The primary goals of the EIT ICT Labs Doctoral School are to develop an innovation and entrepreneurial mindset among Ph.D. students and to set up the appropriate environment where young doctors may grow business projects founded on their thesis research. EIT ICT Labs achieve these goals not by changing or perturbing the scientific quality of the Ph.D. degree but by empowering Ph.D. students in research with more innovation potential.

EIT ICT Labs Doctoral School will start by establishing a new organisation combining industrial needs with Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E), built around two concepts: industrial doctoral training centres and integrating Ph.D. studies with MBA like studies in ICT innovation and entrepreneurship inspired by the British “doctoral training centres” (DTC) experience.

Weaving I&E and Ph.D.

This activity aims to provide Ph.D. students with the required knowledge and skills on innovation and entrepreneurship. This will take the form of a joint (or double) degree where the Ph.D. student is also enrolled in a classical MBA or in a one-year master dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship.

Inspired by the British experience, a doctoral training centre may be roughly characterized as follows:

• A critical mass of 10 new Ph.D. students per year. Students will share their time with participating industry and co-located Doctoral Training Centre
• A theme or technology common to all the Ph.D. students so they share a common basis favouring cross-fertilization. A commitment from supervisors to not only advise Ph.D. students but to participate and contribute to the work done in the DTC for at least the duration of theses (3 to 4 year)

Expected Results

Due to the length of Ph.D. consolidated results cannot be seen before long. However the definition of an EIT labelled doctorate that embeds I&E will be shortly acquired. The first DTCs will be set up during 2012.