The aim of the new Supplementary Doctoral Student Scholarship of the University of Pécs is to achieve competitiveness with the income available on the labour market. The funding of the program starting in October 2023 is shared equally between the University of Pécs and its maintainer, the Universitas Quinqueecclesiensis Foundation. The annual budget of the scholarship is HUF 580 million, which students can apply for in two categories.
"A university is a university because, in addition to teaching, it also carries out research connected to the international arena. Doctoral programs are on the fringes of education and research, and we approached UQF to increase their attractiveness. I am optimistic about this initiative, and I am pleased that we can announce this scholarship opportunity with the President of the Foundation," said Dr. Attila Miseta, Rector of UP.
"The idea behind the model change is performance, so our aim is increasing the number of young people doing science at a high level. Doctoral training is the most appropriate and progressive way to do this. However, the financial situation of PhD students is less than desirable, therefore, we are devoting significant resources to support them to ensure that young scientists do not leave the field merely for financial reasons," said Dr. József Bódis, President of UQF.
"The research and activities of PhD students are one of the main drivers of our academic performance. In recent years, economic trends have created a tension between the salaries available in the market and the benefits of PhD students. This has led to a decline in interest in engineering and medicine PhD trainings in particular, areas where the average salary is not at all competitive with the average salary in the labour market. Although the number of PhD students has not fallen significantly, there has been a shift towards a preference for carrying out academic activity alongside work. It depends on the certain disciplines how great an effort is needed to achieve this, and we would like to remedy this with the supplementary doctoral scholarship," added Dr. András Komócsi, Vice Rector for Science of UP.
UQF and UP have agreed to fund the scholarship in equal shares, with the total amount of HUF 290+290 million, i.e., HUF 580 million for the 2023/2024 academic year.
"The scholarship system has two components. The first is for PhD students already enrolled in the program, who can apply for a scholarship of HUF 60,000 per month for the research and training phase of their training, and HUF 100,000 per month for the research and dissertation phase. We have also created a category for PhD students with the best performance, we award them the amount of HUF 100,000 for the 12 months of the given academic year," said Dr. András Komócsi.
"The country's major universities have all taken more pronounced or more discreet steps in this direction. UQF accepted the calculations of the rector’s leadership and is contributing to settling the financial situation of doctoral students at the requested rate. I believe that if a student is attracted by science, they can make a lifelong commitment to research. We need to create the conditions in which they can earn a decent living from it. The PhD is the threshold to a career in science, a career that is now well-manageable and prestigious with potential for innovation. It is not easy, but it is a beautiful world. I believe it is important for an institution to be able to train its own qualified teachers of the future. We must be proactive to keep all talented young people who are interested in science at the University of Pécs," added Dr. József Bódis.
The normal scholarship for Hungarian doctoral students - paid by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office from 1 July 2023 - is HUF 295,000 gross per month, which may be supplemented by a family allowance of HUF 40,000 gross per month, depending on the PhD student's living situation. The Supplementary Doctoral Student Scholarship of the University of Pécs, starting in autumn 2023, will provide a net monthly increase of HUF 60,000 and HUF 100,000 respectively.
Outstanding performers can also win other scholarships, they can apply for the New National Excellence Programme, which means HUF 100,000 per month at the national level, or they can apply for the János László PhD Scholarship in the frame of UP's own scholarship program, which means HUF 40,000 per month.
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Photo:
Szabolcs CSORTOS/UnivPécs