Applications open: July, September and October 2026

Doctorate in Design and Technology Applied to Business

The PhD in Design and Technology Applied to Business at UDIT promotes advanced research and knowledge transfer between creativity, technology and business strategy. Aimed at professionals seeking to innovate from design, it integrates academic vision and real application, connecting with the business fabric and digital transformation.

The 2026/2027 admissions process will begin soon.

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The essentials

Key Data

All the essential information you need to know about this doctorate.

Campus
Tecnología, Innovación y Ciencias Aplicadas
Languages
Spanish, English
Modality
On-campus

Download brochure

ADMISSIONS CALENDAR

Apply for admission to the doctoral programme by submitting your academic record digitally through our admissions portal.

Access the portal, create your account and upload all the required documentation:

https://admisiones-doctorado.udit.es

Download your admission form here or directly from the platform.

If you have any questions, you can submit your enquiries through the portal itself. Alternatively, you can contact us at: escuela.doctorado@udit.es

Download here

November 2026

Await place allocation by the Academic Committee.

December 2026

Complete your enrolment in accordance with the estimated fees for 2026-2027.

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First quarter of 2027

You will be notified about the start of activities in the first quarter by: escuela.doctorado@udit.es

Presentation

The Doctoral Programme in Design and Technology Applied to Business is designed to promote the training of researchers with profiles capable of joining applied research in the field of design and technologies oriented towards business solutions. To this end, the programme provides students with the means and opportunities to enhance their research training in a context of constant social, technological and business change.

Collaboration between academia and industry is a key pillar of this programme, facilitating the transfer of knowledge, methodologies and tools from academia to business.

To this end, the programme presents a single line of research, called Design and Technology Projects, to which different research objectives are associated with the aim of providing the knowledge, skills and competences required for research activity, but also for setting up innovative business projects. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme opens up opportunities in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, sustainable design and digital innovation, where these competences are highly valued.

Graduates will benefit from the programme's strong connection with industry and other academic institutions, facilitating access to employment opportunities, research collaborations and postdoctoral innovation projects.

Participating universities

The Doctoral Programme in Design and Technology Applied to Business is framed within the framework of the existing agreement between the following participating universities:

European University of the Atlantic
University of Design, Innovation and Technology

Core Competencies

CB11	Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the skills and methods of research related to that field. (The word "field" is replaced by "field" following the application of R.D. 576/2023, of 4 July).
CB12	Ability to conceive, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
CB13	Ability to contribute to the extension of the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
CB14	Ability to critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise new and complex ideas.
CB15	Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their fields of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
CB16	Ability to promote, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural progress within a knowledge-based society.
CB17	Ability to promote Open Science and Citizen Science, in accordance with article 12 of Organic Law 2/2023, of 22 March, as a way of contributing to the consideration of scientific knowledge as a common good, through the evaluation of transversal activities carried out by the PhD student related to different dimensions of Open Science and Citizen Science, as well as the training acquired in each discipline in the form of micro-credentials or similar. (From the application of R.D. 576/2023, of 4 July).

Capacities and Skills

CA01	Can cope in contexts where there is little specific information.
CA02	Find the key questions to be answered in order to solve a complex problem.
CA03	Design, create, develop and undertake novel and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
CA04	Work both in a team and autonomously in an international or multidisciplinary context.
CA05	Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and formulate judgements with limited information.
CA06	Critique and intellectual defence of solutions.

Organisation

Training activities

The Doctoral Programme in Design and Technology Applied to Business foresees the following training activities:

TRAINING ACTIVITIES
TRAINING ACTIVITY	COURSE/HOURS	CHARACTER
Research Ethics and Academic Honesty	1st / 6 hours	Compulsory/ transversal
Dissemination of research results	2nd / 4 hours	Compulsory/ transversal
Roles and role of peer review in the academic field. Centrality of this value and practice in the academic field / Peer review: roles, values and practices in the academic field	1st TC, 2nd TP / 4 hours	Compulsory / transversal
Workshop on research progress and results	1st and 2nd / 2 hours	Compulsory/ transversal
Tools for information management and retrieval	1st / 8 hours	Compulsory/ transversal
Knowledge transfer models	3rd / 14 hours	Compulsory/ transversal
Presentation of scientific communications at national and international congresses dedicated to Business Administration.	2nd / 10 hours	Compulsory/ cross-disciplinary
Preparation of an article for publication in a prestigious journal.	2nd and subsequent / 25 hours	Compulsory/ cross-disciplinary
Mobility and stays in universities and higher research centres in the research topic.	Preferably 2nd and 3rd year / 720 hours	Optional/ transversal

Composition of the programme's Academic Committee

President/Coordinator: José Luis Olazagoitia (University of Design, Innovation and Technology)

Vice-president / Vice-coordinator: Dr. Emmanuel Soriano Flores (Universidad Europea del Atlántico)

Vice-president / Vice-coordinator: Dr. Eduardo García Villena (Universidad Europea del Atlántico)

Programme Coordinator for the European University of the Atlantic:

Emmanuel Soriano Flores emmanuel.soriano@uneatlantico.es

Access and Admission

Un grupo de cinco amigos sonríe frente a la bandera de España durante una tarde soleada.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR PREDOCTORAL TRAINING

Funding for Predoctoral Training

Doctoral training and the development of research careers are a strategic priority for UDIT’s Vice-Rectorate for Research. To this end, the University actively promotes the identification and management of grants, scholarships and predoctoral contracts aimed at supporting doctoral thesis work and consolidating research talent.

These opportunities are managed in a coordinated manner through the Research Results Transfer Office (OTRI), which reports to the Vice-Rectorate for Research. The entire research community is encouraged to regularly consult the calls and funding section available on the OTRI website to find out about current and future funding opportunities.

OTRI website:

Internal calls section
https://www.udit.es/otri/

PREDOCTORAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

In addition to the calls promoted by UDIT, there are numerous funding opportunities for predoctoral training at national and regional level. The most relevant include:

Spanish State Research Agency (AEI): calls for grants for predoctoral contracts aimed at training researchers within the framework of the Spanish State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research. These grants fund predoctoral employment contracts linked to competitive research projects.
Community of Madrid: grant programmes for the recruitment of predoctoral researchers in training, aimed at supporting the development of doctoral theses and the incorporation of young researchers into universities and research centres in the region.

Researchers in training are encouraged to regularly explore these calls and other funding opportunities available at regional, national and international level.

INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY GRANTS

Internationalisation is one of the fundamental pillars of doctoral training. The University therefore encourages its doctoral candidates to participate in international mobility programmes, research stays, scientific collaboration activities and initiatives that contribute to obtaining the International Mention for the Doctoral Degree. Information on calls, grants and mobility opportunities is also shared through the OTRI and the University’s institutional research channels.

DOCTORAL PROGRAMME FEES

Up-to-date information on the academic fees for the Doctoral Programme for the current period can be consulted by downloading the following documents:

Regulations on Fees and Exemptions of the Doctoral School.
Fees for the 2026–2027 period

In addition, members of UDIT’s Teaching and Research Staff (PDI) may be eligible for the exemptions or discounts established in the current institutional regulations on fees and benefits applicable to the doctoral programme.

For further information on financial conditions, discounts, exemptions or any other matter related to enrolment and programme payments, please contact the Doctoral School by email:

escuela.doctorado@udit.es

Quality