The International Graduate School (IGS) North-South is dedicated to advancing sustainable development worldwide and focuses on education at the PhD level to establish a leading international research network that analyses the impacts and opportunities of global change. The PhD programme emphasizes an integrative, partnership-based research approach, as well as innovation and application. More than 100 PhD candidates from around the world are currently enrolled.
The IGS North-South was developed within the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South. It is based on an inter-university agreement between the universities of Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Zurich in Switzerland, and selected cooperation agreements with leading universities from countries in the global South and East. IGS North-South PhD candidates may attend courses offered by the school’s partner universities. The IGS North-South certificate “of Specialization in Sustainable Development” will supplement the degree they receive from their home institution.
In order to provide appropriate training, the IGS North-South offers disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary courses.
New international PhD students at the University of Bern are warmly encouraged to join MILSA inbound, an intercultural learning program that includes cultural and social activities in Bern. Find their program here.
The courses for the autumn semester 2024 have been published and are open for registration.
The autumn semester’s 2024 Transferable Skills (Post)Doc Program, University of Bern
With the formulated recommendations this report presents an important source for the IGS North-South and other (doctoral) education programmes to strengthen the process of decolonizing academia.
North–South research collaboration is still largely determined by power imbalances between the global North & South. So, it’s high time to decolonize research. Read the interview with IGS Alumni Ravaka Andriamihaja, who investigated the issues at stake for the KFPE.
Management Centre
International Graduate School North-South
University of Bern
Mittelstrasse 43
CH-3012 Bern
+41 31 684 52 71
+41 31 684 69 57