PhD PROGRAMME IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Internal Regulations
Preamble
The PhD Programme in Biotechnology (hereinafter “PhD”) is governed by the current University Regulations on Doctoral Programmes, issued by Rectoral Decree No. DR/2024/1364 dated 11 April 2024:
https://www.old.unina.it/documents/11958/52452212/DR_2024_1364_Dottorato_Ricerca.pdf
The Board of Academic Staff (hereinafter “Board”) of the 41st PhD cycle, convened on 28 May 2026, resolved to adopt these Internal Regulations in order to ensure high-quality standards and the continuous improvement of teaching, research, and management activities.
The PhD Programme in Biotechnology is an interdepartmental doctoral programme administratively based in the Department of Biology. Its Board is composed of Full Professors and Associate Professors from the Departments of Chemical Sciences, Biology, Agricultural Sciences, Physics “Ettore Pancini”, Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, and Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, provided they are not members of other PhD Boards.
Research projects carried out within the PhD Programme concern topics in the fields of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology. The consistency and relevance of such projects to these scientific areas shall be evaluated and approved by the Board before the commencement of the research activities.
Art. 1. Coordinator and Board of Academic Staff
1.1 The Coordinator-designate shall be appointed by the Head of the Department upon proposal of the PhD Board. The Coordinator represents the doctoral programme and promotes and coordinates its activities. The Coordinator is responsible for the composition of the Board and for preparing the application for the establishment of the programme. The Coordinator convenes and chairs meetings of the Board and ensures the implementation of its resolutions.
1.2 The Coordinator shall be elected by the Board. Members of the Board have both active and passive voting rights in the election of the Coordinator.
1.3 Members of the Board must be able to guarantee a period of service at least equal to the duration of the doctoral cycle before retirement, taking into account Article 55, paragraph 1, of the University Statute (Rectoral Decree No. 2320 of 13 July 2016, as subsequently amended and supplemented). As a general rule, members must be expected to remain in service for at least three years starting from 1 November of the year in which the doctoral cycle begins.
1.4 Upon appointment, the Coordinator and the Board shall also assume responsibility for the management of doctoral cycles that are already active and not yet completed.
1.5 The composition of the Board shall, whenever possible, ensure gender balance.
Art. 2. Submission of Proposals
2.1 Call for doctoral project proposal from the Board
Prior to the publication of the call for applications for each doctoral cycle, the Coordinator shall launch a call for the submission of research project proposals. Proposals eligible for selection must be submitted by members of the Board through the completion and submission, by e-mail, of the designated application form. Proposals submitted after the deadline specified in the call shall not be considered. The date and time of the e-mail submission shall constitute proof of timely submission.
2.2 Eligibility of Applicants for Doctoral Project Proposals
Only Professors who are members of the Board and who, as of the deadline of the call for applications, have held their academic position for at least two calendar years shall be eligible to submit a doctoral research project proposal.
In order to ensure the possibility of conducting an ex post evaluation of the doctoral candidate, applicants shall be eligible to submit research project proposals only if, as of the starting date of the doctoral cycle, they are able to guarantee their continued service for a period of four years (corresponding to the duration of the doctoral cycle plus an additional year required for the ex post evaluation), taking into account Article 55, paragraph 1, of the University Statute (Rectoral Decree No. 2320 of 13 July 2016, as subsequently amended and supplemented).
Art. 3. Duties and Responsibilities of the Supervisor
3.1 Pursuant to Article 10 of the current University Regulations, the Board of Academic Staff assigns each doctoral candidate a Supervisor and one or more co-supervisors, at least one of whom must be of academic origin. Co-supervisors may be selected from outside the Board, provided at least one meets the eligibility requirements for Board members. Where eligible under the applicable requirements, the Board may appoint the proposer of the research project as Supervisor of the doctoral candidate.
3.2 The Supervisor, assisted where appropriate by one or more co-supervisors, shall be responsible for the scientific and educational guidance of the doctoral candidate throughout the entire doctoral programme. The Supervisor shall ensure the proper implementation of the research project by monitoring its progress and supporting the doctoral candidate in the development of the methodological and scientific skills required for its successful completion.
3.3 The Supervisor shall provide the doctoral candidate with adequate scientific, infrastructural, and financial resources necessary for carrying out the research project and shall ensure that such resources are consistent with the educational objectives of the doctoral programme.
3.4 The Supervisor shall actively promote the integration of the doctoral candidate into national and international scientific environments by encouraging research periods abroad (of at least three months) and participation in scientific conferences with the presentation of research contributions. The Supervisor shall support the achievement of measurable research outcomes, including publications in indexed scientific journals, and shall monitor the doctoral candidate’s progress, contributing to the annual evaluation of activities and promptly reporting any critical issues to the Board.
3.5 Supervisors and co-supervisors of doctoral candidates funded through doctoral fellowships awarded by other institutions and/or through alternative funding schemes shall be subject to the same duties and responsibilities as Supervisors of doctoral candidates holding University-funded fellowships.
Art. 4. Obligations and Duties of Doctoral Candidates
4.1 The official language of the PhD Programme in Biotechnology is English. Annual progress reports shall be prepared in English. The final doctoral dissertation shall be written in English.
4.2 Doctoral candidates are authorized to carry out the activities related to their research project within the facilities of the University of Naples Federico II. Candidates who need to conduct part of their research project at other research institutions (in Italy and/or abroad) may request authorization from the Coordinator by submitting a written request co-signed by the Supervisor (and, where applicable, the co-supervisor), the supervisor of the host laboratory, and the doctoral candidate.
4.3 Doctoral candidates are required to attend all teaching and research activities envisaged by the programme (Article 15, paragraph 2, of the Regulations Governing Doctoral Programmes). Doctoral candidates shall diligently pursue the educational and research pathway of the doctoral programme in accordance with the study plan and the seminar series specified in the programme accreditation proposal. Doctoral candidates are required to attend at least 75% of the classes of each individual course and must successfully pass the final assessment established at the conclusion of each course.
4.4 At the end of each academic year, doctoral candidates shall submit a report on the progress of their research project to the Coordinator and the Board. The annual report, as well as the final report submitted at the end of the doctoral programme, shall include: a) a list of courses attended and the corresponding assessments successfully completed; b) a list of seminars attended; c) a list of any scientific publications and conference contributions produced. The modalities for presenting research results, including oral presentations, poster presentations, and other formats, shall be determined annually by the Board. In any event, at the conclusion of the doctoral programme, doctoral candidates shall deliver a seminar describing the development and outcomes of the entire research project as a prerequisite for admission to the final examination for the award of the doctoral degree.
4.5 Each doctoral candidate shall undertake research and training activities consistent with the doctoral research project at highly qualified institutions abroad (Article 15, paragraph 3, of the Regulations Governing Doctoral Programmes). As a general rule, doctoral candidates shall spend a period of at least three months abroad, which may be non-consecutive. Any exemption from the above requirements must be requested and duly justified by the Supervisor and may be approved by the Board only with a favourable vote of at least 75% of its members.
4.6 The Supervisor and, where applicable, the co-supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring the doctoral candidate's compliance with these Regulations.
Art. 5. Procedures for the Award of the Doctoral Degree
5.1 The doctoral dissertations and the activities carried out by doctoral candidates shall be subject to three successive and independent levels of evaluation. For each doctoral candidate, such evaluations shall be expressed through the opinion of the Board, the evaluations provided by two reviewers whose identities are not disclosed to the doctoral candidate, and the evaluation of the Final Examination Committee. The possible evaluation outcomes shall be: Satisfactory/ Good/ or Excellent.
5.2 The assessment issued by the Final Examination Committee, which is reported on the doctoral diploma issued by the University's Doctoral Programmes and Scholarships Office, shall take into account the previous assessments, in accordance with the official examination records provided by the Office and with the University Regulations.
5.3 Members of the Final Examination Committee must be different from the reviewers and must not have collaborated with the doctoral candidates during their scientific careers. No exceptions shall be permitted.
5.4 The reviewers, appointed by the Board, must be external to the Board and affiliated with higher education institutions located in two countries of the European Union1, as of the date of approval of these Regulations.
5.5 The Final Examination Committee shall include at least one member affiliated with a higher education institution located in a Member State of the European Union.
5.6 Where the requirements set forth in Sections 5.4 and 5.5 of this Article are fulfilled, and the doctoral candidate has carried out at least three months of the doctoral research project in a Member State of the European Union, the doctoral candidate may apply for the additional Doctor Europaeus certification awarded by the University, subject to verification of the relevant requirements and approval by the Board. Failure to satisfy such requirements shall not preclude the award of the doctoral degree; however, the additional Doctor Europaeus certification shall not be granted.
Art. 6. Quality Assurance and Review of the PhD Programme in Biotechnology
6.1 The PhD Programme shall adopt quality assurance procedures in compliance with the applicable regulations and the guidelines issued by ANVUR, in coordination with the University's Quality Assurance System, with the aim of ensuring the continuous improvement of educational and research activities.
6.2 The Board shall evaluate the PhD Programme on the basis of indicators relating to the quality of training, the scientific productivity of doctoral candidates, the regular progression of doctoral studies, and the degree of internationalisation, also with the support and contribution of the Quality Management Unit (UGQ).
6.3 The Board shall also take into account the outcomes of monitoring activities, including internal surveys and the evaluation tools established by ANVUR, as well as information concerning the postdoctoral career paths of PhD graduates.
6.4 The Board shall define and implement any corrective and improvement measures deemed necessary, including those relating to the organisation of the Programme, the quality of supervision, and the consistency between available resources and educational objectives.
Art. 7. Entry into Force of these Regulations
7.1 These Regulations shall apply starting from the 42nd PhD cycle (1 November 2026).
1 Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary
