Calls published within the “Young Researchers’ Career Development Project – Training New Doctoral Students” are open only to mentors of future doctoral students. After mentors’ applications have been approved through evaluation, the institution at which the mentor is employed is obliged to publish a call for recruiting doctoral students, in line with the conditions defined by the Foundation’s Board. The institution, in agreement with the mentor, may define additional criteria for selection, but it must abide by the conditions defined by the Foundation.

Criteria for the selection of doctoral students

Mandatory criteria:

• Graduated from an eligible master’s degree
• Grade point average during undergraduate and graduate studies that qualify the candidate for enrollment in doctoral studies

Additional criteria:

• Previous certificates, awards and other honours for excellence in studies and research
• Participation in research activities, published papers, presentations at conferences
• Other criteria upon agreement with the mentors

The name of the selected candidate and the justification for their selection should be sent to the Foundation for approval (to the email: magdalena@hrzz.hr).

List of documents to be sent when proposing a candidate:

• Report from the Recruitment Committee
• Copy of the candidate’s diploma
• Candidate’s CV
• Proof of enrollment in doctoral studies

Having obtained the Foundation’s approval, the Foundation, mentor and the Organization sign the Contract on Mutual Rights and Commitments for the Implementation of the Doctoral Student’s Career Development Plan.

After this, the Organization concludes and employment contract with the doctoral student, employing them to the associate position of Research Assistant for the duration of the “Young Researchers’ Career Development Project – Training New Doctoral Students”, pursuant to Article 42 (6) of the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (Official Gazette No. 123/03, 198/03, 105/04, 02/07, 46/07, 45/09,63/11, 94/13, 139/13), which defines that persons recruited to work on a project of limited duration conclude a fixed-term employment contract until the end of the project or the stage of the project for which the person is employed and Article 43 (5), which states that the scientific institution may, upon request by the Principal Investigator, employ a Research Assistant to be financed from project funds throughout the duration of the project.

The Programme provides for funding of doctoral students’ gross II salary. The institution shall calculate the doctoral student’s salary by the third day in a month and send the calculation to the Foundation. The Foundation will disburse the required funds to the Institution’s bank account so that the institution would be able to pay the doctoral student’s salary on the same day as it does to its other employees (around the 10th of the month).

The institutions are required to keep the doctoral students’ records in their internal accounting systems in the same manner they keep records of their other employees who are funded from their own funds.