Comm. Appl. Biol. Sci, Ghent University, 74/2, 2009 1 THI RD CYCLE UNI VERSI TY STUDI ES I N EUROPE I N THE FI ELD OF AGRI CULTURAL ENGI NEERI NG AND I N THE EMERGI NG DI S- CI PLI NE OF BI OSYSTEMS ENGI NEERI NG F. AYUGA 1 , D. BRI ASSOULI S 2 , P. AGUADO 3 , I . FARKAS 4 , H. GRI EPENTROG 5 , E. LORENCOWI CZ6 1 1 Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, ETSI Agronomos, Ciudad Universitaria, Spain, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros A, 28040, Madrid (Spain) 2 Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Athens, Greece (GREECE) 3 Universidad de León, Escuela Superior y Técnica de Ingeniería Agraria, Av. Portugal, 41, 24071 LEON (SPAIN) 4 Szent István University Department of Physics and Process Control, Pater K. u. 1, H-2103, , Godollo (HUNGARY) 5 The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dept. of Agricultural Sciences Environment, Resources and Technology Hoe- jbakkegaard Alle 9, DK-2630 Taastrup (DENMARK) 6 University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Department of Farm Machinery Exploitation and Management, ul. Głęboka 29, PL 20-612 Lublin (POLAND) Corresponding author E-mail: francisco.ayuga@upm.es SUMMARY The main objectives of European Thematic Network entitled ‘Education and Research in Agricultural for Biosystems Engineering in Europe (ERABEE-TN)’ is to initiate and contribute to the structural de- velopment and the assurance of the quality assessment of the emerging discipline of Biosystems Engi- neering in Europe. ERABEE is co-financed by the European Community in the framework of the LLP Programme. The partnership consists of 35 participants from 27 Erasmus countries, out of which 33 are Higher Education Area Institutions (EDU) and 2 are Student Associations (ASS). 13 Erasmus par- ticipants (e.g. Thematic Networks, Professional Associations, and Institutions from Brazil, Croatia, Rus- sia and Serbia) are also involved in the Thematic Network through synergies. To date, very few Biosystems Engineering programs exist in Europe and those that are initiated are at a very primitive stage of development. The innovative and novel goal of the Thematic Network is to promote this critical transition, which requires major restructuring in Europe, exploiting along this di- rection the outcomes accomplished by its predecessor; the USAEE-TN (University Studies in Agricul- tural Engineering in Europe). It also aims at enhancing the compatibility among the new programmes of Biosystems Engineering, aiding their recognition and accreditation at European and International level and facilitating greater mobility of skilled personnel, researchers and students. One of the technical objectives of ERABEE is dealing with mapping and promoting the third cycle studies (including European PhDs) and supporting the integration of research at the 1 st and 2 nd cycle regarding European Biosystems Engineering university studies. During the winter 2008 – spring 2009 period, members of ERABEE conducted a survey on the contemporary status of doctoral studies in Europe, and on a possible scheme for promotion of cooperation and synergies in the framework of the third cycle of studies and the European Doctorate in Biosystems Engineering in Europe. This paper presents the results of the survey. The legal regulations and their extent on the different countries concerning the third cycle are presented, along with the current structure of third cycle stud- ies. The evolution and adaptation to the new EHEA in each country is also considered. Information was also gathered on the emerging topics of the Biosystems Engineering field and how these topics could be addressed by the new doctoral programmes at the European level. Key words: third cycle, Biosystems Engineering, thematic networks, European Higher Education Area I ntroduction . The evolution from Agricultural to Biosystems Engineering in Europe During the last decade, Agricultural Engineering University studies in Europe faced dramatic problems such as decrease of student enrolment, reduced prestige, declining funding, etc. The dramatic situa- tion within this specific field of studies along with its chaotic state in terms of programme content (Briassoulis et al., 2001) was the motivation behind the establishment of the USAEE-TN project. It defined Agricultural Engineering as an application-based discipline related to the production and proc- essing of goods of biological origin from the field and the farm to the consumer (i.e. plant and animal production, post-harvest technology, process engineering, etc.). Agricultural Engineering was tradition- ally related to the protection of the natural environment and the preservation of the natural resources