Recruitment for the doctoral education pilot draws extensive interest

This spring, the University of Jyväskylä has 85 open vacancies for doctoral researchers within ten field-specific doctoral education pilots, in, among others, science, education and information technology.

29.4.2024

In some pilots the application period has already ended, and interest in these positions has been extensive: for the 17 places in quantum science and technology pilots, altogether 133 applications were submitted and for the 22 places in the EDUCA-Doc pilot in Education the number was 114. In most pilots, the application period ends in April. The Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Social Services and the Sustainability Transition pilots open their application periods at the end of April.

"The application numbers for all pilots are surprisingly high, indicating the contribution of strong networks and successful marketing," says Vice Rector Henrik Kunttu. "It must be noted, though, that the same applicants may have applied for several universities. Now the pilot managers face an arduous work in selecting the new doctoral students."

The doctoral education pilot for 2024-2027 is an extension of researcher training funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The national pilot aims at reforming and expanding doctoral education in a sustainable way so that it will better respond to the needs of society and the labour market while strengthening Finland's international competitiveness and securing its supply of expertise. At the same time, it will nurture the conditions for research knowledge to produce new, useful innovations.

The University of Jyväskylä received 85 spots for doctoral researchers within ten field-specific doctoral education pilots, which are implemented in consortiums of several universities during the funding period of about three and a half years, from 1 August 2024 to 31 December 2027.

The purpose of the doctoral education pilot is to increase the number of high-level experts with doctoral degrees in Finland. The field-specific pilots will include new doctoral education practices to enable the completion of a doctoral dissertation within three years as well as to support the employment of newly graduated doctoral degree holders in the public and private sectors.

Tuula Oksanen