Currently several important funding agencies supporting post-doctoral scientific research require that applicants hold a PhD degree. PhD students then must wait after obtaining their degree, first for the application deadline of the funding agency, and subsequently the times from deadline to decisions, and finally between decisions are made and funding starts. This means that newly trained PhDs are generally unemployed for several months at least, before being able to continue their career.

We suggest application requirements are revised so that the PhD degree must be obtained before funding starts, not before application. This system (which has been in use by funding agencies in several countries) encourages PhD students to produce good work already in the early phase of their study, encourages timely conclusion of PhD studies, and reduces unnecessary unemployment periods, facilitating career planning.

If you agree with the above text entirely or to a large extent, please sign this petition.

(If you are interested in sending this petition to a funding agency in your country, please contact me (Folmer Bokma) with the country and name of the funding agency after March 2011 at "fbokma at-sign gmail dot com".)

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