About

PoDoCo is established to create new jobs for postdocs. The aim of the PoDoCo program is to promote academic research supporting long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of Finnish companies, and the employment of young doctors in industry. PoDoCo brings together doctoral researchers and companies and offers researchers funding for academic research of strategic importance to Finnish companies.

PoDoCo program is aimed for doctors who have recently completed or will soon complete their doctoral degree. There are no limitations regarding the branch of science or branch of industry. Instead PoDoCo program is aimed for all branch of industries and all disciplines, e.g. natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, social sciences and humanities (OECD, Field Of Science And Technology Classification).

PoDoCo program is funded by PoDoCo foundation pool and companies participating in the program. For a PoDoCo researcher the program offers a research period followed by a targeted research period lasting all together 1-2 years. 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. The result is a win-win situation where academic research is supporting the long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of Finnish companies and doctors get industrial experience.

The idea for PoDoCo was developed by Professor Yrjö Neuvo. PoDoCo started in 2015.

How is the management of PoDoCo organized?

PoDoCo program is funded by Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry, Svenska Kulturfonden, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Foundation for Economic Education, KAUTE Foundation, and Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. DIMECC Ltd. is responsible for the practical implementation of the programme.

PoDoCo Management Group is responsible for PoDoCo foundation pool and management of PoDoCo program. PoDoCo management group consist of representatives of foundations. Chairman of the PoDoCo Management Group is Prof. Yrjö Neuvo from Aalto University and secretary is DIMECC’s senior ecosystem lead Seppo Tikkanen.

Why PoDoCo?

Around 1700 doctors graduate from Finnish universities each year. Compared to countries like Sweden, Germany and USA, the employment of doctors in industry is low. However, there are indications that also in Finland more young doctors would like to work in companies. PoDoCo is created to help to solve this problem and promote postdoc employment in companies.

Maintaining competitiveness and further strengthening it requires constant monitoring and analyzing of new technological and operational trends. Intensifying international competition requires that the company has not only the ability to implement the latest technological and functional innovations, but also actively create innovations. Research and development activities in companies focus on challenges and opportunities which already are visible and there is lack of time or capabilities to look beyond the strategic horizon of the company. Doctors are trained to analyze and solve complex problems with scientific methods.

The strategic renewal of companies needs new talented people and new foresight into rising and emerging phenomena. These can be cultural, social, technological, commercial, or political, but they all may have effect on the company and its opportunities in the market. In order to understand the new phenomena and benefit from them, companies need scientific work carried out by practically oriented post docs, who are familiar with scientific analysis and synthesis methods. In order to get companies’ renewal to benefit Finnish society in total, there is need for Foundation funded research so that foresight related to the new phenomena are published openly. In order to create new welfare and wealth in society, there is need for company funding for a post doc to push foresight to insight based on the scientific analysis.

PoDoCo presentation