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Fri , 12/12/2025 - 12:32

Faculty

The teaching staff of a doctoral programme consists of all the doctors who form part of the programme's research teams and who are listed in the verification report or in the successive updates recorded in the Internal Doctoral Quality Assurance System (see section below on ‘Updating the academic staff of a Doctoral Programme’). This information can be found on the website of each Doctoral Programme, under the section Faculty. Research lines and teams.

The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme is responsible for deciding who will make up the teaching staff. This Committee is also responsible for assigning thesis supervisors and tutors to doctoral students. Please note that it is not necessary to be a member of the programme's teaching staff in order to supervise theses.

Based on the regulatory aspects and criteria of the evaluation agencies regarding the verification of doctoral programmes, to be taken into account in relation to teaching staff, the Doctoral School provides the following guidelines and recommendations.

Researchers who are part of the academic staff of a doctoral programme must have a valid contractual (employment) or civil service relationship with the University of Zaragoza (UZ). If they are not affiliated with the UZ, there must be a document (agreement, authorisation, contract, etc.) regulating their participation.

Therefore, the teaching staff of the Doctoral Programme may include researchers with doctorates hired on a project basis and also staff from the CSIC or other institutions with which the aforementioned agreement exists, etc.

Thus, they will be removed as teachers from the Doctoral Programme when they retire or cease to have any connection with the UZ and the above-mentioned document is not provided. However, they may continue to supervise doctoral theses, in which case the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme must assign a tutor or co-director. If the person becomes an extraordinary or emeritus collaborator, the above will not be necessary.

In any case, the EDUZ recommends that the Academic Committees take into account that the researcher is active and will be linked to the Doctoral Programme in the medium term (the six-year validity of the verified report may be taken as a reference).

With regard to the assignment of tutors, in accordance with Article 11 of RD99/2011, the tutor must be a doctor with accredited research experience linked to the Doctoral Programme. It is therefore recommended that the tutor be a member of the teaching staff of the programme, but this is not strictly necessary. It is important that, in the opinion of the Academic Committee, the person is familiar with the programme and has close ties to it. In this case, the Academic Committee must provide a report confirming that the person is linked to the doctoral programme. This report, signed by the coordinator, must be sent by internal communication to the Doctoral School.

Updating the academic staff of a Doctoral Programme

The human resources block of a doctoral programme is a key element in its support and verification. Therefore, if there are changes in the DP staff (accumulated over time or not, adding new hires and departures), it is necessary to ensure that the requirements demanded by quality agencies to verify the DP continue to be met.

Those interested in joining the teaching staff of a programme must submit an application to the programme's Academic Committee. If the decision is favourable, the Doctoral School will be notified during the period it is open for this purpose, bearing in mind that this must have been previously recorded as an action in the Annual Innovation and Improvement Plan (PAIM) and must be approved by the Doctoral Committee, as explained below.

In order to update the list of teaching staff for doctoral programmes visible in the tab "Teaching staff. Research lines and teams" tab on the Doctoral Programmes website, the EDUZ will ask the coordinators of these programmes to fill in a registration and withdrawal form with the information contained in the Doctoral Programme verification report (+ previous registrations and withdrawals). It is essential that the information on this website matches, where applicable, the information on the specific Doctoral Programme website. This request will be made annually, prior to the start date of admissions according to the academic calendar, and after the PAIM has been approved by the Doctoral Committee (approximately between February and April).

Please note that with regard to changes in research lines and teams, the ACPUA guidelines, and any modifications made must be reflected in the Innovation and Improvement Plans (PAIM), which must be approved by the Doctoral Committee. In this regard, changes in lines of research (increase or decrease) and in teaching staff (new hires and resignations) that entail a change of more than 25% (in both cases, the six-year validity period of the verified report may be taken as a reference) shall be considered actions that substantially modify the verification report (section 6. Human resources). Minor changes in the affiliation and composition of research lines and groups in the doctoral programme shall be considered non-substantial modifications to the verification report but shall nevertheless be included in the PAIM, which must be approved by the Doctoral Committee.

With regard to the inclusion of the action in the PAIM, in the case of inter-university doctoral programmes, the following must be taken into account, distinguishing between:

  • Those coordinated by the UZ. The same procedure will be followed as for other doctoral programmes, bearing in mind that if the actions proposed involve modifications to the verification report, the procedure agreed in the corresponding agreement between the participating universities will be followed.

  • Those NOT coordinated by the UZ. They may include actions in the PAIM that do not modify the verification report, provided that their approval depends solely on the University of Zaragoza. Therefore, in these cases, the action to update the teaching staff will be included in the section on actions that do not involve modification of the degree, specifically in the area of improvement "04 PDI. Staffing (number and/or dedication)" (or equivalent), indicating that authorisation will be sought from the Global Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme for any modifications to be made (specifying names and surnames where possible). This authorisation must be provided when requesting the update of the staff on the website, when the period for this purpose is opened by the EDUZ.

Furthermore, we remind you that according to RD 99/2011, at least 60% of research teams must have accredited research experience. If the new members do not have such experience, the provisions of the website Recognition of research experience must be followed.