To mark the first European Doctoral Day on 13 May 2026, we celebrate the University’s incredible doctoral community and look at the Una Europa programmes available to our PhD students. The Una Europa alliance Una Europa is an international alliance of 11 leading universities from across Europe. Founded in 2019, its partnership activity focuses on six interdisciplinary areas: Cultural Heritage, Data Science and AI, Europe and the World, Future Materials and Technologies, One Health, Sustainability.This unique partnership gives students and staff from alliance institutions, including the University of Edinburgh, exclusive access to mobility, funding and learning opportunities from within the Una Europa community. Two opportunities are currently open to PhD students:PhD Impact AwardStudent Project Incubator 2026Read more about these opportunities in the "Opportunities for doctoral students" section below. A global, multidisciplinary approach to research Among the opportunities available to PhD students each year is a series of doctoral summer schools. While each Una Europa Summer School is themed around one of the alliance’s six Focus Areas, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of Doctoral Summer Schools. University PhD student Tingting, whose research focuses on the phenomena that govern liquid-solid interactions at the particle scale, attended her first Una Europa Summer School in 2025 at Freie Universität Berlin, on the topic of One Health:"I applied to the Summer School because I've always been interested in soil health. It turned out that human health, animal health, and environmental health are interconnected and participants came from very diverse backgrounds, exchanging ideas and insights I'd never encountered before. The biggest takeaway from this summer school was the opportunity to connect with researchers from different backgrounds. We created a group chat to stay in touch and even planned to meet again in ten years!" Interdisciplinary research is crucial because doctoral researchers explore challenging problems within specific fields. These fields may be very concrete, but everything works holistically, requiring consideration of numerous aspects that may involve multiple disciplines. Tingting PhD student at the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh Tingting and other PhD students attended an Una Europa Summer School held at Freie Universität Berlin in 2025. Collaboration across boundaries Tingting and fellow PhD student Keshavi are preparing to attend this year’s Summer School on Future Materials and Technologies at Università di Bologna, focusing on the topic "Exploring Soft Materials: From Molecules to Biomaterials"."The theme resonates closely with my PhD topic," explains Keshavi, whose research sits at the intersection of electrochemistry, biocompatible materials and electronics. "I am eager to deepen my understanding of soft matter science and to explore how advances in this field might inform new approaches to sensor fabrication. I am also looking forward to getting to know about others’ research and contributing to the scientific conversations providing me with a fresh perspective and leading to the network for any potential collaborations.""Solving complex real-world problems requires the intervention of different disciplines as no single field has all the answers," adds Keshavi. Cross-disciplinarity leaves room for innovation, creating most reliable and functional applications contributing to the future and community. The Una Europa Summer Schools have brought this to life for me in a very tangible way. For early-career researchers in particular, developing the fluency to work across disciplinary boundaries is not just an advantage; it is fast becoming a necessity. Keshavi PhD student at the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh Keshavi and other PhD students attended an Una Europa Summer School at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2025. Opportunities for doctoral students In addition to Doctoral Summer Schools, Una Europa also offers a wide range of in-person and online opportunities for PhD students, including workshops, conferences, networking events and PhD competitions. Two key opportunities are currently available to PhD students:The Una Europa PhD Impact AwardThe Una Europa PhD Impact Award recognises the impact of research on society, and encourages young researchers to reflect on their areas of research and what changes they can deliver. Winners are invited to present their research to a non-specialist audience as part of an in-person event. Applications close on 14 June.Learn more about the PhD Impact AwardApply for the PhD Impact Award 2026Hear about the winners of the first PhD Impact AwardThe Student Project IncubatorThe Student Project Incubator is an innovative, challenge-based online programme where participants work in small international teams to address challenges at the intersection of environment, business, and societal impact. PhD students can sign up as participants to create their own team project, or as mentors to guide undergraduate students.Applications close on 24 May.Learn more about the Una Europa Student Project IncubatorApply for the Una Europa Student Project Incubator 2026 More information Sign up for the Una Europa Student Newsletter for future opportunities Una Europa for students Una Europa for academic staff Publication date 12 May, 2026
