R&D Interviews

Each PhD student of the Groningen Graduate School of Science (GGSS), including all PhD students in the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, is expected to meet with their supervisors on a regular basis to assess the progress of their project. However, during the PhD trajectory such progress meetings are mandatory and more formal. To this end , the Result & Development cycle was established. This cycle is linked to the duration of a PhD project, and R&D interviews are scheduled after 6 months, 9 months, 2 and 3 years. Each R&D interview consists of a review of the past period, a preview of the coming period and an assessment of the overall per formance of the PhD student.

By the time the 6 month R&D interview is due, the PhD student is expected to have written an introductory essay. Ask your supervisor or PhD coordinator for examples of past essays. As the 9 month R&D interview is the go/no go decision moment, during which it will be decided whether you may (or may not) continue the PhD project. Please make sure you plan this interview in advance because there may be consequences if you delay this process. In addition to the R&D form, an outline of thesis chapters should be prepared for the 2^nd and 3^rd year interview. In all cases, please update your Training and Supervision Plan.

Please use the new appropriate form, which is suitable for all types of PhD students (either employed, bursary or external) PhD students; this has been modified and become avaialbale as of August 2015, to better comply with the mutual requirements to a PhD progress update. You can find the form also, together with other relevant forms, on the forms webpage of the GGSS.

Preparing for an R&D Interview

A good R&D interview takes preparation on the part of both the supervisor and the PhD student. First, the PhD student (digitally) completes the relevant parts of the R&D form in preparation for the interview. The first part comprises his/her own description of the respective results achieved and development made in the period under discussion. The second part of this form is on "competences and professionalization". Since it may not be apparent to distinguish between "knowledge/ability" and "competences", please refer to Competences PhD students. The final section of Part 2 is on the training activities you followed. Part 4 is on academic integrity. For this, the student needs to be aware of the Netherlands Code of Scientific Conduct, the RUG Regulations for the Protection of Academic Integrity, and the GELIFES Regulations Concerning the Storage of Scientific Data .

Hora Finita

The Graduate School has implemented an online PhD management system (Hora Finita), in which all PhD projects are registered and monitored. Upon completion of your R&D interview, you need to upload the R&D document and update your training activities under “Results and Development Interviews” and “Courses” in Hora Finita by logging in using your P-number and password. Please refer to the Hora Finita Manual for a specific details.

Your supervisor (s) will subsequently download and use them during your meeting. After the R&D interview, your supervisor needs to sign the progress report and approve the courses that you have registered for and upload the signed form to Hora Finita, with a cc to the PhD Coordinator, Corine Eising , for internal administrative purposes. If you have questions do not hesitate to contact Corine.