A considerable donation grants a graduate from a Finnish university the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The KAUTE Foundation Fellowship covers the full tuition expenses for a five-year doctoral program at a renowned Ivy League university in the United States. The scholarship recipient must first apply to Wharton’s doctoral program, which admits 30 to 40 new doctoral students annually.
With this donation, the KAUTE Foundation wants to open the doors to a prestigious business research institution specifically for a student who has completed their previous education in Finland. The University of Pennsylvania currently ranks 14th globally in the university ranking by Times Higher Education and Wharton, founded in 1881, is the oldest business school in the world.
“The opportunity to commence a career within an institution representing the brightest international excellence in business research offers remarkable prospects for a young researcher. International contacts and high-quality education were important criteria in our evaluation of potential partners for the Fellowship collaboration,” says Tuomas Olkku, the Executive Director of the KAUTE Foundation.
“Wharton is thrilled to partner with the KAUTE Foundation on this doctoral fellowship opportunity,” said Nancy Zhang, Vice Dean of Wharton Doctoral Programs. “This generous gift will make a world-class business education accessible to the next generation of leaders who will create new knowledge while pursuing excellence in research and teaching. The depth and breadth of Wharton’s academic departments, the international reach of our alumni, and the diversity of our talented students and faculty offer unparalleled support for individuals seeking and discovering the latest insights in business and technology.”
International experience supports both the researcher and the community
Internationalization of researchers and their work is important for the KAUTE Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing research in the fields of business and technology. The Fellowship program will run in tandem with KAUTE’s Researchers Abroad and Fulbright programs, all of which collectively promote international collaboration and engagement.
A Finnish foundation’s Fellowship program for business research is the first of its kind.
”Based on our experience, when researchers who have completed their educational experience in Finland engage in extended research period in another country, this benefits the researcher, the research community in Finland and the entire international research community. Researchers immerse themselves in an intellectually and culturally diverse community. In turn, we can support them as they advance their research globally,” says Olkku.
The Foundation is also planning to explore a similar Fellowship program for the field of technological sciences in the future.
The KAUTE Foundation supports business and technological research and the dissemination of research knowledge. The application period for doctoral studies at Wharton is 15.9.–15.12.2023 and the applications should be addressed directly to Wharton.