One of the most important aspects of the Research School Ius Commune is that PhD-scholars are a member of the Research School. This implies that they not only receive a training as junior researcher which introduces them into the foundations of Ius Commune research, but also that the PhD-scholars participate as full members in all activities of the Research School.

In the general part of the training-programme attention is paid to the structure of the Research School. This general part explains the cooperation within the Research School and the possibilities offered by this particular cooperation. In this general part attention is equally paid to the Ius Commune research method, to comparative law generally and to interdisciplinary research methods, such as law and economics, law and sociology, law and psychology and the history of law.

In addition to this general part of the training programme in two so-called master classes attention is paid to the specific research of the PhD-scholar. During these master classes the PhD-researcher presents his ongoing research whereby his/her colleagues and other (senior) scholars from within and outside the Research School comment on the applied methodology and the primary results.

In addition within each separate programme seminars take place in which the PhD-researcher can participate.

Finally every PhD-researcher also follows an individual training programme. This individual training programme is aligned to the interests of the PhD-researcher.

Dr. J.M. Milo (Utrecht University) is the coordinator of the PhD Training Programme and hence responsible for coordinating the training programme.

During the yearly Ius Commune conference specific attention is paid to PhD-researchers. The yearly conference therefore provides them the opportunity to present their own research and to gain in this way experience with presenting papers in the real academic world.

The PhD-researchers of the Research School form together the PhD-council. This constitutes a meeting of all PhD-researchers within the School. Every participating faculty has a representative of the PhD-researchers. This PhD-representative takes part in negotiations with other faculties. At this moment the following persons are the PhD-representatives:

• for the Universiteit van Amsterdam: Nabil Bin M Fuad and Devrim Kroese
• for the Universiteit Utrecht: tba
• for the KU Leuven: Simon Van Eekert also chairman of the PhD-Council, Ninne Menten, Lukas Van Roy and Wout Vandermeulen
• for the Universiteit Maastricht: Eleonora di Franco and Lucia Jeremiasova

The chair person of the PhD-council also takes part in an advisory role in the meetings of the board of the Ius Commune Research School.