Project RESDOC brings 30 international doctoral researchers to the University of Helsinki to address sustainability challenges

The University of Helsinki has secured considerable EU funding to help build a resilient and just future through research. RESDOC seeks to train international researchers capable of developing such solutions across research, decision-making and business.

Multidisciplinary research tackling global challenges

RESDOC is built around four broad research themes: infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance in changing environment; biodiversity and nature’s resilience; safe and sustainable food and water systems; and just socio-ecological transition.

“RESDOC unites promising early-career researchers from across disciplines to investigate interconnected phenomena, including climate change, biodiversity loss, the spread of infectious diseases and the transformation of food and water systems. The goal is to equip them to become experts who not only produce new knowledge but also develop resilient and just solutions worldwide,” says RESDOC’s programme coordinator Minna Palander-Collin, Director of the University of Helsinki Doctoral School.

Those selected will begin their four-year doctoral research work at the University of Helsinki in early 2027. The recruited candidates must be international, early-career researchers who, in line with EU funding mobility requirements, have not lived or worked in Finland for more than 12 months in the three years prior to the application deadline.

Partnership network draws on expertise from across sectors

RESDOC provides doctoral researchers with a high-quality research and learning environment at the University of Helsinki. Working within an international community, they will develop their skills through an extensive network of collaboration partners. RESDOC is closely linked to the University’s , which supports multidisciplinary and societally impactful research.

The project involves 23 national and international partners spanning universities, research institutes, the public sector and businesses. This collaboration helps connect research to practical solutions and broadens researchers’ awareness of different career paths.

“We need a new generation of researchers capable of understanding and addressing complex global phenomena. RESDOC sets out to develop exactly these researchers, through a multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral and international environment,” adds Minna Palander-Collin.