21.7 million euros awarded to JYU for doctoral education
This funding will be used for implementing 15 field-specific pilots in doctoral education. Of these pilots, nine belong to specific flagship fields and six to free-choice fields. As for the doctoral researchers involved, 800 will be in the flagship fields and 200 in other fields. Universities will design consortiums to take responsibility for the implementation of field-specific pilots. The large cooperation scheme also involves research institutes and corporations.
The pilots are funded in a wide range of fields and across different regions. Currently doctoral training is funded, among others, in the fields of mathematics, artificial intelligence and social services. Among the pilot projects, there is a doctoral education pilot in the field of education, which is included in the Finnish flagship fields with a total of 78 doctoral researchers in nine universities. The related consortium involves altogether 31 public and private organisations. The consortium is led by the Ģֱ, which will educate 22 new doctors in this field.
JYU is also involved in the Finnish Quantum Flagship, the pilots of which comprise 17 doctoral researchers at JYU. In the flagship pilot for the mathematics of sensing, imaging and modelling, the share of JYU is eight doctorates. Jyväskylä is also involved in the consortium focusing on artificial intelligence as well as in the doctoral pilots of circular economy and photonics.
As for the free-choice fields, the largest field-specific pilot funded is the doctoral pilot in software engineering, with 49 doctoral researchers within the nine universities of the consortium. Of these positions, JYU got five. The Ģֱ will coordinate a pilot in nuclear physics, within which Jyväskylä received seven doctoral researcher positions. JYU is also involved in the pilots of social services and sustainability transformations.
“The received funding exceeded our expectations,” states Henrik Kunttu, Vice Rector for research. “We participate in six of the nine flagship pilots and in four other pilots. This tells about the fact that our researchers are highly desired cooperation partners. It is also delightful that the funding was distributed broadly across multiple fields. I want to thank warmly everybody who participated in this call.”
The pilots were selected on the basis of an international assessment conducted by the Research Council of Finland.
Doctoral education developed through pilots
In a pilot, universities cooperate to develop doctoral education and renew related practices. The pilots aim to increase the mobility of doctoral graduates between universities, corporations, research institutes and other organisations. Another goal is to develop guidance and supervision as well as to promote the employment of doctors to different sectors of society.
The first doctoral researchers in the field-specific pilots will start in August 2024. A total of 151 doctoral degrees were completed at the Ģֱ in 2023.
