All doctoral candidates have a supervisory team with a minimum of two supervisors who are identified upon admission, confirmed early in the first semester and approved by the Academic Board of Studies. At induction a formal meeting with the candidate takes place to discuss the supervision process, initiation of personal development planning, the research project, mobility pathway, skills strengths and needs, and any requirements for specific training in addition to that offered by the programme. Candidates and supervisors agree the timing and regularity of face-to-face meetings, and how they communicate at distance, including email, video conference, and Skype. Supervision meetings discuss (when relevant):

• research progress and the achievement of planned milestones;
• contact with other researchers in the same field; advice from specialists;
• review stages and procedures;
• feedback on written work;
• ethics principles and procedures;
• specific training requirements;
• work with associated members, including arrangements for internships/placements;
• advice on and feedback from research-relevant assessments and Summer School core courses;
• advice and support for the Common Study Programme presentations;
• plans for dissemination/publication through conference presentation, academic and non-academic publication;
• advice and support for special funding applications;
• particular lifelong learning and career issues;
• referral to pastoral or other support if required.

A formal review meeting, involving the supervisors (and where appropriate advisers/mentors from associated partners), takes place at the end of the first semester of each year to review each candidate’s progress. At the end of the second semester of each year the Academic Board of Studies, meets to consider the progression of the candidates. At each formal review stage the Academic Board of Studies will monitor the progress of the doctoral research according to the timetable of research milestones agreed in supervision.