European Doctoral Day – Round table: “The PhD degree: skills, career prospects and entrepreneurship” Pau Campus, Duboué Building | Register by 6 May 2026
12 May 2026 de 17h00 at 20h00
Across Europe, where science and research are fundamental values, the new European Doctoral Day highlights the vital role of doctoral training and the impact of PhD graduates as major players in innovation.
To mark the day, the University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour (UPPA) is organising a networking event on Tuesday May 12, 2026, bringing together PhD students, undergraduates, businesses and local actors.
This roundtable discussion, which is free and open to anyone interested in research and innovation (registration required by May 6, 2026), will be preceded by the local final of the “My 3-Minute PhD Thesis” competition organized by the European university alliance UNITA.
Program for European Doctoral Day at the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, France (Pyrenees-Atlantiques)
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Amphitheater H – Duboué Building
Allée Condorcet – 64000 Pau
3:00 PM | UPPA Final of My 3-Minute PhD Thesis
(For those available)
UNITA - Universitas Montium is an alliance of 12 universities from various Romance-speaking countries supported by the European Union, of which UPPA is a founding member.
5:00 PM | Roundtable Discussion: “The PhD Degree: Skills, Career Integration, and Entrepreneurship – Perspectives from Different Angles”
Introduction
- Vice President for Partnerships and Innovation
- Vice President for Research
Presentations
- The PhD Program at the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour
- Funding Mechanisms
- Entrepreneurship and the Commercialization of Research (Transfer to the Industrial Sector): support mechanisms from the South-Aquitaine Innovation” Innovation University Cluster (PUI) and the PEPITE label.
Roundtable discussion
PhD students, PhD graduates, and industry representatives will exchange perspectives on several key questions:
- What skills does a PhD program develop?
- What do companies and host organizations expect?
- What are the career opportunities for PhD graduates?
- How can we foster collaboration between research and the local region?
Speakers
- Inès de Bort, engineer and researcher-entrepreneur at UPPA, PhD Degree Ambassador for Nouvelle-Aquitaine (class of 2023)
- Quentin Gouty, PhD student in chemistry, founder of n-Homade
- Aude Pottier, R&D coordinator and project manager at APESA (class of 2013)
- Sylvain Bourrigaud, Head of R&D at M2I Développement (class of 2024)
- Denis Caniaux, General Director at the Atlantic & Pyrenees Urban Planning Agency (AUDAP)
- Raphael Hausenfluck-Poli, Master’s 2 student in Chemistry and Life Sciences
- Pierre Gérard, Senior Expert at Arkema
- Julien Tridon, CEO of TechBioEnergy
7:00 PM | Reception and networking
This informal gathering will give participants the opportunity to meet the speakers and expand their network in the fields of research and innovation.
Free event, registration required.
Contact: uppaentreprises @ univ-pau.fr
Event organizers and partners
University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour:
- le Centre des études doctorales
- l’École doctorale 211 Sciences exactes et leurs applications
- l’École doctorale 481 Sciences sociales et humanités
- l’association CEPyA, Club des Entreprises UPPA
Partners:
European Doctoral Day
European Doctoral Day, which is being held for the first time in 2026 at more than 200 universities, institutions, associations, and companies across Europe, is supported by leading European academic and para-academic networks, as well as by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Space.
The creation of such a day was recommended in France by the Pommier-Lazarus report in late 2024 to establish an annual event and draw attention to the public interest issue of the doctoral degree.
This event receives funding administered by the National Research Agency and Bpifrance as part of the France 2030 investment plan—University Innovation Hubs (Sud-Aquitaine Innovation).
This event receives state funding administered by the National Research Agency and Bpifrance as part of the France 2030 investment plan—Innovation University Hubs (Sud-Aquitaine Innovation).