ABOUT

AFRODITA project is a Doctoral Network (DN) designed to train a new generation of excellent researchers through a Joint Doctorate programme aimed at Advancing Fertility and Reproduction thrOugh Dedicated and Innovative Technological Applications.

AFRODITA DN is a Marie-Skłodowska Curie Action (MSCA) funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme. The consortium comprises 9 beneficiary institutions and 8 associated partners. It brings together key scientific staff from the academia (5 European universities and 3 research centres), one hospital and the corporate world (8 enterprises). The University of Murcia (Spain) coordinates the action and the 17 participating institutions are distributed across 9 countries: Spain, France, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy and the USA.

The project started on March 1st 2024 and will end on February 29th 2028.

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SUMMARY

The AFRODITA consortium is taking up the challenge to study ART-derived effects on the health of offspring, the underlying mechanisms and their consequences and to propose comprehensive solutions. AFRODITA aims to prepare new researchers to address these issues and jointly deliver an innovative international, multi-sectoral, and multidisciplinary research and training programme (Joint Doctorate). The programme will bring together expertise from the academia and the corporate world to ensure excellent training and effective supervision for AFRODITA’s 15 doctoral candidates and future Ph.D.s. This holistic approach to Doctoral Candidates (DC) training will enhance their career opportunities for different career paths. The DC are required to conduct independent research on a specific topic (see 15 Projects) to obtain a European Joint Degree from 2 European Universities (Beneficiaries).

AFRODITA will be jointly supervised within a joint governance structure in which the beneficiaries, associated partners and DC will be actively involved. The Doctoral programme will expose DCs to academic and non-academic sectors, allowing them to acquire a comprehensive set of transferable skills relevant to their specific research area.

The consortium has a proven track record in this field and a history of successful scientific collaboration. From 2015 to 2019 some supervisors participated in another European Joint Doctorate (REP-BIOTECH) which successfully trained 15 PhD students. With the accumulated expertise of both existing and new members, the consortium now faces new challenges with a stronger technological capabilities.

Furthermore, due to the diversity among the participating institutions, the DC will be equipped to tackle present and future challenges in transforming knowledge and ideas into products and services that provide economic and social benefits. The approach incorporates animal and human fertility, reproductive health and reproductive technologies.