Corporate collaboration opens doors to working life for doctoral students
Collaboration between universities and companies on doctoral dissertations brings research results closer to practice and opens new career paths for young researchers.
Join the MEC-funded doctoral pilot at Aalto University 2024-2027
The Ministry of Education and Culture provides funding to universities for piloting new practices in doctoral education in 2024–2027. The pilot aims to increase the mobility of doctoral graduates between universities, businesses, research institutes and other organisations. Aalto University invites companies and organizations to become career mentors for doctoral students.
The national doctoral pilot programme has been launched and Aalto's 178 doctoral student positions in the pilots have been filled.
The call for doctoral thesis project partners has also closed but there is still a need for more mentors for students.
Join as a career mentor
- Exchange ideas with your student and help them build a career towards the corporate world
- Network and find new talent to recruit once the dissertation is completed
Contact us at Aalto Corporate Relations
Aalto International Talent Program for mentors
Did you know that 30% of our master's students and over 40% of our doctoral students are international? Reach this untapped potential and join us in our endeavour to make our international graduates stay in Finland!
Internationality
38
different nationalities
Strong base in Finland
37%
of Finnish origin
Diversity
37%
are female
After graduation
78%
prefer to be employed in Finland
Statistics about doctoral students selected for doctoral pilot positions at Aalto University
We have already partnered with the pilot:
Doctoral pilot programme produces the best experts in artificial intelligence
The AI-DOC doctoral pilot program produces top AI experts in Finland. Companies would be wise to establish relationships already during their doctoral studies.
The Ministry of Education and Culture will allocate EUR 255 million to universities for piloting new practices in doctoral education in 2024–2027. This additional funding will be allocated to 1,000 doctoral researchers who will have a three-year employment contract to complete their doctoral degree.
Universities will work together to improve doctoral education and reinvent practices. The field-specific pilots aim to increase the mobility of doctoral graduates between universities, businesses, research institutes and other organisations, develop direction and guidance, and promote the employment of doctoral graduates in different sectors of society.
Aalto University was granted 178 additional positions in the new doctoral education pilot funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. 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.
Each consortium participating in the pilot is developing its own approach. The recruitment of doctoral students will start as soon as possible, and the new doctoral researchers will start their thesis work either on 1 August 2024 or 1 January 2025.
The first progress report of the National Doctoral Education Pilot has been published, including some statistics on the students selected.
Distribution of the new doctoral student positions at Aalto University in different fields
Flagship programme areas:
- Quantum QDOC: Quantum science and technology doctoral pilot, 40 positions
- CIMANET: Circular Materials Bioeconomy Network – From bio-based resources to advanced materials​, 35 positions
- FCAI: Finnish Doctoral Program Network in Artificial Intelligence, 30 positions
- PREIN: Doctoral Education pilot on Photonics Research and Innovation​, 14 positions
- FAME: Doctoral Education Pilot for Mathematics of Sensing, Imaging and Modelling​, 14 positions
- DIWA: Digital Waters Doctoral Education Pilot​, 14 positions
- EDUCA: The Education for the Future​, 4 positions
Other research fields
- MIcroELectronics doctoral school pilot​, 10 positions
- Intelligent Work Machines​, 8 positions
- Doctoral pilot in Software engineering​, 5 positions
- Sustainability Transformations​, 4 positions
Read more about the doctoral pilots coordinated by Aalto University
New Finnish doctoral program in AI launching in 2024
A national consortium across 10 universities will educate 100 new PhDs in artificial intelligence research.
CIMANET Doctoral Education Network
Circular Materials Bioeconomy Network: From bio-based resources to advanced materials (CIMANET).
Quantum Doctoral (QDOC) projects at Aalto University
Here you can find all of the projects that are currently open as part of Aalto University's role in the QDOC PhD pilot programme.
Recent news
Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry. donates 630 000 euros ÄûÃʵ¼º½ University
The donation will support the development of doctoral education in water and environmental engineering.
From doctoral education to professorship of practice – The collaboration between Aalto and Valmet deepens
Aalto University and Valmet collaborate to educate doctoral-level experts in multiple fields. Valmet is interested in both doctoral research and the expertise of new doctoral graduates.
Read more about doctoral studies and company collaboration
Invest in the future: Doctoral thesis collaboration
Long-term collaboration in the form of a doctoral project enables knowledge transfer and dialogue, where both the company, the university and the doctoral student learn from each other.
Doctoral education
Everything there is to know about doctoral education for doctoral students, supervising professors and thesis advisors.