The PhD@UC initiative was a proposal from UC doctoral students, approved by the Scientific Council of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research. The initial proposal came from a partnership between the co-founder of the PubHD initiative, Ana Teresa Viegas, the doctoral students' representative at the UC General Council, Luís Bento Rodrigues, and the doctoral students' representative at the FCTUC Assembly, Luís Coimbra.
The first general meeting, which marked the beginning of PhD@UC, took place on 27/9/2018, having gathered more than fifty doctoral students who generically approved the initiative and who were divided into the three committees, having laid the foundations for its activity.