Royal Decree 576/2023

Versión española del RD 576/2023

Regulations for Doctoral Candidates. Royal Decree 576/2023

WHO IS WHO IN ROYAL DECREE 576/2023

Article 1. Amendment of Royal Decree 99/2011 of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies

 One. Paragraphs 1,2, and 3 of Article 2 are amended as follows:

1. Doctoral studies, pursuant to Article 9 of Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March on the University System, constitute the third cycle of official university education in Spain, the purpose of which is the acquisition of competencies and skills related to high-quality research and its development.
2. A doctoral programme shall be understood as a set of activities leading to the award of the degree of Doctor. Such a programme shall aim to develop the various formative aspects of the doctoral candidate and shall establish the procedures and lines of research for the development of doctoral theses.
3. A doctoral candidate shall be considered to be any individual who, having met the requirements established in Royal Decree 576/2023, has been admitted to a doctoral programme and is duly enrolled therein.
4. For the purposes of Royal Decree 576/2023, accredited research experience shall mean possession of, at minimum, one recognised period of research activity as evaluated by the Comisión Nacional Evaluadora de la Actividad Investigadora (CNEAI) pursuant to Royal Decree 1086/1989 of 28 August on university staff remuneration, or, where such accreditation is not applicable, equivalent research merits as defined in the regulations of the corresponding university.

Eight. Paragraphs 5, 6, and 7 of Article 9 are amended (among others) to read as follows:

1. Universities may establish Doctoral Schools in accordance with the provisions of Article 41.2 of Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March, pursuant to their Statutes and Royal Decree 576/2023, for the purpose of organising, within their sphere of management, teaching and activities specific to doctoral studies [...].
5. Doctoral Schools may structure their activities around one or more specialised or interdisciplinary fields. Furthermore, in accordance with the provisions of the university’s statutes and the regulations of the corresponding autonomous community, they may include official University Master’s programmes with a predominantly scientific content, as well as other open training activities in research. Doctoral Schools shall provide guidance to students joining doctoral programmes on all matters necessary for their full integration into such programmes, using both their website and the organisation of specific seminars for this purpose.
6. Doctoral Schools shall have a Management Committee responsible for organisational and administrative functions. Its composition shall be determined by the statutes of the university or by the agreements under which the Doctoral School has been established with other universities, or in collaboration between one or more universities and other organisations, centres, institutions, or entities engaged in R&D&I activities, whether public or private, national or foreign. A balanced representation of women and men shall be ensured within the Committee. In all cases, doctoral students shall have representation on the Committee. The Director of the Doctoral School shall be appointed by the Rector or, when the School has been established by several universities, by consensus among the respective Rectors. The Director must be a researcher of recognised prestige belonging to one of the promoting universities or institutions, and shall meet the minimum academic requirements established by statute. [...]
7. Doctoral Schools shall adopt internal regulations which shall determine, among other aspects, the rights and duties of doctoral candidates, in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 1791/2010 of 30 December, approving the Statute of University Students, as well as with the rest of the applicable legislation. Such regulations shall also define the rights and duties of tutors and thesis supervisors, and the composition and functions of the academic committees of their programmes.

Ten. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Article 11 are amended (among others) to read as follows:

1. Doctoral candidates, who shall be considered researchers in training, shall enrol annually at the corresponding university for the purpose of academic supervision of the doctorate. In the case of joint programmes, the governing agreement shall determine the procedure for such enrolment.
3. Once admitted to the doctoral programme, each doctoral candidate shall be assigned, by the corresponding Academic Committee, a Thesis Supervisor. This appointment may be made to any Spanish or foreign Doctor possessing accredited research experience. In addition, each candidate shall be assigned a Tutor, a Doctor with accredited research experience who is linked to the programme and responsible for ensuring effective interaction between the doctoral candidate and the Academic Committee. The Tutor may or may not be the same person as the Thesis Supervisor.
4. The Academic Committee, having heard the doctoral candidate, may modify the appointment of either the Tutor or the Thesis Supervisor at any time during the course of the doctoral programme, provided that there are justified reasons for doing so.

Eleven. Article 12 is amended to read as follows:

Article 12. Supervision of the Thesis

1. The Thesis Supervisor shall be the person responsible for ensuring the coherence and appropriateness of the training activities, for assessing the impact and originality of the doctoral thesis topic within its field, and for providing guidance on planning and, where appropriate, on aligning the research with other projects and activities in which the doctoral candidate is involved. The thesis may be co-supervised by other Doctors who meet the same requirements regarding accredited research experience as those specified in Article 11.3, when academic or interdisciplinary reasons justify it, or when the programme is undertaken in national or international collaboration. The Academic Committee may authorise the co-supervision of a thesis by Doctors who do not meet the requirements set out in Article 2.9.
   In no case shall the number of Supervisors exceed three.
   Prior authorisation from the Academic Committee shall be required for the co-supervision of the thesis. Such authorisation may subsequently be revoked if, in the opinion of the Academic Committee, the co-supervision is not beneficial to the development of the thesis.
2. Universities, through the Doctoral School or the corresponding unit responsible for the doctoral programme, may establish additional requirements for serving as a Thesis Supervisor.
3. In all cases, Thesis Supervisors shall be responsible for accompanying and advising the doctoral candidate throughout the entire development of the thesis, in all the tasks included in the research plan and in the personal training plan referred to in Article 11.6 (see document management system).
4. [...]

Doctoral Regulations of the University of Burgos (264.88 KB)