To be eligible, candidates must hold a MSc degree or equivalent (at least 5 years of university studies). Candidates can apply before graduation but then they must obtain the degree before the beginning of the PhD Program (end of October). Specific requirements and documents to be submitted will be described in the call for application.
Normally candidates must write a research proposal describing a three years project having a high potential for a novel scientific contribution in one of the topics for which we open the call. A list of possible topics is given below:
Other specific topics for which we seek candidates will be listed in the call for applications.
A shortlist of candidates will be formed based on the submitted documents. They will be invited to interview.
Call for application: The next call will be published around May / June 2025.
Online application: The application site will keep open for one month after the call is published (please check in May / June 2025).
Students are required to obtain 24 ECTS credits (or equivalent), of which:
You are expected to acquire at least 9 credits by the end of the first year and at least 18 by the end of the second year as a prerequisite to continue in the program. Exceptions to this schedule must be motivated and approved by the supervisory committee.
Additional credits can be obtained by attending conference tutorials, summer/winter schools, seminars, etc. (1 credit every four hours, max 5 credits for a single summer school). In order to get credits recognized you must email the PhD secretary (cc your supervisory committee) with the following details:
If you take courses from external PhD programs (not in the above list) then to get credits you must email the PhD secretary (cc your supervisory committee and course instructor) with the following details:
It is also acceptable to take for credits courses that are programmed for a MSc degree in Computer Engineering (use the above procedure for recognition). In these cases, however, you will get the floor of the half the ECTS credits assigned for the MSc program. You are strongly advised to discuss with your supervisor(s) and/or the head of the PhD program before you enroll for one of these courses.
You must submit a progress report at the end of each year. Reports should include:
Your progress report must also be presented orally to your supervisory committee, in a meeting or via telco. Your are responsible for scheduling the meeting.
The third year report should be submitted two months before the thesis submission deadline. At the end of the third year, you are strongly encouraged to schedule a meeting with your supervisory committee before the private defense, in order to receive helpful feedback on your private defense presentation.
The supervisory committee makes a recommendation to the doctoral committee in order to allow the candidate to continue the PhD program. The recommendation must be written and signed and the outcome can be either positive or negative. The final decision on the continuation of the PhD program will be made by the doctoral committee based on the received recommendation. The supervisory committee also prepare, on behalf of the doctoral committee, a letter of presentation for candidates that have completed the program that will be sent to the jury before the public defense.
The thesis should be written in English and must contain original research material. It is acceptable to incorporate verbatim material from papers authored by the candidate provided that they have contributed significantly to the writing of such material. The thesis must be submitted by email before the end of the third year of the PhD program to all members of the Evaluation Committee, to the head of the program, and to the secretary of the program. Also, a printed copy, signed by the supervisor(s) and by the head of the PhD program must be handed in to the secretary.
There is a preliminary (private) defense before the candidate’s evaluation committee, and a public defense before a jury appointed by the University of Florence. External members are allowed to participate in the preliminary defense via videoconference. The private defense should be typically scheduled in December and in any case early enough so that evaluation reports can be received before the jury for the public defense is appointed by the Chancellor of the University of Florence (which typically happens in January). Members of the supervisory committee and the head of the PhD program (or a delegate) can attend the private defense and participate in the discussion but cannot vote in favor or against the thesis. The public defense must be scheduled no later than 90 days after the jury has been appointed.
Based on the private defense, the evaluation committee is in charge of making a recommendation to the doctoral committee in order to admit the student to the public defense. The recommendation must be written and signed and the outcome can be either:
It consists of the faculty members.
Normally each PhD student has one advisor, and from 1 to 3 co-supervisors. The number of advisors can be increased to two under the following exceptional circumstances:
The doctoral committee appoints a supervisory committee for every PhD student at least three months before the first progress report. The supervisory committee must include the supervisor(s) and at least two other assessors belonging to different research groups or external to the consortium. The composition can be changed during the doctoral program.
The supervisory committee is responsible for monitoring the progress of the doctoral research by reviewing the annual progress reports at the end of the first year and at the end of the second year. Normally the candidate illustrates each progress report with an oral presentation that can be attended in person or via telco by the supervisory committee.
The doctoral committee appoints two evaluators for every PhD candidate. The evaluators should not belong to the University or to the Universities or bodies affiliated with the PhD program, in possession of high qualifications, of which at least one is a professor or university researcher. Evaluators may belong to international foreign institutions.
The evaluation committee is responsible for running the private defense and evaluating the PhD thesis.
The jury is appointed by the Chancellor of the University of Florence and is responsible for running the public defense and approving the thesis. It is is composed, respecting, where possible, gender balance, of three full members and three substitutes, experts in the disciplines relating to the scientific fields to which the thesis refers, two of which do not belong to the Institution involved in the PhD consortium. Without prejudice to the fact that at least two members must be professors or university researchers in service, one member may belong to the subjects participating in the doctorate.
For any additional information, students can refer to the PhD regulations of the University of Florence here (document only available in Italian).
The PhD scolarship, both for regular and Pegaso fellows, is around 1200€/month (net). PhD students can increase their salary by applying for tutorship and integrative teaching activities. Normal increment can be in the order of 200€/300€ (net) per month.
PhD students can spend periods of study and research at foreign institutions upon authorization by the doctoral committee. Pegaso fellows are required to spend six months at a foreign institution. Participation in conferences, workshops, summer schools, or other similar events does not count in this respect. For other fellows, visits of at least 3 months are recommended. Participation in conferences, workshops, summer schools, or other similar events with a duration longer than 5 days can also count in this respect. Scholarships are increased by 50% during the time spent abroad (this does not apply to PhD students supported by other research assistantship contracts).
PhD students with a fellowship are entitled a grant (ten percent of the fellowship, about 4,800€) as a contribution towards travel expenses and registration fees for attending high quality scientific conferences or workshops during the three years of the PhD program. Requests should be sent (at least 7 days before the trip) to the head of the PhD program for approval. The grant is in the form of reimbursement and expense receipts need to be handed in to the appropriate administrative office. In some cases, a part of the expenses can be anticipated (for example for conference registration).