Mid-Term Assessment Procedure - Szkoła Doktorska Instytutu Immunologii i Terapii Doświadczalnej PAN

Mid-Term Assessment Procedure

Mid-Term AssessmentDownload PDF

 

Par. 1 [General Provisions and Preparatory Actions]

  1. The mid-term assessment of doctoral students at the Doctoral School of the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences (DS IIET PAS) is conducted pursuant to the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws 2018, item 1668, as amended) and the Regulations of the DS IIET PAS (adopted by resolution of the Scientific Council of 29 April 2025).
  2. The mid-term assessment of a doctoral student is conducted by the Mid-Term Assessment Committee (hereinafter “the Committee”), appointed separately for each doctoral student or group of students.
  3. The Head of DS IIET PAS, or their Deputy, will prepare proposals for the composition of the Committee before the completion of two years of study, taking into account statutory and regulatory requirements and ensuring there is no conflict of interest with respect to the students or their supervisors.
  4. Candidates for Committee membership must provide their consent, confirming the absence of any conflict of interest.
  5. Prior to the appointment of the Committee, doctoral students and their supervisors will be informed of the proposed membership and may raise objections to the participation of specific individuals.

 

Par. 2 [Mid-Term Assessment Committee]

  1. The Committee, together with its Chair, will be appointed by the School Council of DS IIET PAS (hereinafter ‘the School Council’) no later than two months before the completion of the student’s second full year of doctoral studies, in accordance with the principle of avoiding actual or potential conflicts of interest between Committee members and the supervisor, auxiliary supervisor, or student.
  2. The composition of the Committee will be made public and communicated to the doctoral student and the supervisor immediately following its appointment by the School Council.
  3. Only individuals holding the degree of Doctor Habilitated or the title of Professor may serve as Committee members.
  4. The Committee will comprise three members, including at least one holding the degree of Doctor Habilitated or the title of Professor in the discipline of the doctoral dissertation, employed outside IIET PAS and not employed at IIET PAS.
  5. Supervisors, auxiliary supervisors, the Director of the Institute, the Head of the Doctoral School, or their Deputy may not serve as Committee members.
  6. In the event of an actual or potential conflict of interest between a Committee member and the supervisor, auxiliary supervisor, or student, the School Council may amend the composition of the Committee at any time.
  7. The doctoral student will be notified of the date and location of the mid-term assessment at least 14 days in advance. The supervisor, auxiliary supervisor, and Doctoral Students’ Self-Government will also be notified.

Par. 3 [Conduct of the Mid-Term Assessment]

  1. No later than seven days prior to the Committee meeting:
    a) The doctoral student will submit the Mid-Term Assessment Report, constituting Annex 1 to this document (summary of scientific accomplishments);
    b) The supervisor(s) will provide an evaluation of the student’s progress in preparing the doctoral dissertation, the likelihood of completing studies on time, and their opinion of the student, including details of the student’s individual contribution to research work.
  2. Documents referred to in Par. 3(1) hereof, together with the Individual Research Plan (IRP) and reports submitted during the course of study, will be promptly made available to Committee members.
  3. The Chair of the Committee will organise and conduct the meeting at which the mid-term assessment is performed.
  4. The doctoral student and all Committee members will participate in the meeting, with the student attending only the open session. Additionally, at the request of the student, a representative of doctoral students designated by the Self-Government may attend the entire meeting without voting rights.
  5. In justified cases, and after consultation with the Head of the Doctoral School or their Deputy, the Committee meeting or participation of individual members may take place via electronic communication means.
  6. The mid-term assessment will be conducted based on:
    a) the student’s Individual Research Plan (IRP);
    b) review of documentation provided by the student and supervisor(s);
    c) an interview with the student, during which they present their achievements to date, a report on the implementation of the IRP, and respond to questions from the Committee. The presentation will be in English; the discussion may take place in English or Polish.
  7. The assessment will evaluate the implementation of the IRP. The Committee will consider the following criteria:
    a) whether the tasks planned in the IRP for the period under review have been completed and properly documented;
    b) whether the progress of tasks extending beyond the review period aligns with the timeline in the IRP;
    c) whether planned publications (articles, conference presentations) during the review period were completed and are consistent with the IRP;
    d) whether any delays in implementing the IRP are justified, documented, and whether corrective actions were appropriate;
    e) whether any outstanding IRP tasks threaten the planned dissertation submission date and whether these can be completed after the assessment.
  8. The Committee will issue a positive mid-term assessment if the student is implementing the IRP without unjustified delays, has completed planned tasks during the review period, no delays threaten the dissertation submission date, and the student’s overall progress indicates successful continued implementation of the IRP.
  9. If the conditions for a positive assessment are not met, the Committee will issue a negative assessment.
  10. After the student’s presentation and responses, the Committee will deliberate in private and adopt a resolution on the assessment outcome.
  11. In the event of disagreement among Committee members, the Chair will call a roll-call vote, with decisions taken by a simple majority.
  12. The Committee will prepare minutes of the meeting, including the assessment and its justification. If the meeting occurs via electronic means, the Chair will sign the minutes and adopted resolutions.
  13. The assessment outcome and justification will be communicated in writing to the doctoral student and supervisor within seven days of the assessment.

 

Par. 4 [Final Provisions]

  1. A doctoral student receiving a negative mid-term assessment may appeal to the School Council within 14 days of receipt of the outcome.
  2. The School Council will consider the appeal within 14 days of submission or completion of formal requirements. If formal deficiencies are found, the Council will refer the matter back to the Committee for reconsideration. If impartiality concerns arise, the School Council will appoint a new Committee.
  3. Failure to submit the required documents or to attend the mid-term assessment (except in cases of force majeure) may result in the initiation of the procedure for removal from the doctoral students’ list.
  4. If the mid-term assessment cannot be conducted on the scheduled date due to medical certification or other justified reasons, it will be held within 30 days of the cessation of the impediment. The assessment must, however, take place at the midpoint of the eight-term programme, i.e., in time to allow participation in courses scheduled for the fifth term.

 

Back to top