LIST PhD Day 2017: PhD students and RTOs, a winning combination

On 30 November 2017, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) held its annual PhD day at the Fonds Belval Building in Esch-Belval (LU). This event was on the one hand aiming at bringing PhDs from LIST together and on the other hand at exploring the link between research, innovation and business, underpinning the role of LIST as a Research and Technology Organisation (RTO).

This second edition of the LIST PhD Day was one of inspiration, motivation, and dissemination, attracting 90 participants with a majority doctoral students working under co-supervision at LIST but also other guests including academic and industry partners. The LIST PhD Day - organised by LIST PhD delegates - provided a varied programme of presentations and discussions to the institute's PhD students with an excellent opportunity to share their experience, to learn about the support and funding available to them, to discuss the challenges they face as well as their future career.

LIST - a favourable environment for PhDs

LIST is an RTO with the mission to directly impact the economy and society through applied research, experimental development and technology transfer. The institute attaches particular importance to research work carried out by doctoral students. Indeed, PhD students allow LIST to maintain strong links with the academic world and to be a partner with numerous universities. PhD students also provide an opportunity for LIST to work on very specific subjects with the prospect of scientific publication and transfer of skills to governments and businesses. This is why the institute is committed, alongside other research stakeholders, to provide the PhD students its hosts with a favourable environment for their thesis work.

From the perspective of the student, carrying out a PhD thesis in collaboration with an RTO such as LIST also has its advantages. For example, PhD students are an integral part of the research teams and activities at LIST and fully contribute to the institute's mission, which is rewarding for the students and provides the opportunity to develop a range of skills that could not be acquired in an academic environment - skills that will be important for their future career in academia, public institutions or industry. Another advantage of carrying out a thesis in an RTO environment is that of benefiting from contacts with LIST’s partners organisations and companies. Doctoral students are also able to use concrete data to test their theories with stakeholders, thereby leading to much more tangible results that are often closer to the needs of the market and quickly transferable. Moreover, as LIST's activities are based on collaborative research with companies and organisations, PhD students can create a network of contacts that will open many doors for them in their future careers.

In 2017, together with the University of Luxembourg and other foreign universities, LIST supervised more than 80 PhD students and among them, twelve PhD students successfully defended their theses. LIST will continue supporting PhD students into building the Luxembourg of tomorrow.

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> For any further information on this topic, please contact Andreas Bladt via email.