Organization

Quality Assurance Group

In line with the AVA 3 system, the guidelines of ANVUR (Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes), and the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes, the PhD in Innovative Strategies for Wellbeing operates under an integrated and international Quality Assurance (QA) system. The programme is accredited by the University of Chieti–Pescara (UdA) and, as part of the INGENIUM European University Alliance, is embedded in a transnational governance structure. Given the international composition of the Doctoral Board and the active participation of partner institutions in Ireland and Finland, the QA framework complies with both national accreditation standards and European quality assurance principles.

The Quality Assurance System guarantees excellence in research training, continuous monitoring of teaching and scientific activities, alignment with European doctoral standards, ongoing improvement of supervision and doctoral services, and international coherence of learning outcomes and research impact.

Functions of the Quality Assurance Group

The QA Group performs several key functions:

Monitoring – Periodic evaluation of research progress, supervision quality, mobility activities, and doctoral training pathways across partner institutions.

Self-Assessment – Preparation of the Annual Doctoral Report (SUA-PhD) and systematic monitoring of performance indicators, including research productivity, publications in high-impact journals, international mobility, and participation in competitive grant calls.

Feedback Management – Analysis of doctoral candidate satisfaction surveys, supervision evaluation reports, and national/international post-graduation placement data.

Review and Improvement – Identification and implementation of corrective and enhancement actions based on internal evaluations, external assessments, and European benchmarking procedures.

European Alignment Oversight – Verification of compliance with the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes, including transparency of procedures, joint supervision models, recognition and mobility mechanisms, and documentation standards.

Interaction with the INGENIUM Doctoral Ecosystem – Coordination within the INGENIUM Alliance to promote structured mobility pathways, co-supervision and joint research initiatives, shared doctoral training activities, and participation in European research and innovation networks.

Composition of the Quality Assurance Group

• Coordinator and Head of Research – to be appointed
• Deputy Coordinator and Head of Funding – to be appointed
• Secretary and Website Manager – to be appointed
• Administrative Officer – to be appointed
• Lead of Orientation and Recruitment – to be appointed
• Lead of Teaching and Training Activities – to be appointed
• Lead of Internationalization – to be appointed
• Lead of Third Mission and Societal Impact – to be appointed
• INGENIUM Doctoral Ecosystem Liaison Officer – to be appointed
• European Approach Compliance Officer – to be appointed

Doctoral Board (Collegio dei Docenti)

The Doctoral Board is international in composition and operates according to both ANVUR standards and the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes. Members are selected based on scientific excellence and publication record in high-impact journals (Q1/Q2), demonstrated capacity to attract competitive national and international funding, interdisciplinary coherence with the PhD research areas, and experience in doctoral supervision and international collaboration.

The Board ensures balanced representation across Neuroscience and Clinical Sciences, Psychology, Physics and Neuroimaging, Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science and Economics. This interdisciplinary structure guarantees multi-perspective supervision and high-level mentorship integrating molecular, neurophysiological, computational, technological, and behavioral expertise.

Composition of the Doctoral Board – 41st Cycle

International Added Value

The international composition of the Doctoral Board reinforces joint supervision opportunities, cross-institutional research integration, access to European funding networks, participation in transnational doctoral ecosystems, and structured mobility within the INGENIUM Alliance.

Student Representative

A doctoral candidate representative is currently in the process of being elected to participate in Board meetings. This representative will contribute to governance, provide feedback on doctoral training, and actively participate in quality assurance processes. Identification and election of the student representative are managed according to the internal regulations of the PhD programme and in coordination with partner institutions.

Stakeholders

External stakeholders are currently being identified for each partner institution. These may include healthcare and biomedical institutions, technology and AI companies, public health organizations, and innovation ecosystems and regional development agencies. Once designated, stakeholders will contribute to the co-design of research priorities, internship and placement opportunities, knowledge transfer and Third Mission activities, and the evaluation of societal and territorial impact.