"DOC-CAREERS II has been conceived as an exploratory action to test the feasibility of Regional Workshops as an instrument to foster university-business/enterprise collaboration. DOC-CAREERS I project identified that many views on opportunities, challenges and barriers hindering university-industry cooperation are shared by both partners and that there are no “one-size-fits-all” solutions or ways forward. In fact, they tend to be specific to every case, including local or regional cultural differences. In order to capture this diversity, DOC-CAREERS II will look uniquely at how universities work with their regional partners in doctoral education, especially in regions of the new EU Member States.The regional focus of the action will allow us to identify examples of university collaboration with local SME, large R&D enterprises, RTD performers, NGO’s and other industries (health care, cultural, etc.). A series of five Regional Workshops will be held in selected locations in Europe (Eastern, Southern, Central-North), with the intention to bring together partners interested in cooperation through doctoral education. If the action is proved to be successful, the Regional Workshop instrument could be promoted in the context of the future work of the EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE). Other possible ways forward will be explored, in particular with the other three partners of the Responsible Partnering Initiative (EIRMA, EARTO and ProTon Europe).Main expected impacts of DOC-CAREERS II include: greater awareness of skill developments and mobility strategies in doctoral training in Europe with a view of career development and employability; empirical insights for reforming doctoral programmes; improvement in regional cooperation and networking in a dialogue with different potential employers; building lasting partnerships, networks and joint initiatives aimed at improving collaboration between private and public sectors."