Three Minute Thesis

Coimbra Group 3MT Competition

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Founded in 1985 and formally constituted by Charter in 1987, the Coimbra Group (CG) is an association of long-established European comprehensive, multidisciplinary universities of high international standard committed to creating special academic and cultural ties in order to promote, for the benefits of its members, internationalisation, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and research, and service to society. It is also the purpose of the Group to influence European education and research policy and to develop best practice through the mutual exchange of experience.

The Coimbra Group 3MT competition was launched in 2017 by the Doctoral Studies Working Group, in line with one of their strategic priorities geared towards the professional development of PhD candidates. It has been held on an annual basis since then.

This competition is open to any CG member university on a voluntary basis. Each participating institution must hold their own internal 3MT competition to select a local winner. An information meeting is organised with the technical committee in the autumn to brief all participating institutions on the 3MT rules set out by the University of Queensland and related technical criteria and to share relevant tips and advice.

The network-wide competition then consists of two phases:

  • in the first phase, the winner of each local contest competes against other local winners via video submission, after the technical committee has completed an eligibility check. All CG Universities are invited to vote online by assigning 3, 2 and 1 point(s) to their preferred top three contestants. 
  • the live final is the second and last phase of the competition, where the three shortlisted presenters are assessed by an international judging panel for a first prize and two runners-up. The live final takes place every year at a different host CG University in connection with the CG Annual Conference.

For more information on the CG 3MT Competition including timeframes, the entry process, and past laureates, visit the Coimbra Group website.