On Wednesday 7th December 2016, the very first edition of the National PhD Welcome Day took place in Luxembourg-City at the Neumünster Abbay. Doctoral candidates of all disciplines who started their PhD in 2016 in the country were invited.  

On the initiative of the Luxembourgish public research stakeholders, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the Luxembourg Institute of Socio Economic Research (LISER), as well as Euraxess Luxembourg, the national service centre assisting for the mobility of researchers, LuxDoc, the national young researchers’ association, and the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the young scientists who have chosen a public institution to begin their scientific careers, were welcomed with honours.

At this event, the PhD candidates learnt more about the Luxembourg research landscape thanks to the presentations given by influential people in the field. The keynote speaker, Prof David Bogle, Head of Doctoral School the University College London and representative of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) presented the main aspects of innovation in doctoral training in Europe. During a cultural visit of the city and a walking dinner closing the event, the PhD candidates could mingle. They could also visit the stands of the different organisers.  

Coming from all over the world, the young researchers represent an undeniable force for the future of Luxembourg research, whose presence is reinforced on the international scene. In 2016, more than 100 new doctoral candidates joined the national public institutions, the majority being affiliated with the University of Luxembourg. The number of researchers is expected to grow steadily in the coming years, and many job opportunities are regularly offered at the different research institutions. To guarantee a quality doctoral training, the Luxembourg institutions have all agreed on a "National Quality Framework for Doctoral Training".

The joint event organisation, under the lead of LIST, also allowed to introduce the second edition of the "Foreign Researcher's Guide to Luxembourg". The updated version of this guide, published by Euraxess Luxembourg and initially launched in May 2012, brings together key information to help foreign researchers to pursue their careers in one of the research institutions in Luxembourg, and to help them and their families to settle in the country. The guide contains a wealth of practical information, for example on everyday life in Luxembourg and on the country’s legislation.