How to Apply

Call for applications is open from 1 June to 31 August 2026. Applications are submitted via University of Helsinki's online recruitment system. Please read carefully this page to make sure you are eligible to apply and include all required documents in your application.

RESDOC has specific eligibility criteria that all applicants must meet. Applications that do not fulfil all eligibility requirements will not be considered further.

Applications may also be rejected if they are submitted late, do not include all required attachments, use incorrect formats, provide oversized attachments or do not follow the provided templates. 

Applicants must fulfil all below-mentioned mandatory eligibility criteria set by MSCA COFUND programme at the call deadline by 31 August 2026. You can use the form below to check your general eligibility before applying.

• Hold a Master’s degree or equivalent qualifying for doctoral studies
• Not hold a PhD degree
• Be an early‑stage researcher (less than 4 years of research experience)
• Fulfil English language requirements according to University of Helsinki’s
• Not be permanently employed by the University of Helsinki
• Comply with the MSCA mobility rule (not more than 12 months in Finland in the 36 months preceding the call deadline)
• Be willing to reside in Finland for the full 4‑year duration
• Propose a research topic fitting the RESDOC themes and available supervision

You will find the job announcement at the University of Helsinki’s . Click “apply for the post” on the page and start filling in your application. Read the online application before applying. Applications are accepted only via the online recruitment system, and they must be submitted by 31 August 2026 at  latest 11:59 PM (Finnish time EET). 

We highly recommend that you submit your application as early as possible. You may edit and re-edit your submitted application until the call deadline. University of Helsinki is not responsible, if you fail to submit your application on time due to technical challenges, misconceptions of time zones or any such complications. Note that in the recruitment system clicking "save" does not submit your application. You need to click "Apply" to actually submit your application.

The following templates are a mandatory part of your RESDOC application. They must be attached in the University of Helsinki’s online recruitment system. Download these templates and complete them. Convert them into a pdf-format that does not exceed the recommended maximum size (5 MB) in the recruitment system. Applications that do not contain all the documents below in the given formats will be disqualified.

1. Europass CV 

Create your Europass CV on the in English. Name your document "CV_Lastname_Firstname". Download a pdf-version and upload it in your application attachment in the online recruitment system. 

2. Letter of Motivation and doctoral study plan

Download (docx) and follow the instructions therein. Name your document "Motivation_Lastname_Firstname". Upload it in pdf-format in your application attachment in the online recruitment system. Read through the to support your study plan formation.

(docx).

Use of AI in application: Please send us a motivation letter that you have crafted yourself, reflecting your own voice and thoughts. While AI tools may be used as support, application generated completely by AI do not meet our expectations. We value authentic, self-made applications over those generated by artificial intelligence. 

3. Scanned copy of your degree certificate and transcript of records 

You will need to attach a scanned copy of your degree certificate and transcript of records for the degree that is used as a basis for eligibility. If the documents are not in Finnish, Swedish, or English, official translations need to be included. You must submit both translations and copies of the original documents in the original language as an attachment to your application. Translations will not be accepted without the original documents.

The University of Helsinki only accepts official translations. These are only translations made by an official translator or the issuing institution. Official translations must bear the official stamp and signature of the translator on each page.

Make sure to compress your pdf-file if it exceeds 5 MB. Name your document "Certificate_Lastname_Firstname". Selected candidates must provide certified copies of degree certificate after selection.

4. Proof of English language skills 

You will need to provide a valid proof of English language skills in one of the at the University of Helsinki.

5. Research proposal, ethics self-assessment and intersectoral mobility plan

Download (docx) and follow the instructions therein. Name your document "Proposal_Lastname_Firstname". Upload it in pdf-format in your application attachment in the online recruitment system. You are asked to suggest 2 to 3 supervisors. Kindly familiarize yourself with the supervision principles and as well as to answer the required sections on the research proposal.

(docx)

Use of AI in application: In preparing the research plan, the University of Helsinki's policies on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in and must be followed. The use of AI must be reported in the research plan.

All applications received will be checked to see if they meet the eligibility criteria and its attachments meet the minimum requirements. If these requirements are met, the application will then proceed to the actual evaluation stage. 

For steps 2 and 3 in the selection process, the applicants/applications will be given scores from 0 to 5. The threshold for each criterion is a grade of 3 as an average from three evaluators. Applications that receive a below-threshold average grade on any of the assessment criteria will not be considered further. The weight for the evaluation of the written application is 70% and the weight for the evaluation of the interview is 30%.

The criteria used for evaluation of both the written application and interview is as follows:

0 Fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed due to missing or incomplete information

1 Poor: the criterion is inadequately addressed or there are serious inherent weaknesses

2 Fair: broadly addresses the criterion but there are significant weaknesses

3 Good: addresses the criterion well but with a number of shortcomings

4 Very good: addresses the criterion very well but with a small number of shortcomings

5 Excellent: successfully addresses all relevant aspects of the criterion; any shortcomings are minor

Application evaluation criteria 

• The research plan is thematically suitable to the themes.
• Quality of the research plan: clarity and novelty of the research objectives, suitability of the methodology, impact of the research and the potential for scientific renewal, ethical aspect (if applicable).
• Feasibility of the research plan: realistic achievability of the objectives (including target time), quality of the workplan, risks and their mitigation plan.
• Study and intersectoral mobility plan: preliminary plan for studies and mobility which supports the dissertation and career development.
• Competence of the applicant: relevant experience, skills and competences of the applicants as demonstrated in the curriculum vitae and motivation letter. 

Interview evaluation criteria  

• Ability of the applicant to present the proposed project and answer questions pertaining to it.
• Academic and professional alignment of the applicant to the available research options and compatibility of supervision. 

If you have read all the instructions, and you still have questions on applying for RESDOC project, please contact .

You may also contact us by phone + 358 29 412 4852 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 13:00 to 14:00 EET Finnish time until 31 August 2026.