Over 200 PoDoCo-funded development ideas for companies have been launched
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The spring grant application round helps companies in taking advantage of the latest research data and recruiting experts
Companies have already acquired the skills of 201 postdocs through the PoDoCo program (Post Docs in Companies). The program was launched in 2015 based on the idea of Professor Yrjö Neuvo.
The increase in the number of doctors in business is an international phenomenon and reflects the in-depth expertise needed by the global challenges on the one hand and technological changes on the other.
“PoDoCo has proven to be a great program for companies to help them find suitable postdocs. One measure of the success of the program is that there are companies for which PoDoCo has become a kind of recruitment channel. In other words, they have already hired several PoDoCo doctors”, says Professor Yrjö Neuvo.
Approximately 1 800 doctors graduate in Finland each year, and a quarter (450) of them end up working for companies.
“In proportion to this, the approximately 35 grants awarded annually by PoDoCo cover about 8 percent of the doctors employed in companies”, says Seppo Tikkanen, the leader of the PoDoCo program.
The application round is open until mid-April
The PoDoCo program is based on a two-phase foundation funding model. The first part is a research phase funded by the foundations, which lasts six months or a year. During this time, the doctor conducts full-time research on a jointly agreed topic for the selected company. In the second phase of the program, the doctor will work for the company. The goal is for the company to recruit a doctor at the end of the program.
As a result of fully implemented PoDoCo projects, 90 percent of grant recipients have been employed by the partner company.
The PoDoCo funding round is twice a year. In 2022, around a million euros in grants will be distributed across the PoDoCo program. The spring application round is open from March 1st to April 15th.
PoDoCo program:
The next PoDoCo grant application round takes place March 1 – April 15, 2022.
The program is open to any company, regardless of industry, and to any person who has recently completed or will be submitting a dissertation in near future. More information: www.podoco.fi.
There are no limitations regarding the branch of science or branch of industry.
PoDoCo program is funded by Finnish Cultural Foundation, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry, Svenska Kulturfonden, The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS), Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, Foundation for Economic Education, KAUTE Foundation and The Paulo Foundation. The total funding is up to million euros every year, which enables around 35 PoDoCo grants each year.
