At Dutch universities, assistant and associate professors often have the same PhD supervision responsibilities as full professors but do not share the same rights. As part of the 'Everyone Professor!' campaign in 2023, The Young Academy advocated for a broad and inclusive extension of the right to confer a PhD degree (ius promovendi) to assistant and associate professors. Now, two years later, we see a lot of progress at universities, have assessed these developments and provide recommendations.

The ius promovendi is an important academic right, which acknowledges an individual’s ability and competence to supervise PhD candidates. Traditionally, this right was reserved for full professors. Since 2017, legislation has made it possible for assistant and associate professors to obtain the ius promovendi as well. At many universities however, this right seems reserved for full professors, while assistant and associate professors often take on the day-to-day supervision of PhD candidates. This may seem small, but it eliminating these differences between academic functions helps to flatten the academic hierarchy and improve social safety.

The Young Academy keeps track of these developments and is happy to see that several universities have taken significant steps toward a broader attribution of ius promovendi. We have examined the formal regulations governing ius promovendi by reviewing the promotion regulations (promotiereglementen) and related documents at Dutch universities. Below, we describe the current landscape of ius promovendi at Dutch universities and provide recommendations to the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) to further develop a universal and transparent approach to ius promovendi.

Current state of affairs

• All universities now permit the granting of ius promovendi to associate professors.

• Only a few universities consider granting ius promovendi to assistant professors.
• The criteria for granting ius promovendi vary significantly across institutions and may include factors such as prior experience in PhD supervision, demonstrated “scientific excellence,” and success in securing research funding. Of note, some universities include criteria that do not necessarily reflect supervision skills such as the ability to secure grants. Moreover, training in supervision or demonstrated supervisory skills are not always taken into account.
• There is little to no reference to the periodic evaluation of supervisors with ius promovendi, including full professors and professors by special appointment.

After examining the formal regulations, we evaluated the actual implementation of ius promovendi by conducting a survey among members of local young academies and discussing the issue within The Young Academy:

• In general, there is a perception, across universities, that ius promovendi is not widely granted, even when assistant and associate professors meet the criteria outlined in the PhD regulations.
• At many universities, faculty members often seem unaware of the exact criteria for obtaining ius promovendi. Different individuals within the same institution refer to different criteria, potentially reflecting inconsistencies across faculties or institutes, or a general lack of transparency or clear communication.
• Not all professors are held to the same standard. For example, assistant and associate professors must meet specific criteria to be granted ius promovendi, whereas full professors or professors by special appointment receive ius promovendi by default, without necessarily meeting those same criteria.
• Several respondents indicated that the process is lengthy and complex. For example, at some institutions, ius promovendi is not granted to the supervisor as an individual right but rather on a project-by-project basis. As a result, supervisors must reapply for each project they wish to oversee as a promotor.
• The process of granting ius promovendi varies across institutions. Professors may lose their ius promovendi when changing institutions, and those who hold it at one university are often not allowed to serve as a promotor for a PhD candidate at another institution.

Recommendations

The Young Academy advocates for a universal and transparent process for awarding ius promovendi. We emphasize the importance of transparent criteria to ensure that ius promovendi is granted to individuals who have demonstrated the necessary expertise and received proper training in PhD supervision, particularly for the benefit of PhD candidates. We also consider ius promovendi as an essential element to recognize and reward individuals that possess the competencies, demonstrated ability and who perform de facto PhD supervision at our universities.

Based on our findings, we offer the following recommendations to Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) and university executive boards, encouraging them to collaborate on developing and implementing a plan that ensures the fair and effective granting of ius promovendi across universities:

1. Universal: we advocate for harmonization of ius promovendi criteria across universities, with a stronger emphasis on criteria related to supervision quality and training. This will also enable the recognition of ius promovendi for an individual by all universities. E.g., obtaining ius promovendi at one institution would allow individuals to serve as a promotor at different institutions.
2. Transparent: the criteria for obtaining ius promovendi must be transparent and accessible to all interested individuals.
3. Accessible: ius promovendi should be accessible to all professors (assistant, associate, full professors, and professors by special appointment) and should be evaluated both at the time of granting and periodically thereafter. In this evaluation, the emphasis should be on the quality of supervision. Also, ius promovendi should be granted as a recognition of an individual's competence as a PhD supervisor, rather than on a project-by-project basis.