What’s in it for your?
PoDoCo is a matchmaking program supporting long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of companies. It increases employment of young doctors in the private sector. The duration of PoDoCo period is 1-2 years and it consist of two phases: research period and targeted research period. PoDoCo program is funded by PoDoCo foundation pool and companies participating in the program. PoDoCo foundation pool offers research grants for the research period. After the research period the company hires the Post doc to deepen the research results and to create company specific insight for a period of time equivalent to the period of the grant period.
For a PoDoCo researcher the program offers a research period followed by a targeted research period lasting all together 1-2 years. The programme will assist postdocs by:
- Offering a research grant for for academic research having strategic importance for Finnish companies
- Offering an opportunity to work in industry and gain get industrial experience.
Who can participate?
All young doctors who have recently completed or will soon complete their doctorate degree are welcome to join the PoDoCo Program.
- The applicants’ doctoral degree was completed no more than four years previously (excluding maternity leave, military service and non-military service)
- Doctoral candidates, who have not yet graduated but are graduating during next 6-9 months may also apply for a grant. In such cases assurance from guiding professor must be enclosed with the application.
- The PoDoCo-project should be started before the following PoDoCo application round decisions are made. (If funding is applied for in the fall, the project must start in June at the latest, and correspondingly, if applying in the spring, the project must start in December at the latest).
Interest towards challenges of the companies, business-oriented thinking and willingness to work in companies are prerequisites for the participation of post docs. The aim of the PoDoCo program is create a win – win situation where academic research is supporting the long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of Finnish companies and young doctors get industrial experience. Hence, research is conducted on areas of direct industrial relevance.
How to participate?
The application process is simple and it the process is described in figure below.
1) Find a company partner
- Utilising PoDoCo Matchmaking Service
Fill in PoDoCo post doc profile indicating your competences and research interests here.
DIMECC makes continuous analysis by scanning the information and offers matching information and suggestions made based on PoDoCo profiles. - Utilising your own company contacts
2) Agree on collaboration
- The commitment to the program is indicated by a letter of intent (LoI) which is signed by the company and the postdoc. With the letter of intent the company declares its interest towards the selected research topic and intent to hire the post doc for a period of time equivalent to the period of the grant applied. However, a Post doc is not legally committed to work for a company after the research period and the company is not legally committed to hire the Post doc. Instead, the letter of intent serves as a sincere aim for an employment relationship to take place after the grant period and a serious commitment by both parties to try to make it happen. LoI is attached to the grant application
3) Prepare a project proposal and apply a grant
- Prepare together with the company a project plan (max 5 pages) describing the objectives of the project as well as an explanation of the main activities and expected results foreseen. It is important that the impact of the project for the company and the company’s renewal is included in the project plan.
- The PoDoCo-project contains two phases: Research period and Targeted research period which have equal duration. Both phases should be included in the plan.
- The postdoc applies a grant by filling in the electronic application form and uploading required attachments at PoDoCo website. The electronic application must be sent within the application period.
- Detailed instruction and conditions for grant application and project proposal are described in part “Grants”.
4) Wait for the evaluation results
- PoDoCo Management Group with representatives appointed by each member foundation manages PoDoCo foundation pool. The pool takes care of expert review of applications and preparatory work and makes a suggestion for each application (reject/accept, including the name of Foundation). The foundations involved will make the actual grant decisions.
Successful applicants will be informed of receiving a grant immediately after the funding decisions are made.
