Employed PhD

Employment as a PhD student includes salary and employment benefits, and participation in ITU’s research environment. PhD positions may be funded either directly by ITU or through external funding from foundations, research councils, or other donors. Regardless of the funding source, all employed PhD students follow the same PhD regulations and are enrolled in ITU’s PhD programme.

At the IT University of Copenhagen (ITU), there are different ways to be employed as a PhD student. 

PhD in a research project

Join a funded research project

Some PhD students conduct their research as part of an externally funded research project.

Funding for the research project is obtained through a research grant from e.g. EU, Danish funding bodies, or other external foundations. Sometimes ITU co-funds part of the expenses for the research project and the PhD projects embedded. 

PhD projects that are part of a research project are usually defined by the framework of the research project with the expectation to deliver an independent project with its own project description, objectives, conclusions, and results. 

PhD positions in research projects (project PhDs) are published through public Project PhD calls on ITU’s website. All advertised PhD positions are fully funded, and PhD students are enrolled and employed at ITU.

Open Call PhD

Work on your own defined PhD project

ITU offers a number of PhD stipends every year announced in the annual Open PhD Call. The number of stipends varies from year to year, but usually three positions are available. An Open Call PhD stipend funds the entire PhD, including salary of the PhD student for three years as well as other expenses related to the PhD. No external funding is involved.

As an Open Call PhD, you identify and define the research topic yourself in collaboration with the preferred academic supervisor. Like many other PhD students, an Open Call PhD is part of a research group in one of ITU’s research sections working alongside other researchers conducting research in related fields.

PhD positions with an Open Call stipend are published every year in late January in the Open PhD Call on ITU’s website. All PhD positions are fully funded, and PhD students are enrolled and employed at ITU.

PhD fellowship

Pursue an independently designed PhD project funded by an external PhD fellowship  

It is possible to obtain a PhD fellowship from an external grant donor or foundation, such as the Danish Data Science Academy (DDSA), Danish Advanced Research Academy (DARA), etc., and carry out the PhD at ITU.

With external funding for the PhD in place, you will be formally enrolled and employed as a PhD student under the same terms and conditions as other PhD students. This includes access to supervision, research environments, courses, and university facilities. Externally funded fellowships enable talented researchers to shape their own PhD projects while being fully integrated into the academic community.

In order to apply for a PhD fellowship, you must familiarize yourself with the rules and deadlines of the funding scheme. You must contact an ITU researcher to support you as potential PhD supervisor and obtain approval from ITU before applying for the fellowship. The potential supervisor can guide you in this process.