SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE ADMISSION TO DOCTORAL COURSES CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 31 st CYCLE Deadline: 29 June 2015 at 13:00 (Italian time)

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1 SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE ADMISSION TO DOCTORAL COURSES CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 31 st CYCLE Deadline: 29 June 2015 at 13:00 (Italian time) Art. 1 PURPOSE The University of Padova has published the Selection Announcements for admission to the PhD Courses for the academic year 2015/ st Cycle (hereunder called Selection Announcement). The PhD Course table (Appendix 1) specifies the fields of research, plus candidate selection criteria and methods so that a ranking may be drawn up. The table also includes: - the number of funded and unfunded places available, which will be awarded in accordance with the PhD Course ranking - the number of potential Higher-level Apprenticeship contracts (Apprendistato in Alta Formazione e Ricerca) made available to successful applicants by companies (See Art. 11) - the number of Industrial Doctorate places available; The number of available places with candidate-proposal grants may be increased should additional funds be provided by public or private bodies. The funded places marked with an asterisk will be launched as soon as an agreement between the University and the funding body is reached; should an agreement not be reached then the number of self-funded doctoral places may also be decreased. Pursuant to Ministerial Decree 45/2013, PhD courses are activated subject to accreditation by ANVUR. Award winners will be able to enroll following the aforesaid accreditation. Art. 2 JOINT PHD COURSES The University of Padova is offering the following joint PhD courses in agreement with other Institutions: - Astronomy with INAF - Physics with INFN - Historical, Geographical, and Anthropological Studies with Ca Foscari University and the University of Verona - Fusion Science and Engineering with the University of Napoli Federico II and the Instituto Superior Tecnico, University of Lisboa. Individual agreements detail the relationship, contributions and responsibilities of the Parties, the organisation of the course, financial management and teaching resources made available at each Institution for every course. 1

2 Art. 3 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS 3.1 The Selection Announcements are open to applicants with the qualifications listed hereunder, irrespective of their citizenship: - Diploma di Laurea (vecchio ordinamento) - A Higher Degree (Laurea Specialistica/Magistrale - nuovo ordinamento); - A second-cycle academic qualification awarded by one of the Italian Ministry of Education s AFAM institutions (Higher Training in Art and Music); 3.2 Admission of graduands Applicants waiting to be awarded a qualification may also apply for the entry examinations provided they get their qualification no later than 30 th September 2015, if not their admission will be forfeited. These applicants will be admitted on condition (sub condicione) they submit their qualifications by 5 th October They must submit all relevant documentation for the awarding of their qualification by fax to or in person at Servizio Formazione alla Ricerca, via del Risorgimento, 9 Padova. Self-certifications (or certifications, in case of degrees awarded by non-italian Institutions) should state the name of the awarding University, award date, grade and type of qualification with a copy of a valid identity document. 3.3 Admission of applicants with foreign (non-italian) qualifications Applicants with a foreign qualification, provided it was a second cycle degree, may still apply with reserve. The course should have had duration of four years and lead to a PhD in the country in which it was obtained. Eligibility will be ascertained by the course s Admissions Committee. Hence, in their online application, candidates must request an evaluation of their qualification. Evaluation by the course s Admissions Committee is valid for the sole purpose of admission to the selection procedure. Applicants must send: 1. a copy of the degree certificate with a level rating where available; 2. a complete academic transcript including a list of the examinations and grades; 3. any other documentation that may help to evaluate the qualification (e.g. Diploma Supplement, European-format Curriculum Vitae); 4. a translation of documents attached in Italian or English under the applicant s own liability. Art. 4 APPLICATION Applications for the selection procedure must only be filled in online in accordance with the procedures explained on: no later than noon (Italian time) on the Selection Announcement deadline, i.e. 29 June Applicants wishing to apply for more than one PhD course must fill in a separate application form for each course. In the case where courses different curricula, candidates must specify their preferred curricula. The preference expressed in the application form is indicative and not binding. Applicants wishing to apply for places with priority-research grants must select the relevant field of research in the application form for each course. Each priority-research grant specifies the relevant fields on the course application. Foreign applicants in possession of foreign qualifications who are applying for research grants/positions reserved for foreign citizens, must duly specify this in their application. 2

3 Only applicants who have clearly indicated their interest in priority-research grants and reserved grants on the application form will be considered for the aforementioned places. The applicant s selection on the application form is final. Eligible applicants (see Art. 9) wishing to take part in the selection procedure for companies offering an Apprendistato in Alta Formazione e Ricerca must give their consent for the handling and passing on of personal data. The University will therefore be authorized to pass on the aforesaid data to the companies, who will hence be in a position to call eligible applicants for their selection procedure If a candidate, who has the necessary requirements, is interested in applying for an Industrial Doctorate place that may be available on the PhD course application, then the candidate must duly specify this in the relevant section of the application form. Candidates must attach all the documents listed on the application form of the chosen course and a copy of their valid identity document in pdf format. Candidates applying for more than one PhD Course must attach the relevant qualifications (where required) to each application form. Once the online application form has been completed, it must be signed following the instructions of the online application and an identity document must be attached. If the application is not signed and the identity document is not attached, applicants will be excluded from the competition. Letters of reference, where required, must be submitted online by the deadline (29 June 2015) The application form is automatically submitted on definitive completion of the online procedure. Hence, candidates are not required to send or bring in person any printed material to the University s offices. In compliance with Law no. 104/92 and subsequent amendments in Law no. 17/99, students with a disability may request for a personalized test (use of special equipment and extra time, etc.) to complete the admissions examinations. As set forth in Law no. 170/2010, applicants with dyslexia are entitled to 30% extra time in written tests, provided the aforesaid extra time has been envisaged by the relative PhD selection procedure and provided a request for support has been made. Eligible candidates may apply by filling in the form available with the application form online. Art. 5 ADMISSIONS TESTS AND PROCEDURES 5.1 The admissions tests and procedure, ifapplicable, are stated in the course descriptions. The test dates in the PhD Course table are considered to be an official invitation to attend. Therefore, applicants shall not receive any other invitation or correspondence regarding the tests. Test candidates must come to the University on the day and at the time stated in the PhD Course table. They must bring a valid form of identification (e.g. identity card, passport, driving license). 5.2 The pass-mark in written and oral tests is 7/10. 3

4 In a qualification-based only selection procedure, the pass-mark is 7/10.Only applicants awarded a score of at least 7/10 will be considered eligible. If specified in the PhD Course table, the Commissions shall carry out a pre-selection on the basis of the applicants qualifications. Only applicants awarded a score of at least 7/10 in the preselection will be admitted to the written and/or oral tests. The admissions test will be held in the language stated in the Languages section, under Admission exam, in each of the PhD Course tables. 5.3 Candidates may be allowed to take the oral test remotely using teleconferencing tools (e.g. Skype). Where this is the case, interested candidates must duly provide their contact details on their admissions application form and guarantee their access to a webcam so that the Commission can ascertain the applicant s identification. Candidates must be available at the previously communicated address, on the day of the oral examination as published on the University s public calendar available online. It is in the right of the commission to set a specific and definite time to start the interview. For identification purposes, and under penalty of exclusion to the selection procedure, every candidate must show the original identification document of the copy submitted with the application form before starting the interview. Failure to provide a personal address, connect online, show a valid identification document, or being unavailable on the day and time set for the interview constitute grounds for exclusion from the selection procedure. The University of Padova accepts no liability for missed interviews due to technical faults. 5.4 Oral examinations, even those done remotely, are open to the public. 5.5 The Commission will check eligibility of applicants who have also applied for a priority-research grant. 5.6 For places/grants reserved for candidates with foreign (non-italian) citizenship and qualification, each course application specifies whether a different selection procedure and ranking or if only one will be used for eligible candidates. Art. 6 SELECTION COMMITTEES The Selection Committees for the admissions procedure shall be nominated for each Course by the Department Board and appointed by the University Rector. Each Selection Committee shall comprise three members chosen from university professors or researchers. In the case of PhD courses composed of different curricula, the Commission may be joined by another expert for each curriculum. As for grants funded by external bodies, the Commission may be joined by a maximum of two experts chosen from public or private research centres. 4

5 Art. 7 FINAL RANKINGS AND ADMISSIONS At the end of the admissions tests, the Selection Committee will draw up a ranking based on the applicants scores for their examinations for each PhD Course. Admission of applicants will be based on the ranking order of each course and, a specific ranking for places/grant reserved for foreign citizens or applicants with foreign qualifications. In the event of a candidate winning a place in more than one ranking, then s/he must only select one course upon enrolling. 7.2 The ranking will also include the eligibility of applicants who applied for priority-research grants. The allocation of a priority-research grant will be determined by the ranking where there is more than one eligible applicant. Every priority-research grant is linked to a specific curriculum. Upon enrolling on a priority-research funded place, applicants are also enrolling on a specific course curriculum. 7.3 If applicable, the Commission will draw a ranking order for candidates with foreign (non-italian) citizenship and qualifications based on the criteria specified in the application form of the relevant course. However, if there are no special criteria specified on the application form, then the reserved places/grants will be allocated to eligible candidates based on the general ranking of merit. Only applicants who have expressed their interest on the application form will be considered for reserved research grants. If a research grant remains unassigned, it will be made available as a normal grant and assigned according the course ranking. 7.4 The Rector shall approve the selection procedure records and declare the rankings official. The rankings will be published from 3 rd August 2015 via: - publication in the official University register; - publication on the University of Padova website: The enrolment procedure and deadline will be published along with the final rankings. The publication of the enrolment deadlines is the equivalent of being notified to all effects and purposes. Applicants will not receive any correspondence at their home or communicated address. It is the applicants responsibility to check dates and type of enrolment. Art. 8 PHD ANDMEDICAL SPECIALIZATION SCHOOLS Successful candidates can enrol on the PhD course, only if their Medical Specialization School is headquartered at the University of Padova, candidates are enrolled in their final year of their Specialization School, and the School s Committee declares joint attendance compatible and authorizes it. Upon enrolling on the PhD course, successful candidates must: - submit a signed declaration by the Specialization School s Director attesting to the fact that joint attendance has been declared compatible and authorized by the School s Committee; - undertake to conduct research activities as indicated by the PhD Committee. 5

6 The concerned may request the Academic Board to recognize the joint programme within one month from when it ended. The Academic Board will be able to consider this period of study for Progression to a PhD Course, once the research conducted on the joint programme is evaluated and attested by the Board of Studies of the Specialization School. The evaluation of the dissertation will still be carried out in accordance to Article 15 of this Selection Announcement. Those enrolled on a joint programme may not avail themselves of any PhD research grants or other types of funding. ART. 9 HIGHER-LEVEL APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACTS 9.1 Higher-level apprenticeship contracts are allocated to applicants selected by companies from the list of eligible candidates of the selection procedures for the PhD Courses. Potential research projects covered by Higher-level apprenticeship contracts are specified in each of the PhD Course tables. The Higher-level apprenticeship scheme is open to eligible applicants who have been admitted to the PhD Course and who are under 29 years of age when the contract is signed. The four-year Higher-level apprenticeship contracts will be signed by the company and the candidate only once the aforesaid candidate has successfully passed the company s selection procedure. After the final rankings for the PhD Courses have been published, the University will provide the interested companies with a list of applicants who have given their consent on data handling, who are of the required age, and who are eligible in the general ranking. Companies may only contact applicants whose CV best reflects the needs of the company and they shall select an employee from the shortlisted applicants. If a company finds a suitable candidate among the shortlisted candidates, it shall employ the candidate provided that he/she enrolls on the PhD Course in accordance with the Selection Announcement criteria. The selected candidate must enroll on the PhD Course. The candidate shall be employed by the company by 1 st October 2015 and commence the PhD Course at the same time. The Higher-level apprenticeship will provide the selected candidates with the necessary training to be awarded a PhD by the University of Padova. 9.2 The places published as Industrial Doctorates are reserved for employees of the companies specified in each of the tables of the relevant PhD courses. Candidates must be in possession of the qualifications required and pass the selection process for admission to the PhD course. The type of research activity and the employee s work distribution will be governed by the final agreement activating these courses. Art. 10 ENROLMENT Successful applicants (with or without funding) must enroll in accordance with the times and procedures published with the final rankings. Those who fail to enrol within these terms automatically forfeit their place (be it funded or unfunded), which will be awarded to the next candidate in the ranking. 6

7 The enrolment form must be duly signed and submitted to the Servizio Formazione alla Ricerca, of the University of Padova along with the documents listed hereunder: - the first-year PhD enrolment form, specifying the place chosen; - a copy of a valid form of identification; - a copy of the payment receipt (See subsequent Art. 13); - two passport-size photos. By filling in the enrolment form, winning applicants declare, inter alia, that: - they are not enrolled and will not enroll for the duration of this PhD course in another Degree Course, if not one envisaged by this selection announcement or current regulations. - if enrolled on a Laurea or LaureaMagistrale (with the exception of PhD access courses in accordance with Article 3), they must declare they will obtain all credits (except those related to the final examination) by 30 th September 2015; - if enrolled on a Masters degree, they will complete their studies by 30 th September 2015; - they pass the pre-enrolment final examination (except for the PhD) within ninety days from commencement of the PhD. - they are not enrolled and will not enrol in a Specialization School (with the exception of cases listed under Art. 8 of this selection announcement). If they are already enrolled, they shall declare that they will suspend their studies before commencing their PhD, where possible. Students in their final year of studies are expected to finish the Specialization School before the PhD Course commences; - they undertake to request permission to the competent Committee for permission should they wish to work outside the School. Applicants who have been awarded a grant must also declare that: - they have never been awarded other PhD grants; - they will not combine this grant with grants of any other kind, unless they have been awarded by national or international organisations and which involve trips abroad as part of the Grant Holder s research; - they acknowledge that the grant will only be assigned to applicants whose annual income, during the PhD programme, does not exceed the sum of money funded. Moreover, should a candidate s income exceed the annual grant, he/she shall inform the Academic Board immediately; - they shall pay back the monthly installments received during the year in which their income exceeded the limit. Priority-Research-Grant Holders shall declare that: - they are aware that the priority-research grant shall only be paid for the performance of research in this field and that research must be conducted in accordance with the priority-research agreement. - in that case of priority-research grants within the IDEAS programme, they undertake to: 1. fill in a monthly timesheet, which must be countersigned by the Research Supervisor; 2. write a PhD thesis on the field of research for which the grant was awarded. Foreign applicants must also attach the documents listed hereunder with their application form: 1. A copy, in Italian or English, of the foreign qualification accompanied by a Statutory Declaration and an academic transcript including a list of all examinations and marks obtained. These documents must be translated and certified by Italian diplomatic authorities or an Italian consulate. 7

8 2. A valid residence permit or copy of the application for a residence permit dated at least eight days before entering Italy(for non-eu citizens only). Art. 11 VACANT POSITIONS When the rankings are published, the University will also publish the dates of when a list of vacant places will be made available. This list will include the application deadlines and enrolment Procedures for any of the aforesaid places. No correspondence will be sent to a candidate s home or domicile address. Art. 12 GRANTS Grants will be awarded in accordance with the PhD Course rankings. When there are more eligible applicants than available priority-research grants, the latter will be assigned according to the ranking positions. The research theme will be specified for grants that are bound by a specific theme. Awardees of priority research grants are obliged to carry out research on the indicated theme and in accordance with the agreement between the University and the external funding body. Priority-research grant awardees on research projects funded by the Seventh Framework Program of the European Union, specifically IDEAS, are obliged to fill in the required timesheet, which must be countersigned by the Research Supervisor. They also undertake to write the Phd thesis on the theme for which the research grant was created. Grants will be paid solely to applicants whose annual income during their PhD does not exceed the annual amount of the grant. Should a Grant Holder s annual income exceed the annual amount of the grant, he/she will not be entitled to a grant for that year and will be required to pay back any monthly installments that he/she may have already received. In the event of a tie, the applicants financial situation will be evaluated in accordance with ISEE or ISEEU. For self-funded places, preference shall be given to the younger candidate. In accordance with the Italian Ministerial Decree of 18 June 2008, the value of the award is of 13, euro per annum and gross of a separate Italian social security contribution (INPS),which the Grant Holder must pay, pursuant to Art. 2, paragraph 26 of Law no. 335 of 8 August 1995 and subsequent provisions and amendments. Payment of grants by external funders will be made once the funds have been deposited into the University s account. All grants financed by external funders will be paid to candidates once the University receives the aforesaid payment by the external funders. Grant Holders shall not combine this grant with grants of any other kind, unless they have been awarded by national or international organisations and involve trips abroad as part of the Grant Holder s research. The research grant shall be increased by 50% for any periods of research outside Italy. The grant commences as soon as Grant Holders start their course. Grants are paid by deferred monthly installments. Applicants who have already benefited from a PhD grant are not eligible for another. 8

9 Resources, including grants, for joint programmes (see Article 2 of this Selection Procedure) are subject to individual agreements. Art. 13 ENROLMENT AND COURSE FEES 1. candidates undertake to pay the set University fees. Funded PhD students are exempt from paying University fees and must pay a) insurance, b) regional tax, c) stamp duty. pay 2. Students can apply for an exemption of regional taxes according to the results of their Income Assessment (ISEE). In the case of funded candidates, the amount payable towards their ISEE will be based on their July income. 3. more information on the amount to be paid as mentioned in point 1, can be found in the Prospectus for PhD courses for the academic year 2015/2016 in the section on taxes and contributions, which will be made published on the University of Padua s website: Art. 14 DUTIES OF PHD STUDENTS Courses start on 1 st October Admission on the PhD Course entails full-time and exclusive research activity. PhD students must carry out their research according to the approved study plan. At the end of each year, they must submit a report on their activity and progress to the relevant PhD Course s Board. At the end of their PhD, they will also have to hand in an original PhD thesis, which will be submitted as per University regulations governing PhD Courses. The competent Board of the PhD Course will admit students to the following year on the basis of an evaluation of their work. The Academic Board may ask the Rector to exclude any student from the PhD Course by reasoned order. Art AWARDING THE DEGREE The title of Doctor, is bestowed on the doctoral researcher only after he/she passes the final examination. The examination will be in the form of an interview with the candidate s dissertation as the subject of the discussion. The Final Examination Board will be appointed and nominated in accordance with the University s regulations governing PhDs. Art. 16. SPECIAL CASES 16.1 Candidates with funding aimed at international research projects (Marie Sklodowska Curie, Erasmus mundus) may be admitted on the course subject to the research theme chosen being consistent with the science themes offered by the courses. This will be subject to verification by the Selection Board. Other candidates who may be admitted on the course are those holding funding from Universities with which the University of Padua holds an agreement (e.g. Brazilian Government s CAPES/CNPq) and those holding funding from foreign countries. For more information on how to apply, the aforesaid candidates should contact the Servizio Formazione alla Ricerca via at the following address: formazione.ricerca@unipd.it 16.2 The University of Padua is also offering one scholarship to a candidate with a disability rating of 66% or higher, who has been admitted to the course without funding. Should there be more than one eligible candidate, then the evaluation will be carried out according to the economic situation pursuant to the current regulations, uniform treatment to the right to higher education. 9

10 Art. 17 PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING The University will handle personal data requested in Art. 4 of this Selection Announcement for the sole purpose of fulfilling its obligations related to PhD course admissions. Any personal data provided shall be handled by the Director of CINECA (Consortium of Italian Universities). The Director may also put other personnel in charge of data processing as need. Any personal data provided shall be handled only for the purposes of this selection announcement. Sensitive data will be handled pursuant to Law no. 68/1999 and Law 104/1992. The data requested in this selection announcement is a compulsory prerequisite for admission and for drawing up the ranking of merit. In order to be considered, applicants must submit the data requested under penalty of exclusion. More information governing consent for the Higher-level apprenticeship contracts (Apprendistato di Alta Formazione e Ricerca) is specified in Art. 4. In accordance with Art. 7 of Legislative Decree DL no. 196/2003, every candidate has the right to contact the University of Padova regarding the handling of their data. CINECA is the entity responsible for the handling of data. The person in charge of the handling of data is the Director, and any personnel the Consortium Director assigns to the task. Art. 18 PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE SELECTION PROCEDURE In accordance with Art. 5 of Law no. 241 dated 7 August 1990 (New regulations on administrative procedure and right of access to administrative documents) and subsequent amendments and integrations, the following person is in charge of selection procedure administration: Dr. Maria Zanato - Università degli Studi di Padova - Head of Servizio Formazione alla Ricerca. Art. 19 NOTIFICATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS 19.1 This Selection Announcement is the equivalent of being notified to all effects and purposes. Applicants will not receive any correspondence at their home or domicile address. Any changes or additional information to this Selection Announcement will be published on: - The University of Padova s official register (albo ufficiale di Ateneo); - The University of Padova website: Applicants are admitted to the selection procedure with reserve and the University reserves the right to verify that applicants have provided the correct information. Checks shall be conducted in accordance with Art. 43 of DPR no. 445 dated 28 December This means that the University may exclude a candidate from the selection procedure at any time. The University shall also verify that the candidate s statutory declarations contain correct information. Anyone making false declarations shall be punished in accordance with the Italian criminal code and any special laws governing this matter. Applicants will be informed of their exclusion via mail. The University can verify applicants declarations at any stage of the selection process even if the 10

11 latter is already underway and, with good reason, exclude any applicants who do not meet the selection process eligibility criteria The University declines any responsibility for lost correspondence should students provide imprecise addresses or late or no notice of change of address. The University also declines any responsibility for postal or IT errors for which it is not directly responsible For anything not envisaged within this Selection Announcement, the University shall refer to the following: - Ministerial Decree dated 8 February 2013; - University Regulations based on DR no dated 3 October 2013; - Joint PhD course agreement pursuant to Art. 2 of this selection announcement. FURTHER INFORMATION: For further assistance related to the online application: Please contact the Help Desk at /1927, open from Monday to Friday, between 10:00 to 12:30. For course information: For more information on a course of interest, please call the numbers indicated under the section Further Information. For further information: Please contact us - by telephone at from Monday to Friday between 10:00 to 12:30); - at our offices, Servizio Formazione alla Ricerca - Via del Risorgimento, 9 Padova, from Monday to Friday between 10:00 to 12:30, and Tuesday and Thursday between 15:00 and 16:30. This selection announcement is available online at and at the Servizio Formazione alla Ricerca - Via del Risorgimento, 9 Padova. Candidates can also obtain more information on the University website when the offices are closed. 11