This project aims to build enabling structures to aggregate critical mass (integrating the resources of Academy of Sciences research institutes and the teaching and research capacities of universities) for PhD education in 5 regions of Ukraine. Specifically, the project will establish: 1) Administrative mechanisms (MinEdu and gov’t regulations, laws, Codes of Practice) that enable inter-HEI cooperation in PhD training, including inter-HEI payments of state funds for co-supervision and course work, guidelines for joint PhD program licensing and accreditation of programs with transfer credits. 2) Five regional doctoral training hubs (inter-HEI doctoral schools) that offer transferrable skills courses (10-12 ECTS each), and training in subject-specific academic writing (8-10 ECTS) to prepare young researchers for international publication. 3) Inter-HEI thematic clusters whose researchers focus on one of 5 subject areas: political science, education policy, finance, informatics, biochemistry. Cluster participants will develop and deliver subject-specific PhD-level courses, and jointly supervise PhD students, aiming to design and pilot joint PhD programs in their subject areas.Aggregation of critical mass will be enabled through creation of appropriate MinEdu and HEI-level regulatory frameworks that will be disseminated nationally to support implementation of the Bologna 3rd cycle in Ukraine.The five thematic clusters will facilitate the creation of joint programs between Ukrainian and EU-based HEIs, and will foster domestic aggegation of currently fragmented critical mass in research and supervision.The university-based doctoral schools will act as teaching hubs, and as administrative centers managing student trajectories (including recruitment, credit transfer, mobility) that will foster an attractive research environment that opens opportunities for international networking and publication.