First European Doctoral Day on May 13!

On May 13, 2026, Europe will mark the inaugural European Doctoral Day, an initiative launched in 2026 and set to become an annual event. This day aims to highlight the pivotal role of PhD holders and of doctoral education in driving scientific excellence, innovation, and societal progress—both within academia and beyond.

This day complements initiatives like Choose Europe for Science to increase Europe’s attractiveness to early career researchers and is designed to:

Inspire European and international students to pursue doctoral education,
Increase employers’ awareness and recognition of doctoral qualifications,
Showcase the diverse career paths and societal contributions of doctoral graduates.

Over 170 events are taking place across Europe for this first edition.

Explore the map below to find an event near you and join us to celebrate the European Doctoral Day !

Find an event and join us to celebrate the European Doctoral Day !

Join the initiative as an organizing institution

Each event is proposed by an organizing institution in response to the European call for participation

Get and sign the event charter

Download the event charter (event charter.docx, event charter.pdf). The event charter must be signed by the legal representative of the organizing institution or an authorized delegate. Download the graphic charter and logo files. Download a questionnaire template to adapt and distribute on the day of your event to participants and get feedback.
Before February 28th 2026

Register your event on the European Doctoral Day coordination committee’s platform and provide the necessary details to promote your event on the European platform and to disseminate the information across Europe. Download here a press release template to communicate on your event with your networks
On May 13th or closeby

Celebrate European Doctoral Day during in-person, hybrid or online events, open to professionals, doctoral graduates, doctoral researchers, students and the general public of all ages. All events are free of charge, including access to venues. Complete a feedback questionnaire about your event to contribute to a European review of all events held on European Doctoral Day.