Over 1,100 applications submitted for the doctoral education pilot programmes
A total of 1,143 applications were submitted for the 85 open vacancies. The most popular pilot programmes were Sustainability Transformations and the Graduate School in Particle and Nuclear Physics, which received, respectively, 190 and 185 applications. The Graduate School in Particle and Nuclear Physics is a pilot programme coordinated by the University of Jyväskylä. The largest number of applications for their one open position was submitted to the Circular Materials Bioeconomy Network: From bio-based resources to advanced materials (CIMANET), which received 85 applications.
“The interest in all the pilots has been surprisingly high, which is a testament to our strong networks and successful marketing,” says Vice Rector Henrik Kunttu. “It should be noted, however, that the same applicants have potentially applied to various universities. Now those running the programmes have a big task ahead of them in selecting 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.
April also saw a record amount of study right applications for doctoral studies, altogether 302 applications, reflecting the wide interest in the doctoral studies of the University of Jyväskylä.
