TIES - Detailed Instructions for the Application Documents

Please see below the detailed instructions for the application documents in the Turku Intersectoral Excellence Scheme. Use all the subheadings here and ensure that all parts are completed in order.

In addition to the electronic application form the application must contain all the eight (8) documents, which must be in the order shown below.

Incomplete applications will not be processed and we reserve the right to automatically exclude applications which do not follow the limits and the structure listed below. We further reserve the right to automatically exclude applications which have the incorrect font size in any part of the application. Applicants who have any questions about this should contact TIES as soon as possible via ties@utu.fi and at least one week prior to submitting their applications.

Attachment size and names, font size etc.

Documents 1-7 must be compiled together into one PDF document, so there will be two attachments: documents 1-7 and (8) the doctoral certificate document.

Both attachments must be in PDF format. The maximum file size for the Documents 1-7 is 25 MB. Please upload this to “Academic portfolio” (“akateeminen portfolio”) on the application form. The maximum file size for the doctoral certificate (or other confirmation) is 2 MB.

All the documents must be written in English with Times New Roman, font size 12, single spaced. This font size must be used throughout including in the Bibliography. Footnotes and tables must be font size 10. Any words within maps, pictures etc. must be at least font size 9.

The documents must be named by using the last name of the applicant and the document title (e.g. Smith_Documents_1_7, Smith_DoctoralCertificate.)

1 Research plan abstract

Research plan abstract (1 page; max 2 500 characters, plus spaces)

The one-page abstract must contain, in order, the following:

Applicant’s name and academic degree
Title of the research
Department in which the applicant wishes to be located. Please note that it is not necessary for applicants to contact departments.
Summary of the research plan (aims, research material and methods)
Key words (maximum 5)

2 Research plan

Research plan (maximum 25 000 characters, plus spaces). Please note that this limit will be strictly enforced.

The research plan must indicate the following in order:

Name of the researcher, title of the research plan and site of research
Background and significance of the researc
Research objectives and methods, including specifying the multidisciplinary aspects of the research and its relevance to at least one non-higher education sector
Implementation and outputs: The current state and schedule of the applicant’s research, a timetable for the research and publications/outputs, dissemination strategy including considerations of open access and the FAIR principles. Please see open science policy of UTU.
National and international collaboration, including linkage with research conducted at the University of Turku and to the University’s research themes.
Bibliography (included in the 25 000 characters)

Research ethics

The University of Turku is committed to complying with the guidelines on responsible conduct of research and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct, issued by the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity. Consequently, TIAS requires that applicants commit to complying with responsible conduct of research and adhere to the Advisory Board’s guidelines. Please see the responsible conduct of research guidelines. In addition, applicants must comply with the MSCA’s requirements for ethical research which can be found in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide 2022.

3 Secondment plan

Secondment Plan (maximum one page)

>> Please read first the information about TIES secondments.

Applicants should provide the following information about their proposed project:

Name of proposed secondment partner (if known)
Sector of the proposed partner (business, government, voluntary sector etc)
Name and contact details of proposed supervisor at secondment partner (if known)
Planned secondment dates. These must incorporate a minimum of two months per secondment and a maximum of six months, which may be spread over a maximum of three periods. Applicants may choose to nominate more than one external organisation which they wish to host their secondments up to a maximum of three.
The importance of the planned secondment to the overall TIES project
The importance of the project to applicants’ career plans, including any training (such as e.g., leadership skills, IP management, presentation skills etc)
Knowledge exchange opportunities which are envisaged.

Please note that we are unable to guarantee secondments with particular organisations.

Letters of support

While it is not a requirement of the application process, applicants may also attach letters of support from proposed secondment partners. If you wish to do this, you must use the TIES letter of support template. Letters of support which do not use this format will be ignored. Letters of support are for information purposes only and do not form part of the reviews process.

4 Data management plan

Data Management Plan (maximum one page)

The TIES data management plan is based on the data management plan instructions of the Academy of Finland. Under MSCA rules the Data Management Plan should accord to the FAIR – findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable – principles. (See the Horizon Europe Programme Guide 2022 for further details).

The plan should describe the following:

where the data will be stored and how they will be backed up during the project
how any legal and ethical issues related to the sharing of data (e.g. ownership, copyright, sensitivity) will be resolved
where the data or a publishable portion of them will be made available after the end of the project.
If the project does not collect or produce any data fully or partially suitable for reuse, justify why the data cannot be made available even partially.

5 Curriculum vitae

Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)

The curriculum vitae must be no more than two pages in length and must include the following information:

personal data: name and year of birth
academic education: degrees, dates and places, major subject, topic of doctoral dissertation
posts and positions of primary importance including all positions in the three years prior to the call deadline
research allocations and grants during the last five years
most important expert assignments
most important scientific acknowledgements and awards
outreach/impact activities.

Applicants wishing to claim exemption to rules regarding the length of time which has elapsed since passing their PhD and/or mobility should note this in their CV.

6 List of publications

7 Motivation letter

Motivation letter (maximum 2 pages)

In no more than two pages explain in the following order:

Why the applicant wishes to be part of the TIES programme
Why the research should be conducted at TIAS and its constituent faculties including, wherever possible, providing the names of University staff members whose work aligns with the proposed project
How the research, secondment, contacts, supervising and teaching experience will benefit TIAS, the University of Turku and its partners
How the three-year research period and secondment will contribute to the applicant’s career development, including listing up to five areas where the applicant would welcome the provision of dedicated training opportunities (e.g., leadership skills, IP management, presentation skills etc) in secondment organisations
How the applicant will contribute to the multidisciplinary TIAS community
How the research will contribute to the research profile of the University of Turku, its research themes and one or more of the strategic research and education profiles for 2021–30
How the proposed project is interdisciplinary and what the implications of this are.

8 Copy of doctoral certificate

Copy of doctoral certificate

Applicants should upload a copy of their doctoral certificate. If the original degree certificate is not written in English, Finnish or Swedish an official translation in English must also be submitted. In cases where the PhD has been successfully completed but the degree certificate has not yet been issued, applicants should provide confirmation from the University where the PhD was undertaken that the PhD has been successfully completed and that no additional work is required.
Please note that by the time the employment contract is signed, the doctoral certificate must be delivered to the University.

EU flag and cofunded text

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement No. 101081293.