductory programme for PhD candidates – Inform & Connect – or in any case the online module (Inform) and at least one of the theme sessions (Connect). 

Inform: online introductory module

The online introductory module gives detailed information about the university, the steps in the PhD track and the range of provisions and facilities offered. You can start the module at any time, pause it or watch it again.

All PhD candidates are required to go through this module, which counts as five hours of training.

Connect: sessions for PhD candidates

Each year there are several interactive theme sessions, followed by informal drinks. During these sessions you will learn more about important PhD-related topics and will also have the opportunity to meet other PhD candidates:

1. Getting started - Grip on the PhD process 
2. Be the change - Creating a positive working environment through open science 
3. Taking charge - Communication is key 
4. What's next? - First step to the next move in your career (available in 2025) 

If you’re an LUMC or guest PhD candidate, you can register via this link for Inform and/or Connect.

All PhD candidates are required to participate in at least one Connect theme session, which counts as five hours of training per session. 

In addition to these general introductions, Graduate Schools and institutes also organise introductory activities for their PhD candidates. Participation in some of these activities may be compulsory.

Together with your (co-)supervisors, at the start of the PhD track you will draw up a training and supervision plan (TSP; opleidings- en begeleidingsplan OBP), in which you make agreements about your supervision and your academic and personal development.

The TSP will in any case, but not exclusively, contain agreements about: 

• Who will act as the (co-)supervisors and who will provide further supervision, if applicable; and also the content, scope and frequency of the supervision and the responsibilities for it;
• The GROW interviews (the annual Conversations on Performance, Development and Well-being; Gesprekken over Resultaat, Ontwikkeling en Welzijn). These are compulsory for employed PhD candidates and recommended for all other PhD candidates; 
• The preparation for the ‘go/no-go’ moment and the time when the go/no-go decision will be made; 
• The timeline of the research;
• The individual training plan (courses or training activities); 
• Teaching duties (if applicable).

The TSP will also specify at which stage of the PhD track these various activities will take place. For PhD candidates with employee status, the TSP is an integral part of the employment contract. In addition to the TSP, you will also draw up a data management plan (DMP), in which you account for your data collection and management. A condition for admission to the PhD defence is that you have successfully completed your training plan (all the agreed courses have been passed).

You must upload the TSP in LUCRIS/Converis GSM within three months after the date of your appointment. Externally financed and external PhD candidates must do this within six months after the start of their PhD track.

The TSP is a living document: additions and, where necessary, adjustments will be made after one year. It is also advisable to keep the TSP up to date after this; you should discuss the agreements and timeline during progress interviews and/or the GROW interviews.

The structure of the TSP and DMP may be different per faculty (see the faculty tab or Graduate School).

Some time after the start of the PhD track, there will be an evaluation interview: the ‘go/no-go’ moment. The purpose of this is to safeguard the quality of dissertations and guarantee academic standards. Your expectations as a PhD candidate and those of your (co‑)supervisors will also be discussed.

Timing of the go/no-go interview

For PhD candidates with a four-year appointment and contract PhD candidates, the evaluation moment usually takes place at the end of the first year. For PhD candidates with a longer appointment (PhD Fellows) and externally financed and external PhD candidates, it is usually halfway through the second year. The precise go/no-go moment can be different per faculty.

Topics covered in the go/no-go interview

During the evaluation, you discuss the progress of the research with your (co-)supervisors. In some faculties, the PhD dean or PhD coordinator and/or an externe evaluator may also be present. The main focus is on the research proposal (updated, where relevant) and your provisional research output, while the training and supervision plan also has an important role. On the basis of the interview and the research proposal, a decision will be made about whether to continue or terminate the PhD track. 

The format of the evaluation interview can be different per faculty (see faculty tab or Graduate School).

In addition to conducting PhD research, you will follow an individual training plan that you compile yourself, in consultation with your supervisor. This training plan is part of the training and supervision plan (TSP; opleidings- en begeleidingsplan OBP). For all employed PhD candidates and contract PhD candidates, there is a minimum requirement of: 

• 140 hours (5 ECTS) of academic training activities
• 140 hours (5 ECTS) of training activities in the area of transferable skills, including at least one training course in academic integrity

Some faculties have a more extensive programme (see faculty tab or Graduate School). The requirement for externally financed and external PhD candidates is lower. They must follow at least a course in academic integrity and any courses specified as compulsory by the faculty and/or institute.

Courses offered

The faculties offer various research-related and academic training courses themselves, but you can also follow courses outside Leiden University; for example, courses offered by other universities, national research schools or national, international or regional research groups. International courses and summer and winter schools are also organised by Una Europa.

HRM Learning & Development offers an extensive range of courses for transferable skills, and similar or other courses in this area may be followed elsewhere. Teaching can also be counted as hours of training (up to a maximum of 20 hours). It is sometimes possible to obtain a University Teaching Qualification certificate (full or partial), for which the courses and writing a portfolio may likewise be counted as training hours for the transferable skills element. 

You should upload all the awarded course certificates in LUCRIS/Converis GSM (see the manual). Hours spent on courses offered by HRM Learning & Development are automatically processed in this system. 

Training costs

PhD candidates employed by the university and contract PhD candidates are in principle not required to pay for courses taken in the context of their training plan. It is important, however, to discuss course participation (and the costs of this) in advance with your supervisor, especially in the case of external courses.

The costs of the academic integrity training course and any additional compulsory training courses for externally financed and external PhD candidates are paid by their faculty or institute. If you need further training courses in order to conduct your research properly, your faculty or institute may pay for two of them, in consultation with your supervisor.

As part of the PhD track you may spend some time conducting research or taking classes abroad. You may contact a university or research institute independently for a research trip, but the following options are also available:

• For a short stay, you may be eligible for an Erasmus+ grant. To ask about this, please contact the Scholarships Team of Student and Education Affairs.
• The exchange programme of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), of which Leiden University is a member.
• Una Europa can help you with a stay at one of the eleven partner universities. Please contact Leiden University’s Project Team.

Another possibility is to conduct the PhD research jointly at Leiden University and a foreign university (a joint doctorate degree), and to gain experience abroad in this way.

Some faculties make an individual budget available to their PhD candidates, which they can spend on books, conferences, internal or external courses, if necessary, and other research activities (see faculty tab or Graduate School).

In addition to the PhD budget, you can apply to the Leiden University Fund (LUF) for a grant for a study trip abroad or to attend an international conference.