Agricultural Transformation by Innovation (AgTraIn) is a three-year world-class Joint Doctoral Programme (180 ECTS). AgTraIn is part of the Erasmus Mundus programme initiated by the European Commission to enhance and promote European higher education throughout the world. The language of the programme is English. AgTraIn has a policy of equal opportunities for men and women and people with special needs.
The AgTraIn Objective and Focus
The main objective of the AgTraIn programme is to develop an elite European school within the topic of successful development and transformation of farming systems in the developing world. Thematically, the AgTraIn programme deals with agricultural production chains, the natural resource base and the involved communities. The scope of AgTraIn will range from the technical aspects of agricultural production, over post-harvest management, processing and value-addition, to market access and commercialisation. A key feature of the programme is the involvement of key stakeholders in identifying research questions and participating in project formulation. The emphasis is on applied research.
The AgTraIn Consortium
The AgTraIn programme provides you with a single entry-point access to top-level and up-to-date research on agricultural transformation within the scientific fields of the programme. The programme is jointly developed and delivered by a six-university consortium consisting of
* University of Copenhagen, Denmark
* Universita degli Studi di Catania, Spain
* University College of Cork, Ireland
* Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain
* Montpellier SupAgro, France
* Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Category A and B Fellowships
Two different Erasmus Mundus Doctorate fellowships can be awarded to doctoral candidates:
Category A fellowships can be awarded to doctoral candidates from all countries other than the 27 EU member states, the EEA-EFTA states (Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland), the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), and Turkey. Furthermore, the doctoral candidate must not be resident nor have carried out her/his main activity (studies, work, etc.) for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years in one of these countries. The only exception to this rule applies to third-country candidates who have previously received an Erasmus Mundus masters scholarship in order to follow an EMMC.
Category B fellowships can be awarded to any doctorate candidate who do not fulfil the Category A criteria defined above.
Fellowships
Category A and B fellowships are identical except that the first are eligible to receive €7500 for travel and the latter €3000. Each fellowship is made up of two additional components: operational funds and salary/stipend. Operational funding ranges from €10,800 to €21,600 depending on type of study, while salary (doctoral candidate employed) is €100,800, and stipends (doctoral candidate legally treated as a student) is €50,400. For further information, we refer you to the Fellowships Table.
Please note:
* The fellowships are awarded exclusively for full-time enrollment
* Third-Country doctoral candidates, who have previously received an Erasmus Mundus masters scholarship, can be awarded a Category A fellowship
* Doctoral candidates benefiting for an EMJD fellowship cannot benefit from other Community grants while carrying out their Erasmus Mundus doctoral activities
*
For Category B fellowship holders, the AgTraIn universities in the mobility track must not be located in the country in which the doctoral candidate has obtained his/her last university degree
* You can only apply to maximum three Erasmus Mundus Programmes
Application and election Procedures
NEXT CALL - information available 1 June 2011
AgTraIn only issues one annual call for applications covering both EU and third-country applicants. The annual call announces selected research topics relevant for the application round. As an example, you can assess the 2010 topics above.
Application Form and Guidelines
When the call is opened you can access the Application Form here. For directions on how to complete the application, you will also be able to download the Guidelines to completing the AgTraIn doctoral candidate application form.
As an example, you can access the Application Form 2010 and the Guidelines to completing the AgTraIn doctoral candidate application form. The 2011 documents will be available 1 June 2011.
Main contents of the application form:
* Indication of selected research topic from the AgTraIn PhD Topic Catalogue
* Project synopsis of max 1500 words
* A sample of own scientific text
* Certified copy of second university degree(s) certificate
* Brief Curriculum Vitae
* English proficiency (min score IELTS 7.0 , TOEFL: Paper-based 600/IBT 100)
* Two academic references
Evaluation criteria
Eligible applications are evaluated by the AgTraIn Assessment Committee according to three main criteria:
* Academic potential as indicated by (i) a very good second university degree; (ii) a research synopsis that closely relates to one of the five research subjects announced in the call, and demonstrate insight and interest in the subject, (iii) documented research achievements, e.g. publications in international journals with peer review. This is the most important criterion
* English proficiency
* Academic references
Short-listing
Based on this, the best applicants are short-listed and invited to develop a full project proposal. Short-listed applicants will be informed by email. They are put in direct contact with the potential supervisors, who will assist the applicant in developing the full project proposal. Within a deadline of 5-6 weeks, the applicant submits the full proposal on a standard format to the AgTraIn Secretariat.
Interview
Each shortlisted applicant is invited, if recommended by their principal supervisor, to present their proposal before a Scientific Committee, consisting of at least two members of the AgTraIn Consortium Commission. Applicant costs are covered by the Consortium.
Start date
Selected doctoral candidates should expect to start their doctoral studies around 1 September 2012.
Erasmus Mundus Secretariat
For further information on e.g. the programme, admission procedures and deadlines please contact us at
agtrain@life.ku.dk
You are also welcome to write to
Erasmus Mundus Secretariat
University of Copenhagen
Faculty of Life Sciences
Bülowsvej 17
DK-1870 Frederiksberg
Denmark
Phone +45 35332048
http://www.agtrain.eu/
The AgTraIn Objective and Focus
The main objective of the AgTraIn programme is to develop an elite European school within the topic of successful development and transformation of farming systems in the developing world. Thematically, the AgTraIn programme deals with agricultural production chains, the natural resource base and the involved communities. The scope of AgTraIn will range from the technical aspects of agricultural production, over post-harvest management, processing and value-addition, to market access and commercialisation. A key feature of the programme is the involvement of key stakeholders in identifying research questions and participating in project formulation. The emphasis is on applied research.
The AgTraIn Consortium
The AgTraIn programme provides you with a single entry-point access to top-level and up-to-date research on agricultural transformation within the scientific fields of the programme. The programme is jointly developed and delivered by a six-university consortium consisting of
* University of Copenhagen, Denmark
* Universita degli Studi di Catania, Spain
* University College of Cork, Ireland
* Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain
* Montpellier SupAgro, France
* Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Category A and B Fellowships
Two different Erasmus Mundus Doctorate fellowships can be awarded to doctoral candidates:
Category A fellowships can be awarded to doctoral candidates from all countries other than the 27 EU member states, the EEA-EFTA states (Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland), the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), and Turkey. Furthermore, the doctoral candidate must not be resident nor have carried out her/his main activity (studies, work, etc.) for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years in one of these countries. The only exception to this rule applies to third-country candidates who have previously received an Erasmus Mundus masters scholarship in order to follow an EMMC.
Category B fellowships can be awarded to any doctorate candidate who do not fulfil the Category A criteria defined above.
Fellowships
Category A and B fellowships are identical except that the first are eligible to receive €7500 for travel and the latter €3000. Each fellowship is made up of two additional components: operational funds and salary/stipend. Operational funding ranges from €10,800 to €21,600 depending on type of study, while salary (doctoral candidate employed) is €100,800, and stipends (doctoral candidate legally treated as a student) is €50,400. For further information, we refer you to the Fellowships Table.
Please note:
* The fellowships are awarded exclusively for full-time enrollment
* Third-Country doctoral candidates, who have previously received an Erasmus Mundus masters scholarship, can be awarded a Category A fellowship
* Doctoral candidates benefiting for an EMJD fellowship cannot benefit from other Community grants while carrying out their Erasmus Mundus doctoral activities
*
For Category B fellowship holders, the AgTraIn universities in the mobility track must not be located in the country in which the doctoral candidate has obtained his/her last university degree
* You can only apply to maximum three Erasmus Mundus Programmes
Application and election Procedures
NEXT CALL - information available 1 June 2011
AgTraIn only issues one annual call for applications covering both EU and third-country applicants. The annual call announces selected research topics relevant for the application round. As an example, you can assess the 2010 topics above.
Application Form and Guidelines
When the call is opened you can access the Application Form here. For directions on how to complete the application, you will also be able to download the Guidelines to completing the AgTraIn doctoral candidate application form.
As an example, you can access the Application Form 2010 and the Guidelines to completing the AgTraIn doctoral candidate application form. The 2011 documents will be available 1 June 2011.
Main contents of the application form:
* Indication of selected research topic from the AgTraIn PhD Topic Catalogue
* Project synopsis of max 1500 words
* A sample of own scientific text
* Certified copy of second university degree(s) certificate
* Brief Curriculum Vitae
* English proficiency (min score IELTS 7.0 , TOEFL: Paper-based 600/IBT 100)
* Two academic references
Evaluation criteria
Eligible applications are evaluated by the AgTraIn Assessment Committee according to three main criteria:
* Academic potential as indicated by (i) a very good second university degree; (ii) a research synopsis that closely relates to one of the five research subjects announced in the call, and demonstrate insight and interest in the subject, (iii) documented research achievements, e.g. publications in international journals with peer review. This is the most important criterion
* English proficiency
* Academic references
Short-listing
Based on this, the best applicants are short-listed and invited to develop a full project proposal. Short-listed applicants will be informed by email. They are put in direct contact with the potential supervisors, who will assist the applicant in developing the full project proposal. Within a deadline of 5-6 weeks, the applicant submits the full proposal on a standard format to the AgTraIn Secretariat.
Interview
Each shortlisted applicant is invited, if recommended by their principal supervisor, to present their proposal before a Scientific Committee, consisting of at least two members of the AgTraIn Consortium Commission. Applicant costs are covered by the Consortium.
Start date
Selected doctoral candidates should expect to start their doctoral studies around 1 September 2012.
Erasmus Mundus Secretariat
For further information on e.g. the programme, admission procedures and deadlines please contact us at
agtrain@life.ku.dk
You are also welcome to write to
Erasmus Mundus Secretariat
University of Copenhagen
Faculty of Life Sciences
Bülowsvej 17
DK-1870 Frederiksberg
Denmark
Phone +45 35332048
http://www.agtrain.eu/
