Corporate collaboration opens doors to working life for doctoral students

Over the past year, 178 new doctoral students have enrolled at Aalto University as part of a pilot programme in doctoral studies funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. This pilot programme tests new practices in doctoral studies and was launched to help Finnish universities to respond to the growing shortage of skilled professionals, as well as to strengthen research-based innovation activities in Finland.

Right from the start of the pilot, Aalto University began building a model for corporate participation and has offered companies and organisations the opportunity to participate in the pilot. About 50 companies or organisations are already involved in the pilot, participating in doctoral thesis projects either as project partners, thesis advisors or mentors for doctoral students. The aim of the collaboration is to ease the transition of new doctors into working life and strengthen the dialogue between companies and universities. 

The majority of the doctoral student positions are in the flagship programme areas of the Research Council of Finland. At Aalto University, most places were allocated to consortia focusing on quantum technology, materials bioeconomy and artificial intelligence, all of which are coordinated by Aalto. 

Companies have been involved in CIMANET from the very start

One of the pilots led by Aalto is CIMANET, a doctoral education network for circular materials bioeconomy led by Professor Monika Österberg. Nine universities are involved in the consortium. Eight active corporate partners are participating in Aalto University's thesis projects, including Kemira, Orion, and several forest and wood industry operators.

Kemira invests in biomaterials and new expertise

One of the partners is Kemira, which has four doctoral thesis projects underway with Aalto in the CIMANET network. The company's goal is to develop new sustainable solutions through chemistry – and at the same time find future experts.

He also emphasizes the importance of a doctorate for career development:

'Many of our researchers have a doctoral degree. A thesis written in collaboration with industry is an excellent sample of work that demonstrates the ability to solve complex problems.

‘Courage, experimentation and collisions’

According to Professor Monika Österberg, the most important contribution of the doctoral pilot programme is the creation of a new culture of collaboration.

'Developing something new requires three things: courage, experimentation and collisions. Companies must have the courage to hire different kinds of people and invest in research whose results are not immediately apparent. Researchers, on the other hand, must dare to step outside their comfort zone and try new things – and our job is to bring these worlds together.'

Collaboration is not just about product development.

'Companies also value basic research, which is not usually at the core of their business, but which they can now participate in and learn from,' Österberg emphasizes. 

A doctoral thesis is an investment in the future

The doctoral students of the national doctoral pilot are mainly young – 73 percent of them are under 30 years old – and more than half of them have come to Finland from elsewhere. Yet, nearly 80 percent want to stay and work in Finnish companies after graduation.

'Learning Finnish is important for employment, even if the company's working language is English,' Österberg says. 'It is also important to establish contacts with companies early on during your studies.'

She hopes that the pilot will also lead to more permanent connections between professors and companies.

'Many companies contact professors they already know, and this pilot can open doors to new partnerships.'

Mentoring as a bridge to working life

Mentoring plays an important role in the smooth employment of doctoral graduates. Experienced experts from companies can help researchers understand what is valued in working life and how to utilise their skills outside the academic world.

Mentoring essentially means regular discussions, where a professional shares their experiences and advice with a doctoral researcher. The aim is not to guide the research, but to support the development of career paths, networking and working life skills.

'We hope to see more mentors – they play a significant role in supporting the employment of doctoral graduates,' Österberg points out. 

Both the university and the companies involved view collaboration in doctoral research as a way to accelerate the transfer of research, innovations and expertise for the benefit of society.

'If a doctoral researcher only does academic work, they can easily become isolated from what is happening in companies,' Österberg states. 

'We help students to see early on the kinds of challenges companies are solving – and how they can market their own expertise in the job market.'