The PhD association of CBS (PAC) is an independent organization founded by PhDs at CBS to provide a common voice and point of reference for PhD students. The association’s purpose is to advocate for the quality of education, professional development, and the welfare and political interests of its members. If you want to know more about the organization of PAC and its history, check here.

In 2019, several PhD Fellows across Copenhagen Business School (CBS) decided that it was time to build their community. With about 200 PhD Fellows across 11 departments, CBS hosts a vibrant community of young scholars with many backgrounds and origins. It appeared essential to create a community between PhD fellows which would enable them to share their knowledge and tips on how best to conduct the PhD and PhD life, but also to serve their interests and voice their concerns. The country-wide PhD Association Network Denmark (PAND), which represents PhD Associations from many Danish universities, was a source of inspiration. Many other universities had already established their PhD Associations and PAND helped PhDs at CBS learn from them. On May 21st, 2019, early PAC founders held the very first meeting to discuss the establishment of a PhD association. The idea was greeted with enthusiasm by other PhD Fellows, the outline of PAC was designed, and its purpose was defined: PAC’s purpose is to advocate for the quality of education, professional development, and the welfare and political interests of PhD students at Copenhagen Business School. It was decided that PAC would support PhD fellows across CBS based on three pillars: the political pillar, the professional pillar and the social pillar. After several board meetings, the statutes of PAC finally came to life and the PhD Association at Copenhagen Business School was officially born.

All PhD students enrolled at Copenhagen Business School are represented by PAC. PAC also has active members who make up the board. Active membership is free of charge and on a voluntary basis, and active members can withdraw their membership at any point by notifying the Board.

The board manages PAC on a day-to-day basis. The board is elected each fall at PAC’s General Assembly, but new board members can also be admitted by the board after the General Assembly. PAC board members serve as the link between local departments and the association. Therefore, PAC strives to have all CBS departments represented in the board. For more information on how PAC is organized see here.

PAC is financed by CBS Management as a local strategic initiative for the period 2021-2024. This means that PAC has a small budget to organize activities, which is allocated by the board. All active members are engaged in PAC on a voluntary basis.

Yes, PAC has statutes. They were accepted when PAC was founded in 2019, you can find them here.

PAC collaborates closely with the PhD Committee at CBS to support the general interests of PhD students across CBS. Some of the PAC board members are also members of the PhD Committee, which ensures that we are in continuous dialogue.

Perhaps you have heard about PAND, the national PhD association of Denmark. PAND is a national network of local associations who represent PhD students at the university level. Legally, PAC is independent from PAND, but we keep a close collaboration to provide a common voice for PhD students in Denmark on nationally and internationally relevant topics. Learn more about PAND here.

Our work is organized around three pillars, a Political, Professional and Social one. Read more about them here.

We normally communicate about events and initiatives by sending out an email or calendar invite to PhD students’ official CBS email address. In addition, we post about our events and initiatives in the relevant Teams groups for PhD students. Find out more about our events related to our political pillar , our professional pillar and our social pillar. If you have an idea for an event or new initiative, you are welcome to reach out to any of our board members to discuss the possibilities.

You can find some of the resources that might help you here. In our Teams group, you can find more information and tips, and you can ask your fellow PhD students other questions that you may have. Join our Teams community here.

Your request is pending with us! We would like to ensure that our community only exists of PhD students at CBS and we therefore need to verify your request to gain access. This should happen in the next few days. If it doesn’t, contact any of our board members.

We are always happy to welcome new board members. To figure out whether joining PAC would be something for you, you can always join one of our board meetings, which are generally open to all PhD students. You are also welcome to propose an event or initiative that you would like to organize with us and then we will explore the possibilities. You can also reach out to one of our current board members to hear more about PAC and discuss possibilities.

Yes, of course! PAC includes all PhDs at CBS. Fellows, Industrial, and Independents are all welcome!

Not at all! PAC is and will always be free to join for PhDs at CBS.

At PAC, we represent all PhD students at CBS, independently of the departmental affiliation of our board members. But to ensure that we represent the common voice of PhD students at CBS as best as we can, we strive to have all departments represented on the board. So if your department does not (yet) have a PAC board member and you are interested in joining, then don’t hesitate to reach out to any of our current board members to find out about the possibilities!

Yes, you can! And actually, we would love you to come and participate. That’s the best way we can improve the PhD journey at CBS together. Usually, we have one board meeting every month (except during the summer holidays). The day might change, so please contact any of the current board members to confirm the day and place of the session.

Yes, it is! We understand you and your time. Being a PhD involves tons of study, research, and writing hours, so it’s understandable that you are busy. Board members often organize PAC initiatives, but all Ph.D. students are welcome to propose new initiatives or join an existing one.