Resolve obstacles during your PhD

IS YOUR PHD AT RISK?

For problems seriously affecting your PhD research and/or personal effectiveness all PhD candidates (including employees) can contact the PhD counsellor. After a first screening, you may be referred, for example to a psychologist or the company's health services.

SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

In case you experience a matter dealing with scientific integrity (ref. The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Academic Practice) you can consult the webpage on scientific integrity and read the  University of Twente Scientific Integrity Complaints Procedure. The first point of contact is the university's confidential advisor for scientific integrity. Possible violations of scientific integrity as well as any follow-up steps can be discussed with him in all confidence.

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR

You can talk to a confidential advisor for advice and support whenever you have to deal with unacceptable behaviour, such as intimidation, (sexual) harassment, aggression, violence or discrimination, or when faced with a conflict in your work situation connected to such behaviour (ref. the Code of conduct on (sexual) harassment, intimidation, aggression, violence and discrimination).

Confidential advisors can also be the first point of contact when you are not quite sure where to go when faced with a problematic situation. Their names and contact details can be found here.

WHAT IF YOU DON’T AGREE?

If informal talks with friends and colleagues nor the aforementioned options lead to a satisfactory solution, you are entitled to file a complaint or objection as detailed below. This is a formal procedure, and before considering it you are advised to consult one of the confidential advisors who can inform you about the procedure.

  1. You may not agree with a particular action (or lack of it). This may lead to a complaint. Your complaint may concern both an 'act' or an 'omission' you believe to have been improper. You may address the matter informally but may also bring a formal complaint by way of a complaints procedure. You can initiate this procedure by writing a letter of complaint to the Executive Board. Students (including upcoming and former students) are to lodge their complaints with the University of Twente Complaints Desk.
  2. B. You may not agree with a decision impacting your legal position. You may object. 
    Various options are open to you when you do not agree to a decision impacting your legal position. You can respond informally, for instance by discussing your wishes or objections with your direct manager and/or your HR advisor. You may also object formally by submitting a letter of objection to the Executive Board. The formal objection has to be made within 6 weeks after the decision was made known. In the ensuing objection procedure, the initial decision will be reassessed. An advisory committee - the University of Twente HR objections committee - advises the Executive Board on the decision it should make on an objection. Should you also disagree with the decision on your objection rendered by the Executive Board, you may bring an appeal against this decision to the district court. Appeal against the decision by the district court can be made to the Central Appeals Tribunal in Utrecht.