A number of circumstances in the training of Dutch PhD candidates lead to the establishment of the PhDCentre:

• current, dynamic trends at Dutch universities concerning PhD programmes:
  • the new organizational structure of PhD programs at Graduate Schools
  • the connection between this new organizational structure and the existing research school
  • the development of Research MA programs as precursors to the possible pursuit of a PhD
  • the internationalisation of the training of PhD candidates
• the highly fragmented and discontinuous collection and analysis of data about the PhD program and the consequent ongoing need to integrate information
• the great demand for a platform for sharing knowledge about PhD programs, consulting fellow scholars and exchanging examples of good practices.