PNN launches research into the duration of a PhD trajectory

In Spring 2024, Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN) successfully submitted a research proposal and received a grant from SoFoKleS, the social fund for the knowledge sector. With this funding, we will address a significant issue concerning PhD candidates: the gap between the planned and actual duration of a PhD trajectory.

Currently, it takes a PhD candidate an average of 60 months (5 years) to complete their dissertation, while most contracts last only 4 years (or less). This mismatch leads to many PhD candidates facing difficulties at the end of their contract. Often, they have to finish their dissertation in their own time, sometimes even while receiving unemployment benefits, which delays their entry into the job market. Others have to work on their dissertation in the evenings and weekends alongside a new full-time job.

Previous research on PhD completion rates in 2005 indicated that factors such as clearly defining the research scope of the project, supervision, and peer culture are influencing the success of a PhD trajectory. Although these factors remain relevant, we suspect that additional challenges have emerged since then. For example, PhD candidates report that more requirements are being imposed, such as obtaining a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ), complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and adopting open science practices. Additionally, review processes have slowed, and conference calls are often overcrowded. Moreover, the position of PhD candidates in the job market has changed: while the number of PhD candidates has grown significantly, the number of available academic positions after graduation has not increased proportionally.

Thanks to the SoFoKleS grant, we can now conduct research into the factors that influence whether or not a dissertation is completed on time. In October 2024, we will organize a series of focus group discussions with PhD candidates in the final phase of their program and recent graduates from all universities, university medical centers (UMCs), and research institutions. In these discussions we would like to get to know the experiences of current PhD candidates and alumni regarding the completion of their program within the planned for years and which factors affect this process. The full research plan can be found here .

The focus groups will be held on the following dates:

1. Tuesday 1st of October in Groningen;
2. Thursday 17th of October in Amsterdam;
3. Tuesday 22nd of October in Rotterdam;
4. Thursday 31st of October in Eindhoven.

We aim to complete our research by the spring of 2025 and disseminate the results. Interested in participating? You can sign up via this link. For more information you can send a mail to focusgroups@hetpnn.nl.