The UEF Research Group Leader training helps researchers who are setting up their own research group to succeed in their leadership role. The next application round will be organised in spring 2026.
The University of Eastern Finland invests in research leadership through the UEF Research Group Leader training. Aimed at researchers, the leadership study programme was implemented for the first time in autumn 2025 and will be continued next year.
The aim of the UEF Research Group Leader training is to enhance researchers’ knowledge and skills in leading and supervising research, researchers and research groups. The participants will learn the skills they will need in leading their own research group when their role changes from a researcher into a leader.
"To succeed in their career, researchers need skills to lead people and networks as well as complex processes. Our training aims to enhance these skills in order to support personal coping and research careers," says Vice Rector Jussi Pihlajamäki.
The first UEF Research Group Leader training was attended by 24 researchers who are in the early stages of leading their own research group.
"The course provided a lot of food for thought as regards academic leadership. I particularly liked the collegial atmosphere and got a lot of peer support," says Academy Research Fellow Henri Leinonen from the School of Pharmacy.
Senior Researcher Delia Pinto Zevallos from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences who participated in the training says that it was a very useful introduction to the university’s processes. Above all, the training provided an opportunity to assess and develop one’s own skills as a leader.
"An excellent course that provided a comprehensive 'need-to-know and consider' items for different aspects of UEF research group leadership, from finances to guidance. Coupled with stimulating expert and peer discussions, it made this course a pleasure to attend," says Research Director Nihay Laham Karam from the A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences.
Comprehensive understanding of how to lead people and matters
The UEF Research Group Leader training builds a path from the role of a researcher to leading research and researchers. The training addresses the development from a researcher into a research director.
During the training the participants will, among others, get to consider their personal views on humans and leadership, learn about funding elements and financial practices, and acquire project management skills. Peer learning and small group meetings are key elements of the training.
A wide range of professors and experts of the service organisations of the University of Eastern Finland serve as the trainers and experts of the leadership training. Thanks to the multidisciplinarity of the university, there is no need for external trainers.
The call for applications for the next UEF Research Group Leader training will start in the spring of 2026 and the group will start in the autumn. The call for applications and instructions will be published in the university’s internal channels.
