This project will study trends in doctoral education in different developing regions of the world and provide occasions for dialogue and networking so as to foster stronger doctoral education partnerships between Europe Asia, Africa and Latin America.While the European Union's Lisbon Agenda and the parallel Bologna process reforms have stressed the importance of PhD graduates in meeting economic and social ambitions in Europe, the doctoral education dialogue naturally extends beyond Europe, and developing countries and emerging economies are now embracing the strong need to train and retain researchers who can become true motors for innovation and economic development that is based on human resources and economic diversification. Underpinning these trends, cross-border collaboration in doctoral education has intensified and new and innovative forms of delivery, such as joint doctoral degrees, have gained strategic attention from many universities. This project is based upon the premise that increased collaboration on doctoral education between European universities and the targeted regions offers mutual benefits. Universities in developing countries can use collaborations to build capacity and to get access to know-how, while European universities benefit from partner universities in specific locations of research interest, fruitful exchange of students, opportunities to jointly conceive curricula that are of greater international relevance, exchange of staff, etc.The project will immediately target leaders of doctoral schools and doctoral education in four regions, but will disseminate outcomes to a wider pool of higher education stakeholders, ranging from governments to research council to donors.The objectives of the project are the following:-to enhance collaborative doctoral education between European universities and their partners in Southern Africa, Asia and Latin America. -to promote the Erasmus Mundus programme and other EC programmes as vehicles to develop doctoral education collaboration and explore specifically the role of joint degrees-to strengthen the North-South-South partnership dimension in university collaboration in order to enhance capacity building in doctoral education -to promote European doctoral education, by enhancing its international visibility and sharing recent developments under the Bologna Process to international partners.-to enhance the participation of universities and university organisations from Africa, Asia and Latin America in international dialogue fora on doctoral education and to facilitate information exchange, best practice exchange and networking between higher education and research stakeholders from different regionsThe specific outputs will be the following:-Survey that will map trends in doctoral education across the three target regions and compare with current trends in Europe. -Publication providing a snapshot overview on the state of play in doctoral education in Southern Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and identifying major opportunities and challenges for enhanced cooperation with European partners. -3 dialogue workshops, one in each of the targeted partner regions for the exchange of good practice -Active participation of key project beneficiaries from LA, Africa and Asia to the first European led global forum for doctoral education leadership (EUA-Council for Doctoral Education, Spring 2011)-Final policy/dissemination conference with recommendations for European collaborations with developing regions in doctoral education and implications for Erasmus MundusUltimately the project will promote doctoral education as a globally cooperative endeavor, and international partnership as a key element of quality and attractiveness.