About PHD

The International Graduate Program of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS is organized in collaboration with the Open University (Milton Keynes, UK), which confers a PhD title recognized worldwide. The Program is part of the educational and training activities taking place in the two campuses of Milano and Bergamo.

The major aim of the Graduate Program is to train students for research careers in the fields of Pharmacology and Toxicology with particular reference to Cancer, Neurological, Cardiovascular and Kidney diseases. Other areas of interest include Environmental Toxicology, Organ Transplantation, Rare Diseases, Molecular Pharmacology and Public Health.

The entire duration of the course is 4 years.

IRFMN is certified according to the ISO 9001 European standards 2015 for the "Design and provision of specialized training courses in Biological and Medical fields also in Continuing Medical Education".

Procedures for registration with the Open University, UK

The procedure for the registration is divided in four phases.

1. Publication of the competitive call

Please read the PHD Call –Downloads

2. Pre-registration

The candidate must submit the following documents to phd@marionegri.it:  

   - the applicant’s CV;

   - when needed, a valid IELTS certificate meeting the minimum requirement of 6.5 overall score, and no less than 6.0 in any of the four elements (reading, writing, listening and speaking) obtained no more than 2 years before the registration predicted date (October 1^st, 2023);

   - the Appendix 1 module (see attachment 1);

3. Evaluation of the applications

A panel of two internal reviewers, including the Research Degree Coordinator, evaluates whether the submitted applications meet the eligibility criteria in the call.

The eligible candidates are invited to the admission test, which consists of a written and an oral session. The final decision on the acceptance of the candidate is communicated by the School Office.

4.  Registration of the accepted students

After notification of the acceptance, the student must transmit the following documents to the School Office:

-    the Application and Applicant Recommendation Form for ARCs;

-    the Research Project;

-    the applicant's CV;

-    Animal Care Unit certification (for thesis projects requiring the use of animals);

-    the completed Supervisor CV forms of the Director of Studies and the external Supervisor;

-    a copy of the IELTS certificate, if required;

-    a copy of a valid identity document (identity card or passport);

-    a copy of the Degree Certificate with exams.