Forms, regulations and administrative support

SUPERVISORS & COORDINATORS
Forms, regulations and administrative support
Identify the applicable regulation, competent body, supporting documentation and administrative procedure before adopting or implementing decisions concerning a PhD candidate.
IMPORTANT
Do not automatically apply the same rule to every PhD candidate
The applicable procedure may depend on the PhD cycle, Programme, curriculum, scholarship or funded position, research project and any national, international or institutional agreement governing the candidate’s pathway.

Check the applicable Regulations →

START HERE
01 — Identify the Regulations applicable to the candidate
Before processing a request, identify the candidate’s admission cycle and the regulatory framework governing the position.
Candidate group Main reference Preliminary check
Cycle XLI and subsequent cycles Regulations applicable from the 2025/2026 academic year. Verify whether specific Programme, call or funding provisions also apply.
Cycles XXXVIII–XL Regulations applicable from the 2022/2023 academic year. Do not automatically apply provisions introduced only for later cycles.
Earlier cycles Regulations in force for the relevant admission cycle. Check archived Regulations and transitional provisions.
Joint, national or specially regulated Programmes General UNICAM Regulations together with specific agreements or rules. Verify whether different bodies, deadlines or procedures are established.

UNICAM PhD Regulations by cycle →

02 — Read the Regulations together with position-specific documents

The general UNICAM Regulations must be read together with the Call for Applications, research-topic description, funding measure and any agreement involving partner or host institutions.

Document Conditions that may be established
Call for Applications Admission requirements, scholarship conditions, research topic, mobility and host institution.
Funding programme Project activities, mobility, reporting, expenditure, milestones and deadlines.
Partnership agreement Place of activity, supervision, intellectual property and allocation of responsibilities.
Co-tutelle or joint-degree agreement Enrolment, mobility, thesis language, external review, examination committee and award of the degree.
Research-project documents Deliverables, acknowledgements, logos, reporting and other project-specific obligations.

Roles and responsibilities →

03 — Career requests and Academic Board approval

Requests affecting the candidate’s research or training pathway should be discussed with the Supervisor and submitted through the Programme Coordinator to the Academic Board whenever formal approval is required.

Information What should be included
Candidate Full name, cycle, Programme and curriculum.
Request Type of activity, change or authorisation requested.
Period Exact starting and ending dates or duration.
Reasons and expected outcome Academic reasons, relationship with the doctoral pathway and expected results.
Consequences Effects on training, scholarship, mobility, deadlines, workload or expenditure.
Supporting documentation Forms, invitations, declarations, agreements or other evidence required by the procedure.

PhD candidate career management → Administrative forms and requests →

04 — Mobility, scholarship increase and missions

Academic approval of a research period away from UNICAM must be coordinated with the procedures governing mobility support, mission authorisation and reimbursement of eligible expenses.

Procedure Academic element Administrative element
Research period abroad Scientific assessment and Academic Board involvement where required. Host documentation and activation of the applicable mobility procedure.
Scholarship increase Confirmation of the authorised research or training period abroad. Submission of the documents required for activation and subsequent certification.
Mission Prior agreement on scientific purpose, destination, dates and funding source. Prior authorisation through the UNICAM Missions Portal.
Change or extension Updated academic approval where required. Update of the applicable mobility, mission and financial procedures.

Mobility, missions and research funding → Scholarship increase procedure →

05 — Research budget and expenditure

Use of the individual research budget requires scientific consistency with the doctoral project and compliance with the applicable University purchasing, mission or payment procedure.

Step Responsible person or body Action
1 Candidate and Supervisor Identify the scientific need and expected expenditure.
2 Programme Coordinator Verifies relevance to the doctoral project and the proposed funding source.
3 Competent administrative office Verifies eligibility and activates the appropriate purchasing, registration, mission or payment procedure.
4 Candidate Provides the required documentation and does not independently assume that an expense will be reimbursed.
Academic approval alone does not authorise a purchase or guarantee reimbursement. The relevant administrative procedure must also be completed.

Research budget and missions → Research budget guidelines →

06 — Working activities, teaching and simultaneous enrolment

Paid work, tutoring, supplementary teaching and simultaneous enrolment in another university programme must be assessed before the relevant activity begins.

Request Information required Assessment
Paid work Employer, duties, period, workload and remuneration. Compatibility with the doctoral commitment and conditions of the funded position.
Tutoring or supplementary teaching Type of assignment, hours, period and remuneration. Compatibility with research and compliance with the rules governing the candidate’s cycle.
Simultaneous enrolment Institution, programme, workload, attendance and timetable. Compatibility between the two educational pathways.

Working activities → Dual enrolment → Training and teaching activities →

CAREER CHANGES
07 — Suspension, extension, withdrawal and exclusion from the PhD

Procedures affecting the duration or continuation of the doctoral career require careful coordination between the academic decision and its administrative and financial consequences.

Procedure Academic consequence Administrative consequence
Suspension or leave Temporary interruption and subsequent recovery of research and training activities. Update of the doctoral career, end date and scholarship where applicable.
Extension Additional time for completion of the doctoral pathway. Revision of deadlines and verification of any financial consequences.
Scholarship renunciation Possible continuation of the Programme without the scholarship where permitted. Termination of scholarship payments.
Withdrawal Closure of the doctoral pathway at the candidate’s request. Formal closure of the doctoral career.
Exclusion from the PhD Requires formal assessment and decision by the competent bodies. Administrative implementation follows the formal decision.

Suspension, leave and extension → Withdrawal, scholarship renunciation and exclusion →

08 — Thesis review and final examination

Before the Academic Board meeting, verify completion of the candidate’s career and all information required for external review and the final examination procedure.

Preliminary check Information required
Career completion Research, training, mobility and position-specific obligations completed.
External evaluators Names, affiliations, institutional emails, scientific expertise and independence.
Final examination committee Composition, affiliations and incompatibility checks.
Special requirements Doctor Europaeus, co-tutelle, joint degree, confidentiality or embargo requirements.
Timing Sufficient time for verification, appointment and formal organisation of the examination.

Thesis review and final examination guidance → Thesis and external review →

09 — Formulating Academic Board decisions

Academic Board minutes should contain enough information to identify the request, the documentation examined and every detail required for administrative implementation.

Minutes should record Examples
Candidate and procedure Name, cycle, Programme, curriculum and type of request.
Documentation examined Candidate request, Supervisor assessment, invitation, agreement, certificate or other evidence.
Decision Approval, rejection, postponement or request for additional documentation.
Operational details Dates, destination, workload, remuneration, duration or approved expenditure.
Conditions and consequences Deadlines, funding source, recovery activities or effects on the doctoral career.
Avoid generic wording such as “approved” when the subsequent administrative procedure requires dates, duration, destination, workload, funding source or other specific information.
10 — Documentation to be transmitted

The documentation required depends on the specific procedure. Do not transmit only the Academic Board minutes when supporting documents are also necessary.

Document Examples of procedures
Candidate’s request Mobility, work, dual enrolment, suspension, extension or withdrawal.
Supervisor’s assessment or declaration Scientific relevance, compatibility or progress assessment.
Academic Board decision Formal academic approval or extract from the minutes.
External documentation Invitations, host certificates, agreements, assignments or enrolment documents.
Financial information Remuneration, estimated expenditure, funding source or relevant cost centre.
External-person details External evaluators, examination committee members, host supervisors or experts.

Administrative forms and requests →

BEFORE THE ACADEMIC BOARD MEETING
11 — Complete the preliminary checks
Programme Coordinators should collect requests sufficiently in advance and verify that the matter is ready for a formal decision before placing it on the Academic Board agenda.
Check Question
Applicable rule Which regulation, call, funded-position condition or agreement governs the case?
Competent body Does the matter require Supervisor assessment, Programme Coordinator action, Academic Board approval, SAS Council involvement or another procedure?
Documentation Are the required forms, signatures, dates and supporting documents available?
Administrative feasibility Have funding, deadlines and subsequent procedural steps been checked?
Draft decision Does the proposed wording contain all information needed for implementation?
Where the administrative consequences are uncertain, consult the Advanced Studies Office before the Academic Board adopts the decision.
12 — Online portals and services

Some procedures require both an academic decision and a subsequent action through a dedicated UNICAM online service.

Service Main use Access
UNICAM Missions Portal Mission authorisation and subsequent administrative management. Open portal →
Thesis Submission portal Submission and, where required, resubmission of the doctoral thesis. Open portal →
Student Career portal Enrolment, career information and online student services. Open portal →
MUR personal profile Personal academic and research profile used for national academic procedures. Open profile →
13 — Academic decisions and administrative responsibilities

Academic and administrative responsibilities are connected but distinct. Completing one level of approval does not automatically complete the entire procedure.

Person or body Main responsibility Does not replace
Supervisor Assesses scientific relevance and compatibility with the research pathway. Formal approval by the competent body where required.
Programme Coordinator Coordinates the procedure and ensures that complete cases reach the Academic Board. Academic Board decisions or administrative verification.
Academic Board Adopts the academic decision where required. Financial, legal or administrative checks required for implementation.
Advanced Studies Office / competent office Verifies and implements the administrative procedure within its area of competence. An academic decision required by the Regulations.

Roles and approval workflow →

14 — Requesting administrative support

When requesting support, provide enough information to identify the applicable procedure and avoid unnecessary exchanges.

Information to provide Example
Candidate details Name, cycle, Programme and curriculum.
Position details Scholarship, funding source or research-topic reference where relevant.
Issue Concise description of the request or problem.
Timing Proposed dates, deadline and date of the Academic Board meeting.
Financial or institutional context Funding source, agreement, host institution or partner involved.
Available documents Forms, letters, agreements, declarations or draft minutes already prepared.

dottorato@unicam.it → Advanced Studies Office contacts →

OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLE
Regulation, decision, documentation and procedure must remain aligned
Before communicating an authorisation to the candidate, verify that the competent body has adopted a sufficiently detailed decision and that the required administrative procedure can actually be completed.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
Unsure which form or procedure applies?
Contact the Advanced Studies Office before the Academic Board meeting or before communicating a decision when the applicable Regulation, supporting documentation or administrative consequence is unclear.

Contact the Advanced Studies Office →