New cooperation model brings together companies and doctoral researchers at the University of Vaasa – offering companies latest research and innovations and an attractive career path for doctoral researchers
Image
The University of Vaasa is creating a new cooperation model for doctoral researchers and companies or organisations to combine their research interests into a doctoral thesis. The doctoral researcher commits to a four-year doctoral research project jointly funded by the partner company and the University of Vaasa. The CoDoc – Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Model project is funded by the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia.
The cooperation model is particularly tailored to the needs of companies in the region of Ostrobothnia, and the topics for research projects come from companies. The involvement of a doctoral researcher brings high-quality expertise, knowledge, and innovations to the company.
– The CoDoc cooperation model offers companies an excellent opportunity to access the latest research knowledge in their field. It also gives companies first access to research results that are directly linked to strengthening their competitiveness. Tailoring the research topic together with the doctoral researcher ensures relevant research questions and relevant research data, says Mika Grundström, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Vaasa.
For doctoral researchers, the cooperation model offers an attractive career path to demanding research and specialist positions. Dissertation research in partnership with a company prepares the doctoral researcher to become an expert in their field. As the partner company provides funding for doctoral studies, the doctoral researcher becomes part of the business world.
A strong link to the business world gives the doctoral researcher access to useful research material and opens career opportunities outside academia. Company involvement provides the doctoral researcher with a strong support network and a research specialist who can act as one of the supervisors of the doctoral thesis.
– The CoDoc model allows us to involve not only companies but also other organisations and public sector actors with a research-based need to develop their activities, says Grundström.
The project will run from 1 September 2023 to 31 October 2024 and will be developed through a dialogue with companies in the region based on their needs and activities, as well as matchmaking events. The CoDoc cooperation model will be integrated into the Graduate School after the end of the project.
Did you like the article?