Laurea is a competitive workplace for top researchers

Nikolina Koporčić, PhD in Technology and a Researcher at Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Uusimaa, was the first in the history of the university to pass the Researcher Career Path Assessment and was appointed as a Senior Researcher. This is a significant milestone in Laurea's Researcher Career Path, which was launched in 2021 to support and provide predictable and long-term career progression opportunities for researchers at the Laurea UAS.

To be selected as a Principal Investigator, a person must pass a three-step career path assessment. To progress to the third or highest level, the researcher must, among other things, have acquired at least €300 000 worth of RDI funding per year for the university and actively published peer-reviewed articles in prestigious international academic forums. A doctoral degree is sufficient for recruitment to the first career step, but a docent level or equivalent is required for progression to career steps two and three. The career development review will include assessment reports from independent external experts.

The career track confirms the effectiveness of the institution's RDI activities. The commitment to the 4% RDI target in the government programme and its societal impact is an important message to the higher education research community. The role of research and project experts has been identified as the first step in a virtuous circle.

Although the cuts in education funding envisaged in the government programme will hit the UAS sector hard, the potential of UAS in applied and work-based research is recognised. Mari Vuolteenaho, Laurea's Vice Principal responsible for RDI activities and the researcher's career track, is delighted with the milestone achieved and believes it will make Laurea an attractive alternative for those interested in researcher career.

- Funding for research, development and innovation in Finland will grow strongly in the coming years. It is already apparent that we are facing a labour shortage in Finland of people who know how to do high-quality RDI activities. This is why career paths that make RDI work more attractive are important for Finland.

Laurea, which has six campuses in Uusimaa, has more than 120 externally funded RDI projects underway. In 2022, the amount of external RDI funding at the university was 7.26 MEUR. Laurea's research programmes are Sustainable and Diverse Social and Health Care, Service Business and Circular Economy, and Integrated Security.

Who?

• Nicolina Koporčić, PhD in Engineering
• PhD from Åbo Akademi University in 2017
• Will start at Laurea as the first senior researcher in the history of Laurea on 1 September 2023, before that as a special researcher at Laurea in 2021
• Is currently starting her Academy Researcher project at Laurea
• Received funding from the Academy of Finland in May 2023, worth €713 219.
• Research topic Interactive Network Branding: increasing the resilience of small businesses in times of crisis
• Previously worked as an associate professor at Åbo Akademi University and the University of Nottingham, UK, among others

Laurea has a vacancy for a researcher career path: social science research on marginalisation and the penal sector: The call is open until 31 August 2023. 

Further information: Sari Heikkinen, Research Programme Director Sustainable and Diverse Social and Health Sector Research Programme (sari.heikkinen@laurea.fi).

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