Doctoral Programmes 2012–2015

Aim

Doctoral programmes (previously graduate schools) funded by the Academy of Finland and the Ministry of Education and Culture are assigned the task to provide systematic, high-level and supervised doctoral training for a fixed period. Doctoral training shall provide the skills and competencies needed for research positions and for other demanding expert positions. Doctoral programmes contribute to ensuring the supply of a sufficient number of high-level researchers and experts to meet the needs of universities, business and industry, and society at large.

Under this call, funding is applied to establish new doctoral programmes (e.g. scientific breakthroughs) and for continued funding, and to renew and further develop existing doctoral programmes.

Funding

Applications are invited for doctoral programme positions and for operating grants for the four-year term 2012–2015. The full cost model does not apply to this call.

• The four-year doctoral programme positions funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture are intended for full-time work on a doctoral dissertation. Doctoral candidates are hired to these positions generally for the entire four-year term. Each university shall be responsible for ensuring that the pay of doctoral candidates corresponds to the university’s wage scheme.
• The operating grants allocated by the Academy to doctoral programmes are intended for purposes of arranging systematic and high-level education and for systematic cooperation on an international, national and sectoral level.

Funding period

1 January 2012–31 December 2015

Review of applications, funding decisions

Applications for doctoral programmes are reviewed by the Academy of Finland’s Research Councils. The primary evaluation criterion is the scientific quality and the quality of the operations of the doctoral programme, as demonstrated in the application. Doctoral programmes shall be closely tied in with the universities’ own or joint strength areas of research, Centres of Excellence in research, existing research networks, or they may be new breakthroughs for universities and shall support universities’ strategy and profile. With a view to increasing international collaboration and networking, doctoral programmes are encouraged to recruit doctoral candidates from abroad and to invest in international exchange within the programme. Doctoral programmes typically also involve doctoral candidates receiving other funding than the funding to universities from the State Budget (Budget, item 29.40.50).

Evaluation criteria:

1. quality of the scientific or artistic activity of research and the research environment: business idea, research community and research infrastructures, results
2. education: training and education according to discipline, field of research or art, general skills and competencies, other activity
3. cooperation: international and national cooperation and networking, including contacts with society
4. quality of operations: administration, good practices, supervision, operating environment 

In the review of applications, attention is also paid to aspects such as the need for PhDs in the field represented by the doctoral programme and the placement of PhDs, the human resources policy applied in the programme, other general strategies and development goals for doctoral programmes, the feasibility of the resource plan, and the universities’ commitment to the programmes proposed to be funded.

The Academy of Finland will decide on the doctoral programme positions and the operating grants by 31 March 2011. The Ministry of Education and Culture will allocate the resources for doctoral training to the universities in accordance with the Academy’s decision, and the Academy will grant the operating grants.

How to apply

The responsible director of the doctoral programme submits the application to the Academy of Finland.

• The responsible director requests the signature of the host university (commitment of the site of research) on the application. The signature is given in the Academy’s online services with a tailor-made function. The signatory is a person that is authorised to sign on behalf of the university. 
• The responsible director shall also request a letter of commitment from the host university proving the university’s economic and strategic commitment to the potential doctoral programme (incl. coordination costs, see section Appendices, Appendix 4). The letter of commitment shall be signed by a person authorised to sign on behalf of the university.

Application deadline

Applications can be drafted and submitted in the Academy’s online services from 2 August 2010 through to 15 September 2010 (www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers >Log in to online services. Log in and select New application > Doctoral programmes 2012–2015). The application deadline is 15 September 2010 at 16.15. The deadline is non-negotiable.

The Academy’s general application guidelines concerning all Academy calls are applied to this call where applicable. The guidelines are available at www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > How to apply > Guidelines. Applications can be made in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Appendices

1. The action plan of the doctoral programme for 2012–2015, and from ongoing doctoral programmes a report for 2008–2009 (action plan no more than 12 pages, and action plan and report together no more than 18 pages, see detailed guidelines
2. Excel tables for the action plan and action report (see detailed guidelines)
3. Curricula vitae and lists of publications
   A) Curriculum vitae and list of publications for the responsible director of the doctoral programme, no more than five pages (see detailed guidelines)
   B) Curricula vitae and lists of publications for the most important supervisors in terms of the programme operations (max. ten supervisors, no more than two pages per supervisor). See detailed guidelines.
4. Commitment letter by the university

The letter of commitment by the university shall prove the university’s economic and strategic commitment to the potential doctoral programme. The letter shall be signed by a person who has been authorised to sign on behalf of the university. In the letter, the university shall group all its doctoral programme applications into categories A–C in accordance with the university’s strategy and profile. A brief rationale shall be presented for the classification.

If the university gives its commitment to the applications of both the university’s own doctoral programmes and network programmes, the university’s doctoral programmes shall be grouped into one letter of commitment and network programmes into another letter (detailed guidelines).

More information

• www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > Funding opportunities > Doctoral programmes
• tohtoriohjelmat@aka.fi
• Science Adviser Aki Salo (Health Research Unit), tel. (09) 7748 8244
• Senior Science Adviser Jussi Lindström (Biosciences and Environment Research Unit, tel. (09) 7748 8234
• Science Adviser Jenni Virtanen (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Unit ), tel. 040 159 1394 
• Science Adviser Risto Vilkko (Culture and Society Research Unit), tel. (09) 7748 8232