University of Tartu and Tartu University Hospital to offer industrial doctorates

On Thursday, 17 October, the University of Tartu and Tartu University Hospital signed a framework agreement for industrial doctorate to provide doctoral student places for Tartu University Hospital staff members who want to pursue a doctoral degree alongside their clinical work. 

The agreement was signed by Professor Joel Starkopf, Head of Research and Development at Tartu University Hospital, and Professor Mari Moora, Vice Rector for Research at the University of Tartu.  

According to Professor Maris Laan, Vice Dean for Research of the University of Tartu Faculty of Medicine, the hospital is the faculty’s most important partner in teaching, studies and research. “Medical staff holding a doctoral degree are the key to new generations of academics and the foundation of science-based thinking in medicine in the next decades. Industrial doctorate enables to educate young researchers in clinical specialisations that do not yet have a strong independent research school, and enhance research and development in areas essential to the clinic.”  

Professor Joel Starkopf said that research is an integral part of the university hospital’s activities, and its most important aim is clinical excellence and providing patients with the best possible science-based care. “Science at the service of patients is our mission, and doctoral education is a natural prerequisite to achieve it. We have 850 doctors working at the clinic, and 150 of them hold a doctoral degree. They include doctors who rank in the top 1% of the world’s most cited researchers in their field. Currently, almost 60 hospital employees are pursuing their doctoral studies at the University of Tartu,” Starkopf explained.  

The framework agreement will expand doctoral study opportunities for the hospital’s doctors and other health professionals. In particular, Professor Starkopf sees the prospect of fostering research-intensive development to provide concrete solutions for patients – for example, to develop and implement cell therapy methods, optimise patients’ treatment pathways using digital technologies, or offer solutions of personalised medicine in hospital pharmacies. “I believe this measure will intensify collaboration between medical teams of practitioners and the University of Tartu research groups, ensuring that we can offer modern and high-level treatment,” said Starkopf.  

In addition to signing the agreement, the parties discussed cooperation opportunities with the university’s other fields of research. For example, digital technologies in medicine and the legal issues related to using health data were discussed with the Faculty of Social Science representative. 

Also present at the meeting were the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Külli Kingo and Vice Dean for Research Maris Laan, Vice Dean of Research and Development of the Faculty of Social Sciences Mihkel Solvak, UT Legal Counsel for Organisation of Studies Martin Pärn, UT Development Adviser Monika Tasa, and the hospital’s Lawyer Hilje Arukuusk.  

Industrial doctorate is a form of cooperation between the university, the partner organisation and the doctoral student to enhance the applicability of research and its relevance to the needs of society and increase the share of doctoral graduates working in enterprises and institutions. 

Read more on the university’s website.