The PhD Programme in Crop Science at the University of Padova received an outstanding evaluation from the ANVUR External Evaluation Committee (CEV), confirming the excellence of its educational model, research environment, and quality assurance system. All three quality aspects assessed by the CEV—programme design, organization of training and research activities, and quality monitoring and continuous improvement—were rated “Fully satisfactory“, the highest evaluation level assigned to individual assessment criteria.
The Committee particularly recognized the Programme’s clear strategic vision, its highly interdisciplinary and international profile, the richness and flexibility of its advanced training offer, and the strong integration of research, innovation, and stakeholder engagement. The evaluation also highlighted the effectiveness of the supervision system, the extensive opportunities for international mobility, the excellent research infrastructure available to doctoral candidates, and the robust quality assurance framework based on continuous monitoring and evidence-driven improvement.
Importantly, the CEV identified “two Good Practices” as examples of excellence: the integrated organization of advanced training across the Agripolis campus’s doctoral programmes, which promotes interdisciplinary exchange and optimizes educational resources, and the Programme’s dedicated funding scheme supporting both outgoing doctoral mobility and the attraction of international scholars and scientific initiatives.
Overall, the evaluation confirms the PhD Programme in Crop Science as a high-quality doctoral programme that combines academic excellence, internationalization, innovation, and an effective quality management system, providing an outstanding environment for the education of the next generation of researchers in plant and agricultural sciences.