Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine - Admission Criteria and Instructions for Applicants

TuDMM Call for Applications autumn 2025  29.8-12.9.2025

TuDMM Hakukuulutus syksy 2025 29.8-12.9.2025

Older ones:

TuDMM Call for Applications Spring 2025 (pdf) 3.3-14.3.2025

TuDMM Hakukuulutus Kevät 2025 (pdf) 3.3-14.3.2025

TuDMM Call II for Applications Autumn 2024 (pdf) 28.10-8.11.2024

TuDMM Hakukuulutus II Syksy 2024 (pdf) 28.10-8.11.2024

TuDMM Call for applications Autumn 2024 (pdf) Call I 28.8-13.9.2024

TuDMM Hakukuulutus Syksy 2024 (pdf) Haku I 28.8-13.9.2024

What is expected of you?

When applying for a right to study: 

Note! The right to study is applied for by filling in an electronic form in the Studyinfo service.

• For granting a right to study, you are required to fulfill the prerequisites set by the Faculty of Medicine and the Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine.

The eligibility criteria and other general guidelines can be found on the web page of the Faculty of Medicine.

The right to study for doctoral degree at the Faculty of Medicine can be applied for by persons who meet the eligibility criteria for pursuing a doctoral degree, as stipulated in the Universities Act (558/2009, Section 37), as well as the prerequisites for pursuing a doctoral degree at the Faculty of Medicine.

Eligible for studies leading to an academic postgraduate degree is a person who has completed
1. an applicable higher university degree in Finland
2. an applicable higher polytechnic degree in Finland; or
3. an applicable education completed outside Finland which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding higher education.

You must also fulfill the University of Turku language skill requirements.

Prerequisites for pursuing a doctoral degree in the Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine are written in the Study Guide 2024-2027 (Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine, Description parts).

Note! the applicant must submit a feasible research plan which has been drawn up in cooperation with an supervisor from the University of Turku and a signed supervision and study plan.

When applying for a fixed-term Doctoral Researcher position under an employment contract with the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS): 

Note! funded positions can only be applied for in the autumn application round by filling in an electronic form in the University of Turku recruitment system (TalentAdore).

• You are required to have an active right to study in the doctoral programme in Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine at the University of Turku;

• If you have not yet been granted a right to study, you must apply for a right to pursue a doctoral degree within this call for applications. A right to study is a prerequisite for an applicant to be chosen for a fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract. 

• You are planning to pursue or pursuing your first doctoral degree; You have not previously been granted a full-time four-year funding for pursuing a doctoral degree.

• Possible previous funding for pursuing a doctoral degree granted by University of Turku is taken into account when determining the length of the funding period.

• The applicant must submit a feasible research plan which has been drawn up in cooperation with an experienced supervisor from the University of Turku.

• The doctoral researcher's employment contract requires living in Finland and the place of work is Turku. 

Please read carefully the general application instructions of the Faculty of Medicine

How to Apply for Doctoral Training at the Faculty of Medicine | University of Turku (utu.fi)

Especially pay attention to these instructions when applying: Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine

A prerequisite for study right admission is that there is at least one person who has agreed to act as a supervisor and who fulfills the qualification requirements for supervisors. Finding a supervisor is the responsibility of the applicant. In addition, the applicant to doctoral training needs to assemble an follow-up committee for the doctoral research work. You will also need a signed consent of the head of the doctoral subject into the supervision and study plan attachment. 

When applying, please carefully prepare all the required documents mentioned in the Call for Applications for the Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine.

A detailed Call for Applications will be always published well in advance before the opening of the application round on this www-page. 

Applying

Qualified applicant with research topic fitting the scope of TuDMM can apply. 

Apply here for right to study (Autumn 2025 Call)

Instructions for filling in the application form in Opintopolku / Ohjeet hakulomakkeen täyttämiseksi Opintopolussa (pdf) 

The fixed-term doctoral researcher positions are announced at the beginning of the application period in the the Open Vacancies at the University of Turku website and on the website of the graduate school. 

How to apply the right to study for a doctoral degree:

The right to study for a doctoral degree is applied for by filling out an electronic form in the Studyinfo service and attaching the required additional documents (specified below under ”Attachments to the application”). The form will be accessible as the application period begins on 29 August 2025 and closes at 4:00 pm (local time in Finland) on 12 September 2025. A link to the University of Turku Graduate School website where the application forms are published.

In this application round, the applicant may apply to a maximum of two doctoral programmes at the University of Turku. You can only have one valid doctoral degree study right at the University of Turku at a time. Applications received after the application period has ended will not be considered. The doctoral programme you are applying to, or other information in the application cannot be changed after the application deadline. The application documents will not be returned to the sender.

In Studyinfo service, you can only apply for right to study a doctoral degree. If you also want to apply for a fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract with UTUGS, you must apply for the position separately (for details, please, see section ”How to apply the fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract with UTUGS”).

How to apply the fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract with UTUGS:

The fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract with UTUGS is applied for by filling out an electronic form in the University of Turku recruitment system (TalentAdore) and attaching the required additional documents specified in ”Attachments to the application” below. The form will be accessible as the application period begins on 29 August 2025 and closes on 12 September 2025 at 4 pm (local time in Finland).

The fixed-term positions are announced at the beginning of the application period in the the Open Vacancies at the University of Turku website and on the website of the graduate school.

All of the required attachments must be submitted before the end of the application period. Late applications will not be considered. It is not possible to change the doctoral programme or the application after the deadline. The application documents will not be returned to the sender.

The highest rated applicants based on the evaluation process of the doctoral programme are invited to interviews by e-mail, and the most successful applicants will be selected for the positions, based on the combined scores of the doctoral programme evaluation process and the interview.

A person selected for the fixed-term position is required to have an active right to study in the Doctoral Programme in the Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine. If you have not yet been granted the right to study, you must apply for the right to pursue a doctoral degree in the Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine by filling out an electronic form in Studyinfo service (for details, please, see section ”How to apply the right to study for a doctoral degree” above).

Attachments to the application(s)

If you are applying for a right to pursue a doctoral degree, you are required to submit attachments 1-5 and if needed, also the attachments 6-8. If you already have a right to study and you are only applying for a fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract with UTUGS, you are expected to submit attachments 1–3. (In addition, in TalentAdore a degree certificate and study transcript from a previous degree must be attached to the application due to system technical reasons).

Answer all required questions on the application form. For the application form(s), the applicant must prepare:

• a summary of the research plan (max 1000 characters) and

• the following documents in PDF format for the application:

Please note that all the attachments to the application should be made in English.

1. Motivation letter (max 1 page). The motivation to apply to TuDMM is presented in the Motivation letter. Please describe also your motivation for doctoral studies and research. The motivation letter is a one page long freeform PDF-document.

2. CV of the applicant, including a list of publications when applicable (max 2 pages, it is mandatory to use this attached CV model)

3. Research plan (max 3 pages excluding references, Arial, font 12). The plan should consist of: abstract, background and significance, aims and hypotheses, implementation plan, research environment, timetable and funding plan.

The research plan should follow the guidelines for the responsible conduct of research (see Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) | Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK). The research plans can be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism detection software. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in the preparation of the research plan should be clearly indicated in the research plan.

Applicants applying for a right to study also prepare:

4. Supervision and study plan – the Faculty’s form (Fill in electronically, print and sign together with the supervisor/-s and the head of subject, see: Subjects in doctoral training and heads of doctoral subject)

   • The applicant should have two supervisors with at least one supervisor affiliated with University of Turku and holding the UTU -account to use the UGIS system (UGIS-supervisor).

   • One member in the follow-up committee should be well familiar with the practicalities of doctoral training in the faculty and TuDMM.

   • The follow-up committee consist of the doctoral researcher’s supervisors, and two to three other researchers who have completed a doctoral degree and are familiar with the topic of the candidate’s research. Two of these other members must come from outside the doctoral researcher’s own research group. Please refer to the faculty website for more detailed instructions.

   • To plan the theoretical studies, take into account the Learning outcomes of TuDMM and your career plans.

5. Degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) of study records

   a.) If you have completed your former degree(s) that make you eligible for doctoral studies at a higher education institution in Finland, you must attach the following items to the electronic application form:

• Scans of the original degree certificate or the original electronic degree certificate of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. Master's degree certificate).

• Scans of the original transcript of records or the original electronic transcript of records of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. transcript of records of the Master's degree).

• Other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection (e.g. studies you have completed outside the degree that are related to the right to study you are applying for).

    b.) If you have completed your former degree(s) that make you eligible for doctoral studies at a higher education institution abroad (i.e. outside of Finland), you must attach the following items to the electronic application form:

• Scans of the original degree certificate or the original electronic degree certificate of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. Master's degree certificate in the same language as the degree was completed in)

• Scans of the original transcript of records or the original electronic transcript of records of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. transcript of records of the Master's degree in the same language as the degree was completed in)

• Other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection (e.g. studies you have completed outside the degree that are related to the right to study you are applying for).

• If the original degree certificates and other educational documents are not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, official translations to one of these languages must also be submitted. An official translation here refers to a translation of the educational documents issued by the awarding institution or a translation made by an authorized translator. A transcript of records or degree certificate in English can be replaced by a Diploma Supplement (DS) awarded by a European educational institution if it contains the information about completed courses and other study attainments.

If not using electronic versions, please make sure that all attachments are good-quality, easy to read, full colour scans or photographs of the complete required document. Attachments that do not meet these requirements may be rejected.

The applicants who have completed their prior degree in a country other than Finland and who are granted a study right in this call, need to deliver either the original degree certificates or certified copies of the original degree certificates and their translations to the University of Turku, as instructed in the admission notification, on 6 March 2026 at the latest. If the admitted applicant does not deliver the required certificates by the deadline, they forfeit the study right. Instructions on delivering certificates and country-specific requirements.

NB! Please keep your original degree certificates and other relevant educational documents at hand during the application process.

If needed - please see the instructions: Degree giving the eligibility

6. Verification of language proficiency

The University of Turku follows the Rector’s decision (15.8.2019, supplemented 21.12.2023) on the means of verifying one’s language proficiency. Please see the language requirements on the webpage of the university’s graduate school.

If the applicant is required to prove their language proficiency with a language test, a scanned certificate of a completed language test must be attached to the application.

7. Copy of a valid passport

If you have a Finnish personal identity code and you have entered it on the application form, you do not need to attach a copy of your passport. Otherwise, attach a copy of your valid passport or official identification card with photo and information on citizenship.

8. When only one supervisor for doctoral training is proposed, the supervisor’s justified plea for approval of only one supervisor must be attached to the application. See Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine > Supervision at Faculty of Medicine instructions

Evaluation of applications

The applicant’s research theme should fit in the profile of the doctoral programme. The steering committee of the doctoral programme will evaluate the applications and use outside experts, when needed. The research plans attached to the applications may be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism detection software in accordance with the University of Turku quality assurance system. In addition, the use of artificial intelligence and how it has been used in the preparation of the research plan, can be evaluated.

In addition to the eligibility criteria for doctoral researchers set out in the University of Turku's regulations (16 October 2022), the following are taken into account when selecting doctoral researchers for the fixed-term doctoral researcher employment positions at the University of Turku Graduate School: the applicant’s motivation, research merits, previous academic study success, the ability to complete a doctoral degree, and the quality and feasibility of the research plan are taken into consideration. Applications are assessed taking into account the stage of the researcher's career, and for example, previously completed doctoral studies or scientific publications are not required from applicants who are only at the beginning of their research career. For applicants who have already been granted the right to study, the progress of the doctoral research and doctoral studies will also be assessed. Previous funding received by the doctoral researcher for the doctoral work will also be taken into account when determining the length of the doctoral researcher's employment position. The selection process is step wise and the highest rated applicants are invited for an interview according to the assessment scores. The invitation will be sent by email. The most successful applicants will be selected for the positions based on the combined assessment scores obtained from the doctoral programme evaluation process and interview.

In addition to the above-mentioned assessment criteria, when granting the right to study, the applicant must meet the eligibility criteria (Universities Act 558/2009, Section 37), the required language skills, and the faculty's requirements for the right to pursue a doctoral degree (see section ”Who may apply? Admission criteria above or on Call for Applications "What is expected of you?”). 

Decisions

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine decides on granting the right to study for a doctoral degree (1 January 2026 onwards) based on the proposal of the Steering Committee of the Doctoral Programme. Additional information on the decision process can be found on the webpage of the Faculty of Medicine. The Head of the department decides on recruitment of the applicant for the fixed-term position of a Doctoral researcher based on the proposal of the Steering Committee of the Doctoral Programme.

All applicants will be personally informed about the study right decisions by 28 November 2025 at the latest. The names of the applicants selected for fixed-term doctoral researcher positions will be published on the website of the doctoral programme by 28 of November 2025.

An admitted applicant has to notify the University of Turku of their acceptance of the study place by 3:00 pm (local time in Finland) on 15 December 2025 according to the instructions given in the admission notification. If the admitted applicant does not give the notification by the end of the allotted time period mentioned above, the applicant forfeits the study place.

A person admitted to more than one university or polytechnic degree programme only notifies the one educational institution at which they choose to accept the study place. Notification, i.e. accepting a study place, is binding and may not be cancelled or changed later. According to Finnish university legislation, an applicant may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term (autumn term 1 Aug – 31 Dec or spring term 1 Jan – 31 Jul). This rule applies to all higher education, i.e. Bachelor’s and Master’s level degrees awarded by Finnish universities of applied sciences, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees awarded by Finnish universities, and Licentiate and Doctoral degrees awarded by Finnish universities. This regulation is not applied to study rights received in transfer student selections, from the Åland University of Applied Sciences, from the Police University College, and from institutions of higher education outside Finland.

The applicants who have completed their prior degree in a country other than Finland and who are granted a study right in this call, need to deliver either the original degree certificates or certified copies of the original degree certificates and their translations to the University of Turku, as instructed in the admission notification, on 6 March 2026 at the latest. If the admitted applicant does not deliver the required certificates by the deadline, they forfeit the study right. Link to the instructions on delivering certificates and country-specific requirements. 

Appeal for rectification

If an applicant is dissatisfied with the result of the student selection, they have the right to submit an application for the rectification of the decision to the Faculty of Medicine within 14 days of the official publishing of the results. A justified request for correction must be addressed to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Turku. Contact information: med-doctoral@utu.fi.

In the spring of 2024, the faculty was in the process of updating the curricula. The instructions and regulations concerning doctoral education, which lead to e.g. the regulations regarding postgraduate studies and the dissertation, have changed in some respects onward from 1 August 2024. Applicants accepted into the doctoral programme in the spring 2024 selection process and those selected thereafter, will complete their doctoral degree in compliance with the regulations that came into effect on August 1, 2024. Any updating of the graduate study plan to comply with the new regulations will be instructed separately.   

Additional information on study right

Faculty of Medicine: Chief Academic Officer Anni Halonen   

Additional TuDMM information

TuDMM director Noora Kotaja, nookot@utu.fi

TuDMM coordinator Verna Louhivuori, vtlouh@utu.fi; tudmm@utu.fi