Selected doctoral researchers are expected to reside in Finland during their employment, which can start only after arriving to Finland. Employment as a doctoral researcher staff member at the University of Helsinki is based on a formal employment contract for the duration of four years (in RESDOC 2027-2030 starting date having some flexibility due to immigration procedures) and follows the Finnish university collective agreement. Staff work under an annual workload system (approximately 1,612 hours), with duties defined in an individual work plan.
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Selected candidates must receive the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki no later than during the six-month trial period of employment.
Applicants coming from outside the European Union are required to apply for residence permit to legally reside in Finland. Please refer to
Doctoral researchers will be employed for full-time contracts for four years and work exclusively on the research training activities included in RESDOC doctoral training project.
Gross salary of a RESDOC doctoral researcher will be about 2 900 euros per month.
The stated amount of € 2 900 per month refers to the gross salary, which is the total salary before deductions are made. In Finland, employees do not receive the full gross amount because taxes and mandatory contributions are deducted from it automatically. These deductions typically include income tax, pension contributions, and unemployment insurance.
After these deductions, the employee receives the net salary, which is the actual amount paid into their bank account. As a result, the net salary is always lower than the gross salary. You can calculate an estimation of
Studying and
Finland is a well-functioning and stable country where English is widely spoken, even though the official languages are Finnish and Swedish. Practical guidance on arrival and settling in Finland can also be found at the
Family, long-term leave and special needs allowances are provided under RESDOC funder Horizon Europe MSCA COFUND conditions. They can be requested when the need arises during the first phase of the project. During the second phase, the allowances follow the applicable national legislation regarding remuneration of researchers on leave and provisions for researchers with special needs.
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Family allowance can be paid if following conditions are met. The doctoral researcher has a family at the date of recruitment or acquired it during the employment contract. Having a family means that the recruited researchers have persons linked to them by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country or region where this relationship was formalised, or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher. It is the responsibility of a doctoral researcher to inform and prove the family status that entitles to family allowance. In RESDOC, the family allowance is about 300 euros per month gross deducted by income taxes.
A long-term leave allowance can cover costs incurred by beneficiaries in case of researchers’ long-term leave, including maternity, paternity, parental, sick or special leave, longer than 30 consecutive days.
Beneficiaries of MSCA COFUND grants can apply for a dedicated special needs allowance. This allowance will cover the additional costs that researchers or staff members with disabilities whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are certified by a competent national authority and of such nature that their participation in the MSCA may not be possible without the acquisition of special needs items or services. It can also be used to ensure necessary assistance by third persons or for adapting their work environment. These special needs items or services shall not have been funded from another source (e.g., social security or health insurance). The allowance can be claimed anytime during project implementation.
The special needs allowance can be requested at any time during the implementation of the project. The request will be evaluated by the granting authority and based on this assessment, the requested amount may be accepted in full or in part (or not accepted).
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RESDOC follows the principles of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which promote equal opportunities, non-discrimination and inclusive participation in research. These principles aim to ensure fair access to doctoral education, research training and career development for all researchers, including those with disabilities, and to support their participation in international and cross-sectoral research environments.
RESDOC also actively supports the inclusion of researchers at risk. These may include individuals whose academic freedom, safety or career opportunities are limited due to challenging circumstances in their country or region. The project is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive research environment, and where relevant, specific support measures can be arranged in line with MSCA guidelines to enable full participation and successful completion of doctoral studies.