Transversal Activities
PhD programmes include both transversal and specific activities in the area of each programme.
Transversal activities are useful for people who are doing their doctorate outside their area of knowledge, since they offer the opportunity to acquire transversal competences during the training period of the PhD programme. They are elective activities and completely free of charge. You can find the transversal activities organised by the UAB and presented by the School for Doctoral Studies in this section for quick and easy access to the information.
For the specific activities, you can find the information in individual folders for each of the PhD programmes.
Within the transversal activities, the Language Service of the UAB offers language courses specifically addressed at PhD students: the courses Thesis writing in English and Defending your Thesis.
The School for Doctoral Studies also offers some seminars related to the competences of Industrial Doctoral Research such as How to validate your research, Technology-based intellectual property, Leadership techniques or How to expand your network of contacts to get a job, among others. The activities offered may change each academic year depending on the trainers' availability. In the description of each activity the course language is also detailed.For further information on how to get the attendance certificates for transversal activities, please contact ed.transversals@uab.cat.
To include these activities in your academic record, please check this video (click on the subtitle icon at the bottom right corner). Select the type of activity 65 (Transversal Activity) and write the name of the activity in the field “Description”. It is highly recommended to fill this field in the three available languages (Catalan, Spanish and English).
Below you can find the available courses. These activities are exclusively addressed to first stage researchers enrolled at UAB School for Doctoral Studies as students of a doctoral programme offered by the UAB. Please bear in mind that the scheduled activities may be subject to some changes.
Writing a Thesis in English
Law, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
Date: 1/07/2026 to 14/07/2026, Mondays to Fridays from 9.30 to 11.30 am
Sciences, Health Sciences and Engineering
Date: 1/07/2026 to 14/07/2026, Mondays to Fridays from 3 to 5 pm
Mode: virtual
Language: English
Trainer: Servei de Llengües
Addressed to: first stage researchers with an accredited B2.2 English level and who do not have English as a native or native-like language
Issues related to academic-scientific writing, specialized languages and the conventions of formal university texts are addressed. The course is thought as a support in the writing process of the thesis. Participants can share small fragments of their text, so specific doubts can be solved. The classes for this course will be online via videoconference.
From Science to the Marketplace
Date: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, September to December 2026, schedule to be confirmed
Mode: on-site (Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Startup UB lab) and virtual (Thursdays)
Language: Catalan and Spanish
Addressed to: master's degree and PhD students
The University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and the Pompeu Fabra University have launched the seventh edition of 'From science to the marketplace', a 100% subsidised training course to foster scientific entrepreneurship. The programme consists of 100 hours of training on knowledge transfer and business creation. In addition, each project will have between 2 and 10 hours of individualized tutoring with professionals from the sector.
Chemical Risks in the Laboratory
Virtual self-learning course available all the academic year-round.
Mode: virtual
Language: Catalan, Spanish and English
Trainer: UAB Risk Prevention Service
Addressed to: course specially recommended to first stage researchers working in a lab. This activity is equivalent to the one with the same name offered by the Unitat de Formació.
The School for Doctoral Studies organises, together with the Risk Prevention Service, this course that aims at informing and rising awareness about the most common risk factors for human health and safety in the laboratories by training in risk detection and protection systems.
Aims
- To identify the most common risks in a laboratory.
- To know the most common entry channels of chemical contaminants and biological agents.
- To know the most common protection systems in the laboratory. Fume hoods, biological safety booths, individual protection equipment.
- To learn tools for a qualitative risk assessment.
- To raise awareness about preventive culture.
More information via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Writing a Thesis in English
Sciences, Health Sciences and Engineering
Date: 19/10/2026 to 18/11/2026, Mondays and Wednesdays from 3 to 5 pm
Law, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
Date: 20/10/2026 to 19/11/2026, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 pm
Mode: on-site
Language: English
Trainer: Servei de Llengües
Addressed to: first stage researchers with an accredited B2.2 English level and who do not have English as a native or native-like language
Issues related to academic-scientific writing, specialized languages and the conventions of formal university texts are addressed. The course is thought as a support in the writing process of the thesis. Participants can share small fragments of their text, so specific doubts can be solved.
For more information visit the Servei de Llengües website.
Women in Science and Entrepreneurship
Date: 22/10/2026, 4 to 6 pm
Mode: on-site
Venue: sala de graus, School of Engineering
Language: Catalan
Addressed to: researchers at all levels and all the UAB community
Session to highlight female role models in innovation and entrepreneurship on the University campus, identify needs, and build networks. In this fifth edition, leading experts and professionals will take part, sharing their knowledge and experiences.
More information about the programme and registrations.
Presenting Research
Date: 27/10/2026 to 26/11/2026, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 12 pm
Mode: virtual
Language: English
Trainer: Servei de Llengües
Addressed to: first stage researchers with an accredited B2.2 English level and who do not have English as a native or native-like language
The School for Doctoral Studies organises, together with the Languages Service, this course aimed at strengthening researchers’ skills for presentations in English in working sessions, workshops, seminars and conferences. Participants will learn to control anxiety and nerves before a presentation, to choose and organize contents to make an interesting and persuasive oral presentation and to adapt their discourse to the public. They will also learn to develop and use a script and other support systems for the transmission of content (PowerPoint or Prezi), to express themselves naturally and to manage the questions of the audience. The course also focuses on aspects such as register and linguistic correctness.
More information and registrations via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Good Research Practices and Research Integrity at the UAB
Virtual self-learning course available all the academic year-round.
Mode: virtual
Trainer: Ethics Committee on Animal and Human Experimentation
Language: English
Addressed to: first stage researchers
The School for Doctoral Studies organises this online seminar to transmit to early career researchers their responsibilities as future scientists, including awareness of and ability to deal with issues concerning research integrity and research ethics in a wider sense while promoting responsible conduct of research. Early career researchers will have the opportunity to learn ethical principles and apply them to problems they will encounter during their professional activities as researchers.
More information via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Open Access Publishing of Research Data
Date: several sessions
Mode: virtual
Language: Catalan and Spanish
Trainer: Servei de Biblioteques
Addressed to: first starge researchers
The School for Doctoral Studies organises, together with the Libraries Service, this course that aims to offer a general overview on the publication of open access research data. Firstly, attendees will be given an explanation about research data, the benefits of publishing them open access and the regulations ruling it. The repositories to publish those data will also be explained, such as the institutional repository for research data at UAB, CORA RDR.
Contents
- Research data
- Requirements
- FAIR principles
- CORA RDR
- Other research data repositories
- Good practices
Registrations and timetables via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Data Management Plan for PhD Students
Date: several sessions
Mode: virtual
Language: Catalan and Spanish
Trainer: Servei de Biblioteques
Addressed to: first stage researchers.Specially recommended for 1st year PhD students
The School for Doctoral Studies organises, together with the Libraries Service, this course where all aspects related to the creation of a Data Management Plan (DMP) will be discussed, showing the specific template for doctoral students of the CORA.eiNa DMP application, as well as the elements that must be included in the DMP to ensure that the data generated will be FAIR.
Contents
- Data Management Plan
- FAIR contents in a DMP
- CORA.eiNA DMP
Registrations and timetables via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Welcome Session. Technical and Administrative Aspects of Doctoral Studies. Academic year 2026-2027
Date: 25/11/2026, 11 am to 12.30 pm
Mode: on-site
Venue: room Carles Perelló, (floor -1, School for Doctoral Studies)
Language: Spanish
Addressed to: first stage researchers
The Welcome Session of the UAB School for Doctoral Studies is specially addressed to first year PhD students but it is also open to other first stage researchers that may be interested in attending. This session will include a welcome by the director of the School and will aim to address the most relevant aspects related to the regulations and procedures of doctoral studies
More information and registrations via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Boosting your Research Career
Date:to be confirmed, 9.30 am to 1.30 pm
Mode: on-site
Venue: to be confirmed
Language: Catalan (materials and slides in English)
Trainer: Teresa Rosas, academic talent officer at CREAF
Addressed to: first stage researchers, specially from the second follow-up
This interactive training is designed to guide predoctoral researchers in the development of their professional careers, both inside and outside academia. Participants will have the opportunity to acquire practical tools to get to know themselves better, explore their career options, and prepare face new opportunities with confidence.
More information and registrations via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Design, Data Visualization and Illustration for Scientific Communication
Date: 1 & 3/12/2026, 10 am to 2 pm
Mode: on-site
Venue: to be confirmed
Language: Spanish
Trainer: Mikel Graphic Science
Addressed to: first stage researchers
The School for Doctoral Studies and the Scientific Dissemination Unit of the UAB organize this course aimed at promoting the dissemination of science using graphic resources.
Contents
- Design applied to the creation of scientific posters: typography, color, layout, accessibility, user experience improvement.
- Visualization of data: applied design or data viz, creation of impactful graphics in RawGraph, editing of graphics in Affinity.
- Introduction to creating illustrations for scientific figures in Affinity
- Free websites and resources
More information and registrations via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Research Design with the Idea Puzzle® Software
Date: 9/12/2026, 11 am to 12.30 pm
Mode: virtual
Language: English
Trainer: Ricardo Morais (Idea Puzzle)
Addressed to: first stage researchers
The School for Doctoral Studies organises this seminar where the use and possibilities of the Idea Puzzle® software will be explained. This software is thought to design, diagnose and defend research projects. It constitutes an investment in life-long research skills.
Contents:
- Research as a system of 21 decisions
- Theoretical decisions of your research
- Methodological decisions of your research
- Empirical decisions of your research
- Rhetoric decisions of your research
- Authorial decisions of your research
- Application to participants' research with the Idea Puzzle® software
More information via Aula Moodle (not available yet).
Gender Perspective in Research
Date: to be confirmed, 10 am to 1 pm
Mode: on-site
Venue: to be confirmed
Language: Catalan
Trainers: Ingrid Agud and Mireia Foradada, Department of Educational Theories
Addressed to: first stage researchers
The School for Doctoral Studies organises the course "Gender Perspective in Research". The course will enable researchers to embed gender equality in their own research proposals, as well as training their ability to review research proposals from a sex - gender perspective.
For more information and registrations visit the Aula Moodle (not available yet).