Corporate collaboration

Invest in the future: Doctoral thesis collaboration

Long-term collaboration in the form of a doctoral project enables not only solutions to future technological or business challenges, but also knowledge transfer and dialogue, where the company, the university and the doctoral student all learn from each other. Doctoral students graduating from collaborative projects are well equipped to apply their academic knowledge and research methods to business and product development challenges.

A doctoral student creates new knowledge through their own research and learns to distinguish between true and false information with the support of experienced researchers at Aalto University. The doctoral student is part of an international academic scientific community and grows professionally into an expert in their own field.

Doctoral students can tailor parts of their degree to support their own career goals, often including valuable innovation and communication skills relevant for positions in the private sector.

Collaboration in doctoral education is beneficial for companies and other organizations in several ways:

You gain visibility as an employer and network with future specialists in the field
You can find new experts to join your company
As a partner, you can also participate in planning the project and supervision of the doctoral student, gaining insight into the research

We see doctoral education as an investment in the future. It provides skills for solving demanding technological challenges and for mastering complex matters. Doctoral graduates have strong university networks that help keep us at the forefront of technological development.

Tuomas Nurmi, Senior HR Manager, Murata Electronics Oy

Ways to collaborate on a doctoral thesis

Common ways to collaborate on doctoral dissertations include contract research and, in many cases, co-funded projects. Projects funded through competitive third-party funding (e.g. Business Finland) typically include research that will become a part of a dissertation, but doctoral thesis work can often also be realized as bilateral co-funded projects.

In a doctoral project carried out as contract research, the business partner has the greatest opportunity to influence the content of the research, and IPR ownership can be agreed in advance. Publishing is important for the timely completion of the thesis, but the terms of publication and the protection of the resulting innovations can always be negotiated.

More information about contract research

Co-funded doctoral research allows long-term research collaboration with a small investment. In addition to possibility to gain exploitable results, the doctoral thesis partner gains insight into current research in the field and will have access to the expertise of the academic network through the project.

For a doctoral student, a topic with practical relevance, close contact with the business partner and an industrial thesis advisor are diversifying and motivating factors. Work or internships in the company during the project may also be an option.

More information about co-funded research projects

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 is now looking for companies to join the pilot, either as a project partner or as a mentor for a doctoral student.

How to start doctoral thesis collaboration?

If you would like to get involved in a long-term partnership that will increase your future opportunities but do not know where or how to start, contact the Aalto Corporate Relations team. We will help you find the right partner among our professors to take your research topic from an idea to a doctoral project.