International PhD Workshop on Sustainable Innovation in Business and Society
The 2nd international PhD workshop on Sustainable Innovation in Business and Society will be held at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Kuopio campus on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
The multidisciplinary PhD workshop is organized in collaboration between the UEF Research Center for Sustainable Circular Economy (CECE) and Sustainability Transformations doctoral education pilot (SuSTra).
The purpose of the PhD workshop is to provide an opportunity for doctoral researchers working on sustainability-related topics to present and discuss their research, learn how to review and give feedback to others. The workshop is intended 1) to create a special space in which PhD students can develop academically, 2) learn from other like-minded students and 3) build an international network of fellow PhD students and faculty.
Thematically, the PhD workshop focuses on ways to advance sustainability transitions through practices, processes and people involved in sustainable innovation and renewal. The workshop explores solutions for sustainable futures including operating models for economic growth and increased well-being without over-consumption of fossil fuels and natural resource.
In the one-day PhD workshop the participants mainly work in small groups. Each PhD student will be assigned a professor or a senior faculty member, who will discuss and comment on their paper in particular, but also other papers in the group. Furthermore, each PhD student will discuss and comment the work of others, hereby, also learning reviewing skills.
The workshop is free of charge. We have a limited number of bursaries to cover part of the costs for PhD students who are conducting their research at institutions outside Finland. More information will be provided upon acceptance of your application.
The workshop will be held entirely in English.
The PhD workshop will be organized in connection with the 5th International Conference for Sustainable Resource Society – ICS24 at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio campus, Finland. The International Conference for Sustainable Resource Society is a multidisciplinary conference focused on challenges of sustainability transitions in society, environmental change, and sustainable use of natural resources. The PhD workshop participants will be encouraged to take part in the conference as well.
How to apply
Submit your application form here and submit your research plan as a PDF file to ida.parkkinen@uef.fi by August 15, 2025. Instructions for research plan submissions:
Title page
- Title of the work
- Name of the author
- Phase of your doctoral studies
- Institutional affiliation
- Supervisor(s) of the dissertation
- The type of feedback you are looking for from the tutorial
Research plan
- Introduction: Background and context of the study, research problem statement, research objectives and question(s)
- Theoretical framework: Theoretical basis of the research, existing research on the topic
- Research methods: Participants, data collection methods, data analysis
- Contribution: Scientific significance, societal significance
- Ethical considerations: Good scientific practice, data protection impact assessment, ethical considerations in data management and collection
- Schedule, funding, and publication plan
- Length of the research plan: 5–10 pages plus references
Program of the PhD workshop will be updated here closer to the event
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, UEF Kuopio campus