The Finnish Ministry of Education announced on February 7, 2024, funding for a Quantum Doctoral Education Pilot Program (QDOC), allocating €23 million (~$25 million) for 90 new doctoral researcher positions. According to Aalto University, the program was part of a broader Ministry of Education initiative to recruit 1,000 new doctoral students across various disciplines at Finnish universities starting in the 2024-2025 academic year.
QDOC was formed around the Finnish Quantum Flagship and involved eight universities and research institutes. It included collaboration with 14 companies offering thesis topics and internships. Participating institutions included Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, the University of Jyvaskyla, Tampere University, the University of Oulu, the University of Turku, the University of Eastern Finland, VTT, and CSC-IT Center for Science. Positions were to start from August 2024 through January 2025, with the program running until 2027.