In February 2023, the President of the European Commission highlighted a unique generational opportunity for the European Union (EU) to secure its industrial leadership in the growing net-zero industrial value chains. The EU is committed to spearheading the twin transitions of digitalisation and energy system transformation and turning skills into high-quality jobs. The POTENT (‘Ports as Energy Transition Hubs’) doctoral training network will explore the strategic role of Europe’s ports in this transition. It brings together a multidisciplinary network of academic and non-academic partners to provide interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral research training for 15 doctoral candidates (DCs). The training is structured into thematic work packages: 'Transition Infrastructure', 'Socio-Techno-Economic Analysis', and 'Port Governance and Business Models'. POTENT is designed as a leadership and inclusion platform with an encompassing approach for securing gender equality in recruitment, supervision and training, and in research design. The DCs are supervised by at least three academic and one non-academic supervisor. Academic supervisors are primarily Category A Researchers, guaranteeing high-quality research training. Non-academic supervisors serve primarily in mid-management and executive roles in world-class organizations across the energy transition system. Guided by Innovative Doctoral Training principles, POTENT strengthens excellence, interdisciplinarity, global mobility and networking – incorporating 15 academic and 18 non-academic secondments. The key innovative aspects of POTENT include state-of-the-art knowledge integration and multidisciplinary research. The programme offers robust career development support through a combination of local, network, and external skills training, complemented by rigorous quality assurance measures. The DCs will acquire the necessary know-how and transferable skills to support the green industrial policies of the EU.