Collaboration & PhD Pathways

PhD pathways: the Sandwich PhD

The Sandwich PhD is the most common doctoral pathway between UG and Latin American institutions. As a Sandwich PhD candidate, you remain enrolled at your home institution and conduct part of your trajectory at UG under joint supervision, typically for a period that allows substantive research and integration into the UG group.

In most cases, Sandwich PhDs lead to a double or joint degree. Under a double or joint degree agreement, the candidate is enrolled at both universities, follows one coherent set of training and thesis requirements, and receives a doctoral diploma from each institution.

UG has dedicated, centrally coordinated structures in place with all four SPF partners in Latin America, and with many other institutions across the region, to support Sandwich PhD trajectories and double or joint degrees. Sandwich PhD trajectories can also be set up with other partners on a case-by-case basis with shared supervision, and may likewise lead to a double or joint degree where the conditions for one can be put in place.

Collaboration outside a PhD

Not all collaboration runs through a doctoral trajectory. UG academics and Latin American counterparts also work together on:

• Joint research projects, often co-funded through agencies on both sides
• Visiting researcher stays, from a few weeks to a full sabbatical
• Joint proposal development for European, national, or bilateral calls
• Co-organized workshops, summer schools, and seminars
• Educational collaboration, including joint course modules and student exchange

Short-term mobility

Short stays are often the starting point for longer collaborations, whether a future Sandwich PhD, a joint research project, or an exchange. Visits typically range from a few weeks to several months and can serve different purposes: meeting potential supervisors, shaping a research proposal, joining an ongoing project, or developing a joint agenda with UG colleagues.

For information on how to set up a visit, contact the Latin America Office.

Practical implementation

Setting up a stay involves several moving parts. Funding timelines, UG admission and acceptance procedures, visa and residence requirements, and housing in Groningen each follow their own logic and rarely align automatically. Getting them into the right order, and starting each step early enough, makes the difference between a smooth start and a delayed one.

The Latin America Office can advise on sequencing the full trajectory: when to approach a UG supervisor, when to apply for funding, when to start the formal admission procedure, and when to begin visa and housing arrangements. We can also flag where home-institution requirements need to be factored in.