The PEP-UP project will identify the feasible features of PhD education programs that need to be emphasized to make engineering PhD graduates more prepared for employment in industry and more able to use their talents and training for the benefit of the economy, regions and society. Eight leading technical universities in Europe, with the contribution of two European companies and regional public authorities want to share experiences, create a task force and develop new tools to provide a more favorable context considering these alternative careers paths for PhD within companies. The anticipated results are curriculum design and its implementation. Moreover, we will have brought a new European dialogue together with universities and companies and increase the European awareness among individual participants. Bringing together students, teaching staff from participating organizations as well as other relevant experts and professionals from the private sector must contribute to a closer dialog and a better awareness of the environment, the labor context and its needs. Generally speaking, it is expected to facilitate the dialog between stakeholders, enlarge the European awareness and contribute to modernize higher education. Several dissemination actions such as the web-portal, multiplier events, workshops, journals and other published means will have a definitive impact on future curricula for PhD students and promote and sustain the results of the project.