Private-law doctoral contract

Parties to the doctoral contract

The private-law doctoral contract is concluded between a doctoral candidate enrolled in doctoral training and an employer whose staff are covered by private-sector employment law:

• public industrial and commercial institution (EPIC),
• companies,
• foundation recognised as being of public benefit (FRUP),
• private higher education institution of general interest (EESPIG),
• associations
• ...

Employed doctoral candidates are considered to be fixed-term employees and, except for the provisions specific to the private-law doctoral contract, the general provisions applicable to fixed-term employment contracts apply to them.

Timeline: start date, probationary period, duration, extension or termination

Conclusion of the private-law doctoral contract is subject to the prior agreement of the director of the doctoral school in which the doctoral candidate is enrolled, who first seeks the opinion of the thesis supervisor.

The employed doctoral candidate provides the employer each year with a certificate of enrolment for the doctorate, by 31 December at the latest.

The contract is concluded for a period of 3 years and may include a one-month probationary period.

The contract may be renewed twice, for a maximum of one year at each renewal, up to a total maximum duration of five years.

As an exception, where the employment contract has been suspended for at least 3 consecutive months (maternity leave, sickness or an accident at work), an additional extension may be granted for a period equal to the length of the suspension, up to a maximum of nine months.

The conditions for any extension are set out in the contract or are the subject of an amendment submitted to the employed doctoral candidate before the originally agreed end date.

The contract ends at the end of the agreed term. In addition to the grounds for early termination provided for fixed-term employment contracts, the employer may terminate the employment contract early where the employed doctoral candidate's enrolment for the doctorate is not renewed.

Purpose and duties

The main purpose of the public-law doctoral contract is to enable the doctoral candidate to carry out, as part of the doctoral project, original research work, in whole or in part, in a research unit attached to the doctoral school or in a research unit belonging to the employer.

The doctoral school ensures that the doctoral candidate's research activities are consistent with the topic of the doctoral thesis, both at initial enrolment and at each subsequent re-enrolment.

Doctoral candidates may also carry out additional duties, for example teaching, science communication, research results exploitation or expert advice. The total duration of these additional duties must not exceed one-sixth of the annual actual working time.

Recruitment and remuneration

An employer wishing to recruit an employed doctoral candidate under a private-law doctoral contract defines a research project and circulates a job offer to interested doctoral schools at least one month before the application deadline, except in urgent cases.

This job offer specifies in particular the doctoral project's topic, the nature of the research activities and additional duties assigned to the employed doctoral candidate, the skills required, the conditions for carrying out the thesis, and the proposed salary. The salary is set by the employer.

Under the private-law doctoral contract, the employer may cover the doctoral candidate's enrolment fees.

Organisation of the partnership

The private-law doctoral contract framework includes provisions to ensure close collaboration between the employer and the doctoral school:

• The employer must circulate the job offer to interested doctoral schools;
• Conclusion of the private-law doctoral contract is subject to the agreement of the director of the doctoral school in which the doctoral candidate is enrolled, who first seeks the opinion of the thesis supervisor;
• The employer appoints a named contact responsible for supporting the employed doctoral candidate in carrying out their research work within the company or organisation. This named contact is responsible for guiding the employed doctoral candidate within their professional environment and for providing technical and scientific oversight of the research activity, in collaboration with the thesis supervisor;
• A collaboration agreement must be signed between the employer, the employed doctoral candidate and the institution where they are enrolled; this agreement includes, in particular, the thesis topic, the name of the thesis supervisor(s), the name and role of the named contact within the employer organisation, and the host research unit(s) for the employed doctoral candidate.

Individual monitoring committee and performance reviews

Employed doctoral candidates on a private-law doctoral contract have, like other employees, career development reviews (a compulsory meeting between the employee and the employer every two years) and may also have annual performance appraisals (generally held yearly in companies).

Independently of these reviews with their employer, doctoral candidates employed under a private-law doctoral contract also have an annual (Opens a new window) individual monitoring committee, conducted by a committee appointed by the doctoral school. This must take place before each re-enrolment, for all doctoral candidates, regardless of their contract or status.