Insights from the 13th ECADOC Summer School / COCAG COST Training Event, Dublin 2026

What makes a doctoral summer school truly valuable? Is it the knowledge gained, the methodological skills developed, or the professional relationships established? The evaluation of the 13th ECADOC Summer School suggests that its greatest strength lies in bringing all these elements together, creating a European learning community that extends beyond the five days of the event.

Held at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, from 17 to 21 August 2026, the Summer School brought together doctoral researchers and established academics under the theme “Critical Perspectives within Lifelong Guidance.” Organised as a training event within the COCAG COST Action (CA23112), it offered opportunities to critically examine contemporary challenges in career development and guidance while strengthening research capacity and international collaboration.

Strong participation and outstanding evaluations

Interest in the 2026 Summer School was particularly high. The organisers received 59 applications for doctoral participation, considerably exceeding the initially planned capacity of 30 places. Ultimately, 34 doctoral researchers from 16 European countries and 27 universities participated. The call for research methodology workshops was equally successful, attracting 44 proposals for just 12 available slots.

The evaluation results were exceptionally positive:

• 90.3% rated their overall satisfaction at 9 or 10 out of 10, with an average score of 9.52.
• 100% rated their likelihood of recommending ECADOC to another researcher at 9 or 10, with an average score of 9.94.
• 90.3% reported that participation had strengthened their connections with COCAG, increased their motivation to contribute, or improved their understanding of the Action.

These findings reflect both the appreciation of the academic programme and the value participants placed on belonging to an international research community.

More than methodological training

The programme combined keynote presentations, methodological workshops, discussions connecting research, policy and practice, and opportunities for international networking. A particularly valued element was Collective Academic Supervision (CAS), a distinctive feature of the ECADOC model. Through structured discussions with peers and experienced researchers, doctoral participants received constructive feedback on challenges arising in their own research projects.

Participants also emphasised the importance of informal exchanges, supportive relationships and exposure to different academic traditions. Such experiences can help reduce the isolation often associated with doctoral research while encouraging critical reflection and future collaboration.

Strengthening the COCAG research community

The partnership between ECADOC and COCAG illustrates how doctoral training can contribute to the longer-term development of European research networks. Importantly, the evaluation identified opportunities to sustain this engagement beyond the Summer School. Participants expressed particular interest in greater visibility of research collaboration and publication opportunities, increased support for international mobility, mentoring relationships with senior researchers, and continued methodological training.

These priorities offer valuable directions for COCAG’s ongoing efforts to support young researchers and strengthen cooperation across countries, institutions and research traditions.

Looking ahead

The 2026 evaluation reinforces an important conclusion: ECADOC is an evolving European doctoral learning community. Its distinctive combination of critical scholarship, methodological diversity, collective supervision and international collaboration provides a strong foundation for developing future researchers in career guidance and counselling. The challenge now is to build on these strengths while creating further opportunities for the relationships and collaborations initiated during the Summer School to continue and flourish.

Stay tuned! The call for applications for the 14th ECADOC Summer School, to be held in Zagreb in 2027, will be announced next month!

Interested in learning more? The 13th ECADOC Summer School / COCAG COST Training Event – Short Evaluation Report 2026, prepared by Nikos Drosos, Miika Kekki and Rie Thomsen, presents the main evaluation findings, participants’ experiences and recommendations for future development.