Industrial PhD
Would your company like to hire an Industrial PhD?
If you wish to have access to knowledge and research within your line of business that can create commercial value for your company, you should consider employing an Industrial PhD.
An Industrial PhD project is a three-year, business-oriented PhD project carried out in collaboration between a private or public organisation, an industrial PhD candidate, and a university.
It is an opportunity for your company to attract highly specialised labour, and to benefit from the research and knowledge at the university.
The Industrial PhD candidate is employed in your company or organisation for the three-year project period and enrolled at the IT University of Copenhagen at the same time. The Industrial PhD candidate divides their working time between your company and the university and spends all working time on the project and on the PhD education.
Two ways of funding an Industrial PhD at ITU
Funding is shared between the company and Innovation Fund Denmark.
The company applies Innovation Fund Denmark for an Industrial PhD grant. Innovation Fund Denmark administers the Industrial PhD programme and invests in Industrial PhD projects of high quality and with commercial relevance for the company.
It is expected that the project description is prepared in close collaboration with the Industrial PhD candidate (if known) and the university supervisor. You must contact Innovation Fund Denmark if you have questions about the programme in general, application deadlines, and Innovation Fund Denmark’s requirements to the company, the candidate, and the application. You can find more information on Innovation Fund Denmark’s website.
As of 1 July 2026, Innovation Fund Denmark finances up to DKK 17,000 per month of the Industrial PhD candidate’s salary for 3 years. In addition, your company also receives a subsidy for costs related to travel expenses in relation to the research project.
Please note, that there are more requirements to your company than the ones listed here. In Innovation Fund Denmark's Guidelines, you can find all the requirements for your company. We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with these before you start the process. You find the guidelines on their website.
Funding is covered entirely by the company through a bilateral agreement, which includes all project-related costs, tuition fees, and ITU's indirect costs.
Company requirements for hiring an Industrial PhD
Your company must:
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have a division geographically located in Denmark where the Industrial PhD candidate is to be employed
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be able to offer a PhD level employment contract for the full project period
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have the finances and facilities to run the project
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appoint an industry supervisor who dedicates time to supervision, project guidance, and knowledge transfer
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provide access to data, infrastructure, tools, and stakeholders necessary to carry out the project
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ensure that the industry supervisor commits to working with the academic supervisor team at the university and participates in meetings, evaluations, and the PhD defence
Contact
Please note, that the parties themselves must do the preliminary work of finding collaborators and establishing contact between the company, the university supervisor, and the Industrial PhD candidate. Unfortunately, ITU cannot assist in pointing out specific researchers for the project. We refer you to take contact to relevant research groups at ITU.
If you have questions about the process or university formalities, you are welcome to contact Research Support or PhD Support at ITU.
Candidates who wish to get started on the process of becoming an Industrial PhD can read about the application process and deadlines on our
ITU's website about the PhD programme.