The Doctoriales, 96 hours to get started!
From October 3 to October 7, the 2023 edition of the “Doctoriales” will be held. Organized every two years since 2016 by the doctoral schools of the University of Reunion Island, this event offers the establishment's doctoral students the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurial culture via an innovative business creation project that will be evaluated by a jury of professionals. A look back at this intense first day
Doctoral students are students who, beyond the second year of their master's degree, choose to continue their studies towards a doctorate, training through research, in a laboratory. This work is crowned by the defense of a thesis before a jury.
At the University of Reunion, on average, 50 theses are defended per year. These young researchers most often plan to pursue academic careers. However, in mainland France as in Reunion, only 12% of them manage to integrate public or private research. Likewise, if the doctorate is the highest national diploma and its delivery is subject to a strict framework, it does not benefit in France from a valorization similar to that observed in many other countries. This lack of image has recently led the State to launch multiple initiatives to restore this diploma to its credentials in a context where science is the subject of several distrusts.
This is where the “ Doctorials ". This operation designed as a time of privileged meetings between 35 doctoral students and actors from the local economic and institutional world, aims for several objectives: to allow them a time for reflection by proposing “Keynotes” from prestigious speakers, including Mr. Le Préfet de La Réunion, training conferences in ideation, creativity, project management of innovative projects and initiation to entrepreneurship through a 96-hour design challenge for an innovative business project, by team and responding to a territorial or societal challenge.
The winning teams will win 800 euros per member for the first prize, 400 euros for the second prize and 200 euros for the team that wins third prize.
The opening of this edition took place Tuesday, October 3 in the presence of:
- Mr. Jérôme FILIPPINI, Prefect of Reunion,
- Professor Frédéric MIRANVILLE, President of the University of La Réunion,
- Professor Jean-Pierre CHABRIAT, Regional Advisor for Higher Education, Research and Energy Transition,
- Mrs. Flora Augustine ETCHEVERRY, Vice-President of the departmental council,
- Professor Abel HIOL, Regional academic delegate for research and innovation (DRARI),
- Professor Alain BASTIDE, provisional administrator of the Doctoral School Sciences Technologies Health (STS) of the University of La Réunion
- Professor Philippe JEAN-PIERRE, provisional administrator of the Doctoral School Human and Social Sciences (SHS) of the University of La Réunion
This first day of the Doctoriales continued with a round table around the solutions proposed to future doctors, by the actors of the innovation ecosystem in Reunion (FrenchTech, Technopole, VillagebyCA) and by a first session training in ideation and creativity techniques led by Philippe HOLSTEIN and Philippe JEAN-PIERRE.
Divided into groups of five, the doctoral students will now follow workshops during these intensive days which will provide them with the tools necessary to carry out their project. During these days, speakers and representatives from the business world will present the themes of creativity, Business Model Canvas, financing plan and even the secrets of a successful pitch.
