EU-CONEXUS Enables PhD Call 2025 – One PhD Position Now Reopened

The EU-CONEXUS Enables project, is a gateway to international collaboration in research within the Alliance! In 2025 the project offered a call for five fully funded PhD positions as part of a 36-month research initiative to develop sustainable solutions for coastal regions. The project is financed by European Research Executive Agency.

Research teams from participating universities offered a range of interdisciplinary thesis topics, with a special focus on digitalization and Digital Twin solutions, providing an exceptional opportunity for students to contribute to sustainable coastal solutions through international and collaborative research.

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EU-CONEXUS Enables PhD Call 2025 - One PhD Position Now Reopened

Applications Reopened!

We are delighted to announce that the call for PhD applications to our joint doctoral programme—in collaboration with Frederick University and the University of Rostock—is now open again.

This is a limited re-opening of the competition to fill remaining positions. Highly motivated candidates are encouraged to apply before 16 November 2025!

PhD topics

Available position:

  1. Multi-Layered Digital Twin for Sustainable Coastal Built Environment
    Collaborating institutions: Frederick University and University of Rostock

Closed positions:

  1. Harnessing Algae-Derived Biostimulants to Enhance Crop Resilience and Productivity: A Multi-Omics and Digital Twin Approach
    Collaborating institutions: Agricultural University of Athens and Catholic University of Valencia

  2. Hiking 4.0: The Digital Transformation of Hiking and its Impact on the Sustainable Management of Natural Parks in Coastal or Peri-Urban Areas
    Collaborating institutions: University of Zadar and Catholic University of Valencia

  3. Development of a Digital Twin for Ship’s Diesel Engine Operating on Alternative Fuels
    Collaborating institutions: Klaipeda University and University of Rostock

  4. Enhancing Energy and Environmental Efficiency through Integrated Parametric and Agent-Based Modelling for Bio-Mimetic Design in Structural Components (E3-BioMod)
    Collaborating institutions: Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest and South East Technological University

1 PhD Position available

Duration: 36 months

Budget: approx. 100 000 Euro per PhD position as student salary

General agreement and minimum requirements of
EU-CONEXUS PhD Co-tutelle EU-CONEXUS
Doctoral School Framework

Collaboration between top EU universities from Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, and Romania (widening partners) and France, Spain, Germany, and Ireland (non-widening partners)

Timeline

29 Oct – 16 Nov, 2025

Call Re-opening & Submission

Receive applications from candidates

20 – 21 Nov, 2025

Shortlisting & Invitations

Only shortlisted candidates will receive notification and will be invited to an interview

24 – 28 Nov, 2025

Online Interviews

Candidates will participate in joint interviews conducted by supervisors and academic teams from both collaborating institutions

28 Nov, 2025

Final Selection & Notification

Communication of final results

Dec 2025 – Jan 2026

Start of Enrolment Process

Administrative and co-tutelle agreement procedures

Partner Universities

Partner university responsible for managing the entire budget (Widening partner):

  • Frederick University

Co-supervising partner university (Non-widening partner):

  • University of Rostock

Application Submission

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Selection Process for PhD Candidates

The selection process is based on a competitive evaluation that includes two main stages:

Eligibility and Quality Assessment:

  • All submitted applications will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria (see Selection Criteria section).
    • Applications will be scored out of a maximum of 100 points.
    • Only candidates scoring at least 70 points will pass to the next phase.

Interviews:

  • Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview, held in English.
    • Interviews will be conducted by the co-supervisors for each topic and the EU-CONEXUS selection committee.

The final selection will be based on the combined evaluation of the application package and interview performance.

Requirements for PhD Applicants

  • Doctoral Program Restriction – applicants must not already hold a PhD or be currently enrolled in a doctoral programme.
  • EU Eligibility – applicants must be eligible to study and work in EU countries.
  • English Proficiency – a minimum B2 level in English is required, demonstrated through a formal language certificate.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.