Guidelines for Writing the Research Project

Important Notice

The proposed research project included in the application will be used by the Selection Committee to evaluate your attitude toward research. As such, will not be binding: you are expected to identify a topic for your PhD research only at the end of the first year, when you will be asked to submit the thesis proposal.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE RESEARCH PROJECT

The proposal must not exceed 10 pages.

You are free to structure your research proposal as you may think it is more appropriate, but please consider dealing with the following aspects when writing your proposal.

MOTIVATIONS, GOALS and EXPERIENCES

What are your reasons for undertaking PhD studies? You may want to discuss past work in your area of interest and related fields, your plans for a professional career, or how you developed your interests or knowledge in the themes of the PhD Program.

What experiences motivated and/or inspired you to pursue a PhD degree?

RESEARCH TOPIC

Here you can specify the title of the research topic from the list available for the curriculum that you plan to apply for.

If your proposal does not fit the available research topics, you are encouraged to submit a research project that fits in the research areas of the curriculum.

CONTEXT and STATE OF THE ART

Place the proposed research within the setting of the research topic you have selected. For instance, what is the problem addressed by the proposal, why is it significant?

Describe the state of the art which is relevant for the research project. For instance, results or techniques that you plan to leverage or that you plan to improve.

OBJECTIVES and EXPECTED RESULTS

Here you should discuss the objective of the research project you propose as well as describe methods, techniques, results that you expect to achieve. Do not forget to explain the significance and originality of your research.

REFERENCES

List here bibliographic references relevant for the research project. Label each item in the list (e.g. with a number) to make citations possible within the document.