Not sure how to edit, but I was overly harsh: my point about the European programs is that <i>many</i> combine their short duration with requiring a project proposal going in, which <i>often</i> is used by PIs to work on the next ~deterministic step of their existing research program. For students in that situation, a postdoc (or darwinian trial by fire as a professor) is necessary to learn how to lead research.<p>The above is not always true, but when it is, I view the US system as fulfilling its mission better. Whether everyone is suited to the US system and leading innovative projects is another story.