PhD graduation Useful information for completing PhD

Actions in case of an expiring contract

If the PhD trajectory is not completed within the contract period, one of the following actions should be taken so that access to Hora Finita and associated Radboudumc facilities remains possible:

• The PhD candidate will be awarded a MTA contract with the Radboudumc. This MTA contract should initially be requested for up to 1 year.
• The PhD candidate will receive a regular contract extension for up to 1 year to continue the PhD program according to the applicable rules of the Radboudumc Training Regulations.
• If the completion of the manuscript will take longer and/or if the 1-year contract extension has expired, the contract will not be extended (again). However, as soon as the manuscript is actually finished a MTA with the Radboudumc should be arranged for a short period of time in which the manuscript can be submitted, reviewed and the PhD ceremony can be organized through Hora Finita.

Non-EU nationality

If the PhD candidate has a non-EU nationality, please be aware to always contact your HR officer 3 months prior to the ending date of the paid/unpaid contract as this may influence the legal status of living and working in the Netherlands.

Additional questions

For additional questions about Hora Finita, please contact Hora Finita or one of the Graduate Schools (Radboudumc Graduate School or Donders Graduate School). Questions regarding contracts can be directed to your HR officer.

FAQ about Hora Finita

For additional questions about Hora Finita, please contact Hora Finita or your Graduate School (Radboudumc Graduate School or Donders Graduate School).

This FAQ is divided into the topics 'General', 'PhD Checklist', 'Checkpoints', 'Training activities (portfolio)' and 'Manuscript'.

• General

  What is Hora Finita?
  Hora Finita is the PhD project monitoring system of Radboud University and Radboudumc. With Hora Finita Radboud University and Radboudumc have an all-in-one system for the monitoring of all PhD projects. More information can be found on this page of the Radboud University's website.

  Who is considered a PhD candidate of Radboudumc?
  Every researcher in a PhD project under the supervision of a Radboud university medical center professor, is a Radboud university medical center PhD candidate.

  What is the link to Hora Finita?
  The URL is https://horafinita.ru.nl

  Is registration in Hora Finita necessary?
  For all PhD trajectories Hora Finita must be used, according to the Doctorate regulations. This is because all steps in the PhD process, e.g. registration, Training and Supervision Plan (TSP), submission and review of manuscript, are performed exclusively through Hora Finita. Logging in into Hora Finita is done via SURFconext and is only possible with a Radboudumc (or RU) account.

  Why can't I login into Hora Finita?
  Logging in into Hora Finita is done via SURFconext and is only possible with a Radboudumc (or RU) account.  

  Therefore it is important that all PhD candidates (regular PhD candidates, external PhD candidates, Radboudumc employees starting a PhD trajectory) are registered with HR in time. More information about registration of different types of PhD candidates can be found here.

  If the PhD trajectory is not completed within the contract period, action should be taken so that access to Hora Finita and associated Radboudumc facilities remains possible. More information can be found here.

  If you are unable to login, even though you have a Radboudumc account, please contact horafinita@radboudumc.nl.

  Where can I find Hora Finita manuals?
  There is an extensive set of manuals available in Dutch and in English for both PhD candidates and supervisors.

  For additional questions about Hora Finita, please contact Hora Finita or your Graduate School (Radboudumc Graduate School or Donders Graduate School).

• PhD Checklist

  How can I agree to the Academic Integrity Code?
  If you click on the link behind the "Academic Integrity Code" in the checklist you can read the code and check that you agree.

  I attended all required courses but the “required courses” are not ticked off in the PhD checklist on my dashboard
  You must add all activities, including the required courses, to your portfolio yourself. You can do this for required courses through the tab "required courses". For all activities this can be done via "training activities". For more information please check the manual (ENG, NL).

  “Required course are completed” on your PhD checklist will only be ticked off when you select these courses via the tab “required courses”, or select these courses from the course list that is already available in Hora Finita. If you added a required course and its details yourself, please delete the course and add it again via the above mentioned procedure.

  My TSP has been approved before but “TSP has been approved” is not ticked off or the date is not correct
  Please contact your Graduate School (Radboudumc Graduate School or Donders Graduate School).

• Checkpoints

  What are checkpoints and where can I find more information?
  Checkpoints are moments of supervision used to monitor and evaluate the progress of a PhD candidate's PhD project during the research phase.

  For more information about the checkpoints please check the interactive infographic of the Radboudumc PhD trajectory on our website. More information about the PhD trajectory of the Donders Graduate School can be found here.

  Six weeks before the checkpoint date you will receive an automatic email announcing the checkpoint. In this email and on the checkpoint page is described what is expected of you.

  When is a checkpoint created?
  After the PhD candidate’s registration has been approved, Hora Finita automatically creates checkpoints. A new checkpoint will appear on your dashboard 6 months before the checkpoint date. Six weeks before the checkpoint date you will receive an automatic email announcing the checkpoint. Checkpoints are automatically created until the first supervisor ("promotor") approves the manuscript.

  Is a checkpoint meeting the same as my annual appraisal interview ("jaargesprek")?
  The checkpoint (annual review) meeting is different from your annual appraisal interview, but you may choose to combine the two. In that case, please cover both the topics of the Hora Finita annual review questionnaire and the topics of the Radboudumc annual appraisal interview. Afterwards you have to submit both the annual review questionnaire (via Hora Finita) and the report of the annual appraisal interview (via email to "Postbus Personeelsdossier").

  Please note that for Checkpoint 2 and 3 (1 and 2 years after start PhD trajectory) it is advised to have an external advisor present at the checkpoint meeting.

  Who should approve a checkpoint in Hora Finita?
  Checkpoints should only be approved by the daily supervisor(s) of the PhD candidate. After the PhD candidate submits the Checkpoint, the daily supervisor automatically receives a request to approve the Checkpoint. The mentor has no role in the approval procedure.

  The Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) should be approved by the daily supervisor(s), the first supervisor ("eerste promotor") and the Graduate School.

• Training activities (portfolio)

  How and when do I add activities to my PhD portfolio?
  You must add all activities, including the required courses, to your portfolio yourself. You can do this for required courses through the tab "required courses". For all activities this can be done via "training activities". For more information please check the manual (ENG, NL).

  Annually, if you have a checkpoint, you will be asked to add the activities you did during the past year to your training activities (portfolio) in Hora Finita. Of course, you can also add an activity immediately after you've completed it.

  Please note that for PhD candidates affiliated to the Radboudumc Graduate Shool it is not necessary to upload proofs of attendance.

  I attended a required course but the course is not present in my portfolio
  You must add all activities, including the required courses, to your portfolio yourself. You can do this for required courses through the tab "required courses". For all activities this can be done via "training activities". For more information please check the manual (ENG, NL).

  Please note that for PhD candidates affiliated to the Radboudumc Graduate Shool it is not necessary to upload proofs of attendance.

  When do I have to complete my portfolio and submit it to my Graduate School for approval?
  After your manuscript has been approved by your first supervisor (“promotor”) you will receive a request to complete your portfolio and submit it to your Graduate School for approval.

  Please note that for PhD candidates affiliated to the Radboudumc Graduate Shool it is not necessary to upload proofs of attendance.

  Your Graduate School will decide whether you have completed all the necessary components of your institute’s PhD program in order to be awarded with your Graduate School’s education certificate. You will be informed of this decision in due course. The Graduate School will also provide you with a Word document of your final portfolio, which can be added to your PhD thesis.

• Manuscript

  How do I, as supervisor, perform a plagiarism check?
  Indeed, according to the Doctorate regulations, the supervisor must check the PhD thesis for plagiarism. For this purpose, a similarity report, generated by the program iThenticate by colleagues at Radboud University, will be sent to the promotor via e-mail. Questions about the working method or the program can be sent to Hora Finita or the RU helpdesk. There are also several short manuals available on RadboudNet that explain how to use the program.

Radboudumc PhD thesis guidelines

• Background information

  The PhD thesis is a proof of the ability to perform independent academic research. It is up to the manuscript committee to decide whether a thesis meets this criterion, thereby using the assessment criteria as defined in the Doctorate regulations of the Radboud University. The (co-)supervisors (‘(co)promotors’) will decide whether the PhD thesis is of sufficient quality to be presented to the manuscript committee.

  The requirements for the academic and non-academic part of the PhD thesis are defined in chapter 4 of the Doctorate regulations of the Radboud University. In addition to these general requirements, applicable to all faculties, Radboudumc PhD candidates adhere to the Radboudumc guidelines.

  Radboudumc guidelines provide clarity to all involved, such as to the PhD candidate and PhD supervisors but also to the members of the Manuscript Committee, Cum Laude Committee and Doctoral Examination Board.

• A typical Radboudumc PhD thesis contains

  • a. Title page
  • b. Table of contents
  • c. General introduction
    • PhD candidates describe their view of the current state of the field, point out gaps in scientific knowledge, introduce an overview of the PhD thesis and give rationales for the performed studies. The general introduction contains information that the reader needs to know to understand the context of the research chapters. The general introduction may take the form of a review article.
  • d. Research chapters
    • Each research chapter contains work in which PhD candidates follow the scientific research cycle: identifying a gap in scientific knowledge, outlining an approach, describing the appropriate collection and analysis of data or existing relevant databases, and finally reflecting on the results in the context of the specific field.
    • The thesis demonstrates that PhD candidates have familiarized themselves and have worked with the principles and methodologies of international scientific practice and theory formation, methods and studies of the relevant discipline. Preferentially, the thesis contains variation in terms of the methods used.
    • Focus on quality instead of quantity. PhD candidates demonstrate that they are competent researchers by completing a coherent set of empirical (or conceptual) chapters plus an introduction and discussion. If there is a coherent thesis of sufficient quality, there is no need to produce more research chapters when the term of the contract expires. There is no minimum requirement for the number of research chapters.
    • While it is of course in the line of PhD candidates’ ambitions to get their work published, there is no obligation to have a certain number of chapters published before sending the thesis to the manuscript committee. If not published, the quality of the chapters should be as such that they can be submitted for publication to a scientific journal.
    • In principle, only chapters of which PhD candidates are (shared) first author are included in their PhD thesis. Occasionally a chapter as co-author may be included in the thesis if the content is consistent with the rest of the PhD research. Other publications may be listed in the publication list.
  • e. General discussion
    • The general discussion should be the PhD candidates’ own product, while the research chapters and sometimes the general introduction are more collaborative efforts. In this concluding chapter, the PhD candidates reflect on the research chapters and their findings with a bird's eye view, identify limitations as well as future research opportunities and discuss the impact on the research field and society.
  • f. Summary of the thesis
    • If the PhD thesis is written in English, it includes at least a summary in Dutch. The summary should be short and concise.
      Note: The RU Doctorate regulations erroneously state that the summary should contain a maximum of 350-400 words. There is no maximum number of words for the summary.
  • g. Description of the research data management
    • All Radboud University researchers are obliged to have all research data comply at least with the F (sustainably findable) and the A (proper access management) of the FAIR guidelines. The Radboudumc Data Management Plan tool should be used to prepare a Research Data Management (RDM) plan at the start of a PhD trajectory and to keep it up to date. PhD candidates can include a summary of the RDM plan in the PhD. For more information and examples click here.
  • h. List of publications (not mandatory)
  • i. Acknowledgements (not mandatory)
  • j. Curriculum vitae
  • k. Portfolio
    • Including a report of the doctoral education, e.g., courses, seminars, international conferences, lecturing, supervision of internships, as outlined by the research institute (click here). 

  At least chapters b up to g (see above) should be completed before the manuscript can be reviewed by the Manuscript Committee.

  Note: There are different kinds of PhD candidates at Radboudumc, differing in the length and type of contract, as well as additional (sideline) functions. The requirements for a PhD thesis are identical for all PhD categories.

• Submission manuscript

  After finishing the manuscript (at least chapters b up to g, see previous item), PhD candidates upload their manuscript to Hora Finita. Subsequently, the supervisor is asked to perform a plagiarism check, assess the manuscript and motivate why the PhD thesis meets the Radboudumc PhD thesis guidelines. After this assessment the manuscript can be reviewed by the Manuscript Committee. Hora Finita tutorials are available for these different steps.

• Lay-out PhD thesis

  • Portfolio and cover guidelines can be found here.
  • Guidelines for PhD candidates who are part of the Donders Graduate School can be found here.

Lay-out PhD thesis with a defense date as of 1 January 2023

Within the Fit for the Future transition, the new Radboudumc Research Institute will start on 1 January 2023. Therefore, current RIHS and RIMLS PhD candidates will automatically become members of the new Radboudumc Graduate School.

Cover PhD thesis

For PhD theses with a defense date as of 1 January 2023 the combined Radboud university medical center Radboud University logo should be placed on the back and the short Radboudumc logo on the spine of the cover according to the predefined templates. If relevant, logos of other parties that were involved in the PhD research substantially can be added at the back.

• Standard Radboudumc cover template (pdf file and ai file)
• Cover template with space for 1 additional logo (pdf file and ai file)
• Cover template with space for 2 additional logos (pdf file and ai file)

Note: The cover guidelines for PhD candidates who are part of the Donders Graduate School remain unchanged (see information Donders thesis series).

Portfolio

Please list your itemized training portfolio according to this predefined format in your PhD thesis. The Graduate School will support you in this.

Procedure:

1. After your manuscript has been approved in Hora Finita by your PhD supervisor, you will automatically receive an email requesting you to complete your portfolio in Hora Finita.
2. Add required courses via the tab "required courses". Other activities can be added via "training activities" (see Tutorial for adding activities to your portfolio). Guidelines for study load in hours for different portfolio activities can be found here.
3. Submit your completed portfolio via Hora Finita to the Graduate School (see Tutorial for submitting your portfolio).
4. The Graduate School will review your portfolio and send you your portfolio in the predefined format. You will then be asked to check your portfolio.
5. The final version can be included in your PhD thesis

Based on your portfolio the Graduate School will decide whether you have completed all the necessary components of the PhD program in order to be awarded with the Advanced Graduate School training certificate.

Note: Portfolio guidelines for PhD candidates who are part of the Donders Graduate School will follow. Please contact the Donders Graduate School in the meantime.

Advanced Graduate School training certificate

The education certificate differs per Graduate School. Therefore, please check out the information regarding your Graduate School.

• Radboudumc Graduate School

  Within the Fit for the Future transition, the new Radboudumc Research Institute started on 1 January 2023. Former RIHS and RIMLS PhD candidates have automatically become members of the new Radboudumc Graduate School.

  Radboudumc strongly encourages PhD candidates to develop a tailor-made training program that promotes several competencies and transferable skills. Completed courses, workshops, attended lectures and symposia should be included in a portfolio and added to the PhD thesis (see Procedure for completing your portfolio). The Radboudumc Graduate School rewards PhD candidates who fulfil all requirements with an Advanced Graduate School training certificate.

  What you need to qualify for the certificate

  To qualify for a Radboudumc Advanced Graduate School training certificate the following conditions should be met:

  1. The PhD candidate has submitted a Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) that has been approved by the Graduate School
  2. The portfolio is included in the PhD thesis
  3. The PhD candidate has attended:
     • General introduction day Radboudumc
     • Graduate School introduction
     • Course Scientific integrity
     • At least 2 Research Integrity Rounds
     • At least 2 PhD retreats
     • At least 1 International symposium with oral or poster presentation
  4. The PhD candidate has obtained a minimum of 700 hours of study load, as registered in Hora Finita

  NOTE: Since these requirements differ from the RIHS and RIMLS requirements for a certificate, there will be transition rules for current RIMLS and RIHS PhD candidates. The Graduate School will not be too strict.

  After submission of your portfolio via Hora Finita (see Procedure for completing your portfolio) the Graduate School will decide whether you have completed all the necessary components in order to be awarded with the certificate. You will be informed of this decision in due course.

  Further information

  • Competencies and transferable skills
  • Guidelines for study load in hours for different portfolio activities
  • Procedure for completing your portfolio

• Donders Graduate School

  The Donders Graduate School offers PhD candidates a vibrant and challenging international research environment. The institute strongly encourages PhD candidates to develop a tailor-made training program that promotes both research and personal skills. Completed courses, workshops, attended lectures and symposia should be included in a portfolio and added to your thesis. The Donders Graduate School rewards PhD candidates who fulfil all requirements with a Graduate School certificate.

  What you need to qualify for the certificate

  To qualify for the Donders Graduate School certificate the following conditions should be met:

  1. The PhD candidate must be enrolled in the Graduate School and registered in PhD Track from the start-date of the PhD trajectory. 
  2. The PhD candidate has submitted a Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) that has been accepted by the TSP evaluation committee (TSP has been submitted within 3 months from the start of the PhD trajectory)
  3. The PhD candidate must attend the compulsory courses offered by the Graduate School*:
     • the Donders Graduate School Introduction day
     • Scientific Integrity course (2nd year) organized by the Donders Institute or the Radboudumc
     • Two Graduate School days. The annual Graduate School Day will offer various transferable and soft skills workshops
     • One Donders Discussions
  4. The PhD candidate has obtained 30 EC points
     • courses for developing competencies and transferable skills (18EC)
     • attending local lectures, (inter)national lectures, workshops, conferences, etc (12EC)
  5. The PhD candidate has published his/her thesis in the Donders Thesis Series

  *Requirements as per 2017. Did you start you PhD before 2017? The transition requirements can be found on the intranet.

  How to obtain your  certificate

  At the end of you PhD trajectory sent your portfolio, containing an overview of the names of the courses, lectures, workhops and conferences, the number of ECs and proof of attendance to the Donders Graduate School Secretary (dgcn@donders.ru.nl)  The overview should be signed by your primary supervisor/Principal Investigator. The certificate will be presented  to you after your successful PhD defence.
   

Research data management Requirements and examples

• Requirements

  Description of Research Data Management in PhD thesis
  All Radboud University researchers are obliged to have all research data comply at least with the F (sustainably findable) and the A (proper access management) of the FAIR guidelines. Additionally Research Data Management must meet the (inter)national standards and legislation regarding scientific integrity and privacy (General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Dutch code for Scientific Integrity). The data management page of the PhD thesis specifies how this is achieved.

  The Radboudumc Data Management Plan tool should be used to prepare a Research Data Management (RDM) plan at the start of a PhD trajectory and to keep it up to date. PhD candidates must include a summary of the RDM plan in the PhD thesis. For more information check the website of RTC Data stewardship. If you need help with this please email datastewardship.im@radboudumc.nl.

• Example 1: Human data, not shared in a data repository

  Ethics and privacy
  This thesis is based on the results of medical-scientific research with human participants. The studies described in chapter 2 and 3 were subject to the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act (WMO) and were conducted in accordance with the ICH-GCP guidelines (Good Clinical Practice). The medical ethical review committee ‘METC Oost-Nederland’ has given approval to conduct these studies (file numbers: NL00000.000.00; NL00000.000.00). Informed consent was obtained from research participants. Technical and organizational measures were followed to safeguard the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the data (these measures include the use of independent monitoring, pseudonymization, access authorization and secure data storage).

  Data collection and storage
  Data for chapter 2 and 3 was collected through electronic Case Report Forms (eCRF) using CASTOR EDC. From Castor EDC data were exported to SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Pseudonymized data were stored and analyzed in the Azure DRE (DRE Portal), on the department server and in Castor EDC and are only accessible by project members working at the Radboudumc. Paper (hardcopy) data is stored in cabinets on the department.

  Availability of data
  All studies are published open access. The data will be archived for 15 years after termination of the study. Reusing the data for future research is only possible after a renewed permission by the participants. The anonymous datasets that were used for analysis are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

• Example 2: Human data, shared in a data repository

  Ethics and privacy
  This thesis is based on the results of human studies (or existing data from published papers), which were conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The medical ethical committee Radboud CMO, Nijmegen, the Netherlands has given approval to conduct these studies (Radboud CMO dossier number: 2022-xxxx). Informed consent was obtained from participants to collect and process their data for this research project; also, consent was also obtained for sharing the (pseudonymized) data after research. The privacy of the participants in these studies was warranted by the use of the Radboudumc pseudonymization tool PIMS, keyfile name XXYYZZ.

  Data collection and storage
  Data for chapter 2 and 3 was extracted, by using the Radboudumc CliniQuest application, from (electronic) health records (EPIC) and by using Castor EDC for secured online questionnaires; data for chapter 4 was collected through electronic Case Report Forms (eCRF) using CASTOR EDC. Data were converged from (electronic) health records or Castor EDC to SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Pseudonymized data were stored and analyzed in workspace (WORKSPXXX) in the Azure DRE (DRE portal), on the department server and in Castor EDC and are only accessible by project members working at the Radboudumc. These secure storage options safeguard the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the data. Paper (hardcopy) data is stored in cabinets on the department.

  Data sharing
  All studies are published open access. The dataset suitable for reuse is published in the Data Station Life, Health and Medical Sciences (DOI: 10.17326/dans-xhj-pxyt); Data were made reusable by adding sufficient documentation (research protocol, codebook and a readme file), by using preferred and sustainable data formats and by publishing under the CC.BY.4.0 license. Requests for access will be checked, by a data access committee (DAC) formed by the department, against the conditions for sharing the data as described in the signed Informed Consent. The data not suitable for reuse will be archived for 15 years after termination of the study.

• Example 3: Non-human data

  Data collection, analysis and storage
  Publicly available RNA sequencing data were obtained and reused from the Sequence Read Archive (SRA). Quantitative and non-quantitative data from low-throughput biochemical assays (luciferase assay, RT-qPCR, Western and northern blots, gel electrophoresis in the form of spreadsheets and png images), as well as deep sequencing datasets for mRNAs were stored on the departmental server and documented in LabGuru. Also, data were stored and analyzed in workspace (WORKSPXXX) in the Azure DRE (DRE Portal).

  Data sharing
  All data will be made available via open access and by publishing under the CC Zero (CC0) license: proteomics and transcriptomics datasets will be made available via freely accessible public repositories (SRA for RNAseq datasets (SRX01234567) and PRIDE for proteomic datasets (PXD012345)). Other data will be published in Zenodo (DOI: 10.1234/zenodo.1234567). Data were made reusable by adding sufficient documentation (research protocol, codebook and a readme file) and by using preferred and sustainable data formats. The data not suitable for reuse will be archived for 10 years after termination of the study.

Radboudumc training regulation

March 2016

as set forth in Article 17.4 UMC of the CLA for researchers in training

• 1. Definitions

  ln this regulation, the terms below shall be defined as follows:

  1. Radboud university medical center: the university medical center that operates as an independent subsidiary (without legal personality) of Stichting Katholieke Universiteit (SKU) in Nijmegen.
  2. Director: the director of the Radboud university medical center's research institute with which the Graduate School is affiliated.
  3. Training and Supervision Committee: the Training and Supervision Committee referred to in Article 5 of this regulation.
  4. Researcher in training: the employee seeking to obtain a doctorate and employed to this end by Radboud university medical center, as described in Article !7 .3 (2) of the university medical center's CLA.
  5. Doctoral thesis supervisor a professor or professors appointed to play a supervisory role, pursuant to the Doctorate Regulations of Radboud University.
  6. Doctorol thesis co-supervisor: an individual holding a doctoral degree who is involved in the preparation of a dissertation, pursuant to Article 6 of Radboud University's Doctoral Degree Regulations.
  7. Daily supervisor a postdoctoral researcher tasked with supervising the researcher in training on a daily basis. This may be the doctoral thesis (co)-supervisor .
  8. Mentor: the individual with whom the researcher in training can consult for questions about non-content aspects of the training.

• 2. Scope

  This regulation applies to researchers in training, as referred to in Article 1 of this regulation. This regulation will also apply by analogy as far as possible to employees who are enrolled in a PhD track but are not employed by Radboud university medical center as researcher in training.

• 3. Doctorate Regulations of Radboud University

  The prevailing Doctorate Regulations and all associated guidelines shall apply during the PhD program.

• 4. Employment

  1. Based on Article 2.4.4 of the CLA, Radboud university medical center will offer the researcher in training a fixed employment contract for the duration of the PhD track.
  2. The duration of the PhD track as determined by the Training and Supervision Plan constitutes a maximum of four years based on full-time employment.
  3. lf the researcher in training receives pregnancy, maternity or parental leave during the PhD program, the program may be extended by the duration of the received leave period.
  4. The PhD track can be extended by up to six months in the event of illness lasting eight consecutive weeks or more. This extension will only be granted if there are reasonable grounds to believe that it will contribute to the successful completion of the PhD track, as determined by the doctoral thesis supervisor.
  5. lf the PhD track is not completed within four years or after the extension period referred to in sections 3 and 4 of this Article, the program may be extended by up to one additional year. This extension is only possible on the recommendation of the doctoral thesis supervisor, based on a plan to complete the track as discussed by the researcher in training and the director. Such an extension will only be granted pending sufficient funding. The decision to extend the PhD track will be made by the director and documented in the Training and Supervision Plan which will also be determined by the director.

• 5. Training and Supervision Committee

  1. Each Graduate school at Radboud university medical center has their own Training and Supervision Committee.
  2. The Training & Supervision Committee is responsible for:
     1. advising the candidate about the proposed activities based on the candidate's resumé and the project description;
     2. approval and evaluating the Training and Supervision Plan for the researcher in training;
     3. appointing a mentor for the researcher in training;
     4. monitoring the progress of the PhD track and the quality of the supervision and advising the director as necessary.
  3. The director is responsible for the composition and operation of the Training and Supervision Committee.
  4. The Training and Supervision Committee reports all conclusions, recommendations and other matters to the director after each meeting.

• 6. Training and Supervision Plan

  1. Within three months of commencing employment, the researcher in training must draft a Training and Supervision Plan in consultation with the (daily) supervisor. This plan will be discussed with and finalized by the Training and Supervision Committee.
  2. The Training and Supervision Committee will discuss the plan twice during the PhD program (at the three month mark and the two year mark). lf necessary it will be revised.
  3. The Training and Supervision Plan template as established by the Radboud university medical center must be used.
  4. The Training and Supervision Plan must include the following:
     • the duration of the PhD track;
     • a brief description of the research project;
     • the doctoral thesis supervisor's name;
     • the mentor's name and tasks;
     • the daily supervisor acting on behalf of the researcher in training (i.e. the individual tasked with supervising and directing the researcher in training);
     • if the daily supervisor does not act as the doctoral thesis supervisor, the researcher in training must be given the opportunity to meet with the doctoral thesis supervisor at the start of the PhD track and during key moments of importance to the research progress at least twice a year to discuss the PhD research;
     • the knowledge and skills the researcher in training is expected to acquire and how these should be acquired;
     • the number of teaching hours the researcher in training will conduct;
     • the possibility of terminating the training prematurely;
     • the way the researcher in training is assessed and the criteria on which this assessment is based.
  5. The research mandate is at least 75% of the average number of working hours ascribed to the researcher in training. The research results will be incorporated in the dissertation. The researcher in training may also be expected to use his or her research results as the basis for scientific publications.
  6. Researchers in training shall devote no more than 25% of their annual working hours to teaching and education. ln general, years one and two will be reserved for following classes and years three and four will be reserved for teaching. Researchers in training must teach classes that align with their own research topic (e.g. by participating in classes offered by the daily supervisor or the department). This may include tutorials, seminars, laboratory work, practical/skills training sessions or colloquia. Researchers in training may also opt to supervise students during the dissertation process, provided the subject matter is in line with their own research topic.

• 7. Progress meetings and performance reviews

  1. During the training, progress meetings will be held with the doctoral thesis supervisor, the daily supervisor and the researcher in training. The frequency of these meetings will be determined in the Training and Supervision Plan.
  2. During the progress meetings, the doctoral thesis supervisor and the researcher in training shall discuss and document the topics referred to in Article 3.6.1.1 of the CLA at least once per year.
  3. Progress meetings will be held with the doctoral thesis supervisor, the daily supervisor and the researcher in training throughout the program. The first meeting will take place nine months after the start of employment.
  4. During these meetings, the doctoral thesis supervisor will evaluate the researcher in training based on the criteria outlined in the Training and Supervision Plan.
  5. The doctoral thesis supervisor and the daily supervisor will determine whether the researcher in training is capable of completing the training within the timeframe specified in the Training and Supervision Plan, taking into account any extensions as referred to in Article 4 of this regulation. Should the doctoral thesis supervisor find that the researcher in training is unable to complete the training in time, s/he will terminate the program prematurely. This will also terminate the employment contract, pursuant to the provisions outlined in Article 17.5 (1) of the CLA. Should the doctoral thesis supervisor reach this conclusion, s/he will document his or her findings in writing.

• 8. Mentor

  1. All researchers in training are assigned a mentor by the Training and Supervision Committee. Researchers in training may submit their preference for a mentor in advance to the Training and Supervision Committee. The mentor is responsible for:
     1. helping the researcher in training develop a critical attitude in terms of results and personal and scientific development during the PhD track;
     2. mediating between the researcher in training and the doctoral thesis supervisor/daily supervisor should disputes arise regarding the training, the supervision or the assessment.

• 9. Printing costs

  1. The researcher in training may be entitled to receive compensation for layout and printing costs.
  2. This compensation amounts to a maximum of €2200,-
  3. In order to qualify, the researcher in training must request compensation from the head of the department within three months of incurring the costs.
  4. The following documents must be submitted along with the compensation request:
     • the final invoice made out to Radboud university medical center, which specifies the layout and/or printing costs;
     • a statement signed by the registrar, confirming that s/he received the required number of dissertation copies.

• 10. Disputes

  1. Should a dispute arise between the researcher in training and the doctoral thesis supervisor regarding the training, the supervision or the assessment, both parties will first attempt to resolve the issue with the help of the mentor. lf no solution can be reached through mediation, the researcher in training can present the dispute to the director.
  2. After hearing both parties, the director will submit a substantiated decision in writing within four weeks of first hearing the dispute.
  3. The researcher in training may appeal the director's decision, as described in point 2 above, by submitting an objection to the Executive Committee in accordance with the procedure outlined in Article la.12 of the CLA.

• 11. Closing provisions

  1. This regulation shall enter into force at 1 March 2016 and will replace all previous regulations for researchers in training adopted by the Executive Committee or the departments.
  2. This regulation applies to all PhD tracks that commence after the date this regulation entered into force. Existing individual agreements will not be affected by this regulation.
  3. This regulation may also be applied on a voluntary basis to on-going PhD tracks.
  4. The doctoral thesis supervisor has the authority to decide on all issues not covered in this regulation or the individual training plan.
  5. This document is referred to as: Training regulation for researchers in training at Radboud university medical center.
  6. This regulation will be published on Radboud university medical center's intranet site. All of the officials mentioned in this regulation will receive a copy of this document upon appointment and a revised version as applicable.

• UMC CAO

  Radboudumc Training regulation is an addendum of the UMC CAO.

Transition allowance

You will only receive a transition allowance if the initiative for dismissal (or non-renewal of contract) comes from Radboudumc. However, Radboudumc does not need to pay transition allowance if the dismissal is the result of serious culpable act or omission of the employee. You are completely free in how you want to use the compensation, for example to follow a course to prepare for your next job or to supplement any benefit. The transition allowance will be paid automatically, you do not have to ask for this. No justification is necessary for this allowance. The transition allowance does not affect the amount of your unemployment benefits (uitkering).

Right of transfer

The WWZ law contained a right of transfer for the transition allowance. Therefore, the transition allowance did not apply directly to all groups within Radboudumc. On 1 July 2016, the issues for the last unsolved rights of transfer were worked out. Now, Radboudumc also pays the transition allowance for PhD candidates with ‘onderzoeker in opleiding’ contracts that are terminated after 1 July 2016 without being renewed. 

Amount of transition allowance

The amount of the transition allowance is calculated on the basis of your (gross) monthly salary and length of employment. The main rule is that, for every (full) year of employment, you will receive one third of the month gross salary as a transition allowance. The monthly salary equals your hourly wage at the time of dismissal times the number of hours you work per month. If you work no fixed number of hours, the average working hours of the last twelve months will be considered for the calculation. For the calculation of your monthly salary, furthermore, fixed allowances such as holiday pay and annual bonus will be taken into account.
 
If you have had multiple contracts with Radboudumc, these contracts are aggregated to calculate the transition allowance. This is true, even if contracts are not directly followed up by each other. However, when the interval between two employment contracts is more than six months, the multiple contracts are not aggregated and counting of the period of employment starts again.
 
The government has posted a tool in Dutch that can calculate the transition fee. These calculations are indicative. The payroll also takes all relevant fees into account, but you can use the tool to see how much transition allowance you might receive. The transition allowance is a gross amount. Radboudumc keeps payroll taxes in here, which are paid to the tax authorities.

Questions?

For further questions, please contact the HR advisor of your department.

Career advisors

Four months before the end of your contract you can contact the career advisors of the Radboudumc for support in finding a new job. This advice is free of charge.
 
We can support you with:

• Application letter
• Resume (CV)
• Networking
• Use of Social Media
• Application conversation

Contact: mobiliteitsadvies@radboudumc.nl 
You will receive a reply within 2 weeks for an appointment.  
 
Mobility officers:

• Monique Kropman
• Shira Hurenkamp
• Gerda Nachtegaal