T4EU Junior Labs
Facilitating international networks and interdisciplinarity for PhD students
ABOUT
At Transform4Europe (T4EU), we encourage PhD students and their supervisors to cultivate meaningful networks that will support their future academic and professional careers. The T4EU alliance facilitates connections between students at eleven European universities
Through the Junior Labs initiative, T4EU PhD students have the unique opportunity to establish their own academic groups —known as Junior Labs—or to join existing ones. These labs provide invaluable hands-on academic experience, developing cooperation across disciplines and institutions, and can culminate in academic work, common communication, organisation of activities and participation in T4EU events at the different universities in the alliance.
WHAT ARE T4EU JUNIOR LABS?
T4EU Junior Labs are time-limited, student-led academic networks formed by PhD candidates actively enrolled at T4EU partner universities. These labs aim to:
- Encourage interdisciplinary academic work.
- Facilitate networking among PhDs.
- Promote international engagement and provide critical experience to enhance future career prospects.
- Encourage international mobility in Europe.
Each Junior Lab operates over a period of up to two years, led by a project leader who must be registered as a PhD student at a T4EU university throughout the duration of the project. Other participating students must also be enrolled within a T4EU university.
T4EU can provide your network with help in communicating about your activities and with organization of mobility. The alliance can also provide you with advice on T4EU activities adapted for your working group.
HOW TO START?
Applications for Junior Labs are reviewed by the Joint PhD Office to ensure alignment with the T4EU pillars.
- The inaugural call is open from June 2025, with a submission deadline the 30 September 2025.
- Applicants will be notified by late November 2025.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Who is eligible?
Doctoral students currently enrolled at any university within the T4EU alliance.
- How does it work?
A doctoral student from the alliance can initiate a Junior Lab or join an existing one, fostering international, interdisciplinary networks.
- Duration?
Junior Labs are established for a period of two years.
HOW TO GET STARTED
- Seek approval from your academic supervisor and home institution.
- Complete the initial contact form to engage with T4EU representatives and discuss your ideas.
- Find the documents to provide here
Develop your proposal and assemble a team of participants from at least 3 different T4EU universities. T4EU can help you to arrange a call for participation if you are searching for more members and communicate your idea through the network. You can also use the Connect4Research tool to find academic contacts within T4EU. Your proposal is to be sent in via your local T4EU contact. Find the documents to provide here.
PEDAGOGIES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: SUPPORTING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, IDENTITY AND TRANSITIONS
Discipline: Multidisciplinary
This Junior Lab invites doctoral researchers in education, psychology, sociology, career studies, and other related fields to explore how pedagogical practices can support students throughout their educational journeys and beyond. It will examine how teaching, learning, and assessment influence student motivation, engagement, and achievement, with a focus on promoting success and retention among underrepresented groups.
The discussion will also consider how pedagogical approaches shape students’ social and professional identities and support their transitions into the workforce and broader society.
Grounded in relational sociology and guided by principles of equity and inclusion, Junior Lab offers space for interdisciplinary dialogue on how pedagogy can foster belonging, success, and social transformation. Participants are encouraged to share insights from diverse national and disciplinary contexts and to explore opportunities for collaboration within the T4EU network.
In this Junior Lab you will:
- Benefit from international mobility.
- Examine how teaching, learning, and assessment influence student motivation, engagement, and achievement
- Focus on promoting success and retention among underrepresented groups.
- Interconnexion of thesis.
- Relevant research training/methodology training in pedagogy and inclusion.
Within the T4EU network you will also benefit from:
- Common training adapted to their field. E.g selected courses in open science and in science communication.
- A T4EU Outreach network activities.
- Financial support for mobility.
- Support for organisation of events, like round tables, PhD conferences etc.
- An administrative framework for co-tutelles.
- Support to apply for funding (help from Grants Office, seed funding calls..)
- Language support, language courses and courses in intercultural knowledge.
Application for this Junior Lab: This Junior Lab is open for new candidates. PhDs enrolled at one T4EU university are eligible. The home university’s and supervisor’s approval is mandatory.
Contact your local T4EU coordinator at your institution for more information.
NEW ARTISTIC FORMS, CULTURAL INNOVATION AND ARTISTIC RESEARCH
This theme invites PhDs in for example contemporary art, cultural studies and related fields to explore how new artistic forms are emerging, circulating and gaining significance across Europe. This Junior Lab offers space for interdisciplinary dialogue on how contemporary art can act as a vector for cultural innovation. Participants are encouraged to share insights from diverse national, artistic and academic context and to explore opportunities for collaboration within the T4EU network. The discussion can also consider how these new forms are shared, circulated or exhibited and what they mean to society.
Application for this Junior Lab: This Junior Lab is open for new candidates. PhDs enrolled at one T4EU university are eligible. The home university’s and supervisor’s approval is mandatory.
- International mobility to the involved T4EU universities
- interdisciplinary dialogue on how contemporary art can act as a vector for cultural innovation.
- Sharing of insights from diverse national, artistic and academic context.
- Interconnect your thesis and work together with other PhDs and supervisors.
- Share of research methodologies around artistic research and benefit from relevant research training for the field
- Sharing of documentation and resources between PhD students.
- Build project and co-create together.
The T4EU network can also help you to benefit from:
- The T4EU GLAM network.
- Financial support for your PhD mobility
- Support for organisation of events, round tables, PhD conferences etc.
- Common training adapted to their field. E.g selected courses in open science and in science communication.
- Offer a framework for co-tutelles.
- Offer support to apply for funding (help from Grants Office, seed funding calls..)
- Language support, language courses and courses in intercultural knowledge
- T4EU campus life activities
This Junior Lab is open for PhD candidates already enrolled at a T4EU university. Contact your local T4EU coordinator for more information.
