A 7-month applied training and personal mentoring program for PhD candidates to connect their academia background to urban mobility business and entrepreneurship opportunities.
FREE registration for Mobilizing PhD MOOC (online course)
Learner Portal for mentorship participants only
Our Approach
Independence – Self Motivation – Communication
Three critical skills for any business start-up adventure, and all qualities developed in a successful PhD journey. The urban mobility industry is hungry for critical thinkers who push to revolutionize our mobility paradigm, yet key industry knowledge resides in the walls of higher education. Academia naturally pushes PhDs into their own niche of research, and expanding on each PhD’s unique niche and battling testing their ideas in the competitive market is exactly what this program is about.
This 7 month (academic year) leadership development program integrates a 3-day conference to channel your entrepreneurial and research skills towards bringing your ideas to the market.
2023 Cohort by Numbers
Each year, we draw students from the EIT Urban Mobility Doctoral Training Network, with limited positions open for external participants, filled on a rolling basis. Apply early to maximize your chances to learn from our international team of instructors and peers!
What is Mobilizing PhD?
Curriculum
#1
Discover
In this initial phase, you will define your product or service that directly relates to your area of academic expertise. It is important that your business is built around your area of expertise as this is likely the niche that you will seek to occupy in the market. By working on your PhD, you are also establishing yourself in your as an expert in your field, and we will help you monetize your expertise.
#2
Define
The main goal in this step is to determine product(service)-market fit. Two key questions for exploring product-market fit are: 1)Who is willing to pay for this service? and 2)What are my competitors? Your goal in this phase is to see where your niche fits into the broader market, and to develop a unique selling proposition that connects your product(service) to potential buyers.
#3
Develop
By this step, you should have a good idea of the boundaries of the playing field that you are in, and if your business idea has a viable path outside of academia. Your focus now turns to how you can reach your customers and connect them to your product(service) in a meaningful way. You will focus on marketing your product(service) so that you can later generate leads for sales. You will develop an online presence that illustrates clearly what value you are delivering to your potential customers, and you will use social media to activate your vision.
#4
Deliver
Once people know about your product(service), you can now think about your sales and delivery strategy. How do you monetize the attention that you’ve been generating and turn it into a transaction where you exchange a product(service) for money? If your final product(service) has not yet been fully developed, you should consider what your Minimal Viable Product (MVP) or Prototype needs to include in order to demonstrate feasibility and commitment to your customers.
Course Overview
Registration Dates
Registration Opens
September 2024
Early Bird Deadline
€1800 + VAT until
30 September 2024
Registration Deadline
€2500 + VAT until
31 October 2023
Course Dates
Online Modules
1 November 2024 – 31 May 2025
SPRINT session in Munich, Germany
April 2025
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the strategic, operational, and people skills that you need to build a successful company
- Plan your core products and services that leverage your research and project planning skills in your market
- Launch your company with your first client!
Course Themes
MOBILIZING PhD is not just a course, but a long term journey that parallels the academic developments of a PhD candidate with an entrepreneurial track. Whereas the academic institution provides an excellent structure to create knowledge and research disciplines, MOBILIZING PhD teaches candidates how to be nimble, experimental, and apply their knowledge to quickly changing and emerging market niches.
#1 Discover
Evaluate Your Skills
#3 Develop
Exploit Market Potential
#2 Define
Identify Product Niche
#4 Deliver
Execute Your Plans!
Intro Talk: Is there Life Outside of PhD?
Our Faculty
Our Mentors
Participant Testimonials
Join the Course Today!
Up to 15 positions are reserved for external students to join our EIT Urban Mobility Masters cohort! Your tuition includes:
World class instruction from leading academics and practitioners
Dutch-style bike rental in Rotterdam
Guided tours and excursions
Catered vegetarian lunches on all lecture days
Two group dinners and celebratory drinks
Dedicated private session of Coursera course “Street Experiments for Sustainable and Resilient cities”
Access to lecture and classroom materials
Signed certificate upon successful completion!- 🎁Remaking the Street welcome pack with 👚👕t-shirt, 📝notebook, and 🛍️tote bag
Apply before April 15, 2023 to qualify for early bird external tuition of €1800 + 21% VAT
Frequently Asked Questions
The next mentorship program is scheduled to start in November 2024. In the meantime, sign up for the FREE Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to get a head start on the course content!
Good news! You are eligible for a tuition waiver and travel assistance. Please apply via this form and indicate you are a member of the Doctoral Training Network.
For the Mobilizing PhD seminar in February 2024, you are expected to book your own travel to and from Munich, Germany. Travel assistance is available for Doctoral Training Network members.
You are responsible for organizing your own accomondations. Travel assistance is available for Doctoral Training Network members.
Yes you may until 31 July 2023, but apply early for best chances of admission! The tuition for candidates who submit their applications after 30 June 2023 will pay the regular tuition of €2500 + 21% VAT.
While a majority of course slots are reserved for members of the Doctoral Training Network, we encourage co-founders partnered with PhD candidates to apply regardless of your formal education.
If you indicate that you are member of the Doctoral Training Network, we will confirm your membership status. If you are applying from outside the network, we will be in touch with payment details.
Happy to answer them! Send us a note to Dr. George Liu at george@cityux.com and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Organizers
