To improve the quality of Europe's academic research, its higher-education institutions must upgrade doctoral programmes, says the European University Association (EUA). Representing some 900 institutions, the EUA adopted a series of recommendations on 21 October. These include: developing a variety of research programmes in different fields at individual institutions; creating supervisory guidelines and training programmes for areas such as project management; and giving PhD researchers supervision, career support and the opportunity to develop their own research topics. “A good part of the research that goes on in Europe is done by doctoral students,” says Thomas Jørgensen, head of the EUA's council for doctoral education. “We cannot waste this resource.”