Chairwoman Çiçek Güven Özçelebi explains the objective of PromoVE. “We try to establish a connection between doctoral candidates and the services of TU/e, especially DPO, STU and the alumni association. This connection works both ways: via us the services present themselves, and the other way round doctoral candidates via us can get to the services when there is something to be resolved. The services also ask us about the opinion of doctoral candidates, so we fulfill a sounding board function as well.”

Questions or complaints coming in are often about finding accommodation, which for international students is taken care of at a central level, but not so for doctoral candidates. Other questions may be about taxes or other financial matters. Even though at present there are no burning policy issues concerning doctoral candidates at TU/e, the executive committee is quite alive to the task it can fulfill in that respect. “We must keep asking ourselves: how politically active do we want to be? Suppose problems crop up at some point: then it is us who will stand up for the interests of doctoral candidates.”

PromoVE also organizes activities, such as the annual social event. PhD candidates can meet here, DPO is present, print services -for the dissertations that are produced- present themselves and the whole event is concluded by a big party. The next event will take place in June, but the exact date is not known yet. (SK)/.

PromoVE holds open house every Friday between 12.00 and 13.00 hours for PhD candidates and postdocs: Main Building -1.28. More information about PromoVE can be found on http://promove.tue.nl.