Funding and Collaboration in Industrial Doctorates: Insights for the Spanish Model

Industrial doctorates are increasingly seen as a means of linking doctoral education with industrial needs while promoting knowledge exchange between universities and companies. In Spain, this role is formalized through the “Mención Industrial” (industrial doctorate distinction), which provides a framework for collaboration between both sectors. Despite growing interest, its implementation remains limited compared with more established European programmes. This paper presents a comparative conceptual analysis of the Spanish industrial doctorate model, using selected European systems as reference cases to identify opportunities for strengthening university–industry collaboration. The analysis is developed from three complementary perspectives. First, it explores the characteristics that distinguish industrial doctorates from traditional academic PhDs, including supervision, training environment, and expected outcomes. Second, it compares the Spanish model with programmes in France, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. Third, it examines the funding structures that support these initiatives and their influence on university–industry collaboration. The comparison indicates that the effectiveness of industrial doctorate programmes depends not only on institutional design but also on how resources and responsibilities are distributed. In Spain, public support is directed primarily towards the industrial partner, while the university often plays a secondary funding role despite its central contribution to doctoral training. In contrast, other European models provide more balanced funding arrangements. Based on this comparison, a dual-funding approach is proposed in this paper in which both the company and the university receive explicit support. This adjustment aims to improve the alignment between responsibilities and resources, strengthening industrial doctorate programmes.