The PhD Course in "Energy and Sustainable Development" is characterized by a strong multidisciplinary approach, allowing it to be addressed to graduates from various disciplines, from engineering to biotechnology, from agriculture to occupational medicine.
The course is held at the Biomass Research Center, structured section of CIRIAF (Interuniversity Research Center on Pollution and Environment "M.Felli"), which has its administrative headquarters at the Engineering Pole of the University of Perugia.
The training and research activities of the course are mainly organized and carried out at this location. The course lasts three years, the structured teaching activity is concentrated in the first two years, while the third year is more oriented to the research activity aimed at writing the PhD thesis.
The completion of the course is given by the acquisition of 30 ECTS credits in the three-year period, achievable by attending frontal teaching and seminars organized by the same PhD course (at least 12 mandatory ECTS), participating in frontal and transversal teaching offered by the University of Perugia and other Doctoral Courses, including those of a multi/inter/trans-disciplinary nature, and participating to conferences and doctoral schools. The following table outlines the correspondence between educational activities and the recognition of ECTS credits.

Type of Activity	Expected ECTS credits (minimum/student/cycle)	Recognition
Frontal teaching provided by the Doctoral Course in Energy and Sustainable Development	At least 12 ECTS credits	1 ECTS credit = 6 hours of teaching or seminars
Frontal teaching provided by other Doctoral Courses		1 ECTS credit = 6 hours of teaching or seminars 1.5 ECTS credits = 6 hours if the course or seminar is held abroad
Frontal and transversal teaching at the University and/or other Doctoral Courses, even from other Universities, of a multi/inter/trans-disciplinary nature	At least 6 ECTS credits	1 ECTS credit = 6 hours of teaching or seminars 1.5 ECTS credits = 6 hours if the course or seminar is held abroad
Congresses and doctoral schools	At least 3 ECTS credits	Doctoral schools = 1 ECTS credit/day National conferences = 0.5 ECTS credits/day International conferences = 1 ECTS credit/day
TOTAL	At least 30 ECTS credit

Moreover, other training activities, such as integrative teaching or tutoring, are provided, but they do not contribute to the attainment of ECTS credits. The fundamental cornerstone of the three-year program is the assisted research activity, supervised by the main tutor and co-tutors. It is complemented by presentations at conferences on the achieved results, the publication of scientific articles, the acquisition of patents, and concludes with the drafting of the doctoral thesis.

The course is divided into two curricula:
- Energy and environmental comfort, where training and research activities are planned aimed at the study of technologies for the production and conscious use of energy, the analysis of innovative solutions for energy efficiency, the evaluation of the impacts of the aforementioned technologies and devices on environmental comfort and health.
- Energy and resources from agriculture and territory, where training and research activities are planned aimed at the study of energy solutions for the agricultural sector, the sustainable promotion of the territory and the mitigation and monitoring of the related risks, the analysis of the resources available in the agricultural and territorial sector for the purposes of a rational use of energy.