911±¬ÁÏÍø

Doctoral education pilot

Doctoral education pilot at 911±¬ÁÏÍø

We have hired 178 doctoral researchers in the doctoral education pilot funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.

A gold-plated cryostat sits half open with many cables coming out from the bottom.

What is the pilot about?

The Ministry of Education and Culture has allocated EUR 255 million to Finnish universities for piloting new practices in doctoral education in 2024–2027. This additional funding is used for recruiting 1000 new doctoral researchers with an employment contract. Of these ministry-funded 1000 doctoral researchers in Finland, 800 focus on areas in the flagship programmes of the Research Council of Finland, while 200 work in other research fields.

A flagship is an effective mix of cutting-edge research, impact in support of economic growth or society, close connections to the business sector and society at large, adaptability, and a strong commitment from host organisations. Flagships are high-quality, high-impact competence clusters.

More about the Finland Flagship programme funding

Societal impact

The pilot is a major effort to strengthen research activities and the impact of research and expertise in society at large. The project aims to increase the number of doctoral graduates and to reform doctoral education and strengthen its social impact.

The growing need for researchers was identified in the report of the Finnish Parliamentary Working Group on Research, Development and Innovation. The doctoral education pilot enables universities to respond to the ever-increasing talent shortage and supply the workforce with researcher training across sectors without compromising the quality of education.

More information: docpilot@aalto.fi

Aalto has 178 doctoral researchers in 11 pilot programmes

The positions in the new doctoral education pilot are divided into different fields. The majority of the positions are in the flagship programme areas of the Research Council of Finland. At Aalto, flagships in the areas of quantum technology, materials bioeconomy, and artificial intelligence received the largest number of positions. The recruitment of new doctoral students began at 911±¬ÁÏÍø in spring 2024, and the first new doctoral researchers started their employment at the beginning of August 2024.

Pilot programmes coordinated by Aalto

911±¬ÁÏÍø coordinates three national doctoral pilot programmes.

Pilot programmes Aalto participates in

911±¬ÁÏÍø is part of eight other pilot programmes that are coordinated from other universities.

We invite companies to participate in the pilot

911±¬ÁÏÍø invites companies to participate in the pilot! The call for doctoral thesis project partners has closed, but we still need more mentors for the doctoral students.

Doctoral hats

Join the MEC-funded doctoral pilot at 911±¬ÁÏÍø 2024-2027

911±¬ÁÏÍø offers companies and organizations a unique opportunity to participate in the doctoral education pilot funded by MEC.

Corporate collaboration
Dipoli julkisivu Käpy-teos Kuva: Markus Sommers / Aalto-yliopisto

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SLUSH 2019

Future talents

Hey employer!​ Let’s connect each student with Finnish working life.

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A large group of people is standing in front of a screen that reads 'QDOC KICKOFF March 11-12, 2025'.

Doctoral education at 911±¬ÁÏÍø

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