Turku Intersectoral Excellence Scheme 2 – For External Organisations

TIES2 is a ground-breaking fellowship scheme based within UTU’s Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS). It combines the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) model of elite, bottom-up, postdoctoral research with the intersectoral approach only found at present in industrial PhD programmes, adding best-in-class working conditions and practices in line with EU standards. 

By supporting secondments to external organisations of leading university researchers for periods of between three and twelve months, TIES’ ambition is to develop a cohort of expert researchers able to spot and develop opportunities across and beyond academia. We are now seeking potential partners to join us in this exciting development by offering hosting opportunities to TIES researchers.

The TIES2 programme will commence in September 2026, with the first secondment opportunities being offered from 1 November 2026. All TIES2 Fellows will be appointed for three years and must spend between three and twelve months of their Fellowships working within an organisation external to higher education. 

The call for applications to the Scheme will open on 14 November 2025. 

An information session for potential partners as well as applicants will be held online on 9 December 2025, at 14:00 EET (GMT+2). Please sign up to the information session in order to get the online meeting link. 

The TIES2 programme involves top level researchers being located in an organisation external to higher education for a period of between three and twelve months. This provides a number of benefits to the host organisations:

• Dedicated research undertaken in-house by an expert researcher with an external perspective
• Added value from knowledge exchange, including access to latest research
• Enhance connectivity with Finnish academia
• No direct cost: salary paid by TIES2
• Networking at TIES2 workshop events hosted by UTU and, potentially, by host organisation
• Output, e.g. Open Access scientific articles, policy briefs, industrial publications
• NDAs and publication embargo periods can be agreed in advance if necessary.

We require potential partners to provide the following:

• Specified non-academic supervisor with at least five years of relevant work experience to provide necessary training and guidance for the researcher
• Workspace for researcher (desk in a calm environment with high-speed internet connection)
• Company policies in areas such as equal opportunities should be in line with those of UTU and the EU (e.g. non-discrimination and equal opportunities)
• Willingness to attend workshops at the University on intersectoral working.

Prior to the commencement of any secondment, the University will meet with the host organisation and discuss issues such as NDAs, IPRs etc, which will be formalised in a secondment agreement.

Number of positions available: A total of 16 appointed in 2026 and 2027

Duration of positions: 3 years (1.9.2026–30.8.2029 and 1.9.2027–30.8.2030)

Faculties involved: Economics, Education, Humanities, Law, Social Sciences,

Eligibility of applicants: 

• Excellent Candidate: Postdoctoral Researchers with a maximum of 8 years from PhD
• Excellent Proposal: Original project to tackle an issue involving a non-higher education sector
• Intersectoral Mobility: 3–12 month secondment at an organisation outside of higher education sector
• International Mobility: Researchers must meet the EU’s requirement that they have spent at least 24 of the previous 36 months outside Finland prior to the call deadline.

Selection Committee: Chair Professor Simon Frith (University of Edinburgh), Vice-Chair Professor Stacey Ristinmaa Sörensen (Director of the Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Lund), Kalle Korhonen, Director of Funding, Kone Foundation, and the TIAS Board of Management

Training: TIES2-focused workshops held at UTU and at partner organisations. In addition TIES2 Fellows will have their own training budget.

Supervision: an academic supervisor, secondment supervisor and a personal mentor, overseen by the Director of TIAS

Coordination: TIAS Director and TIAS Coordinator

Non-disclosure agreement: To be negotiated prior to commencement of secondment

 Available on the TIES webpage and via email from ties@utu.fi or TIAS Director, Professor Martin Cloonan, martin.cloonan@utu.fi.