The University of the Art, the Theatre Academy and Tutke offer the doctoral candidate the following services, venues and equipment to support the studies.
The libraries of the Academy of Fine Arts, the Theatre Academy, and the Sibelius Academy in both Helsinki and Kuopio together form the library of the University of the Arts. Its collections and services are available for the personnel f at the University of the Arts Helsinki, its student and the general public.
A library card can be acquired by registering as a customer in the library premises. Proving one's identity documentation is required for the registration. The library card is valid in all Arsca libraries and it can also later be registered at the Helsinki University Library.
The electronic materials of the library can also be accessed outside the Theatre Academy net by registration as a distant user at the library website with the intranet account. The doctoral research publications are available at the Taju publication repository of the Uniarts Helsinki.
The library also offers work-space services, services for distance borrowing and information retrieval services that can be inquired about from the staff at the library. Guidance in information retrieval can also be requested directly from the library staff. Doctoral candidates can provide the library with requests for acquiring materials.
The researchers’ offices are primarily reserved for the use of the salaried doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers with full-time research funding. The Study Coordinator manages the waiting list for offices. The availability of the facilities is subject to teaching and other functions, as well as to the opening hours of the Theatre Academy.
Doctoral candidates have the right to use the spaces of the Theatre Academy for studies and research conducted at the academy. See the booking instructions in Artsi and Uniarts for Students. Ask the coordinator for more information as needed.
Tutke has some cameras and other equipment that can be borrowed. The situation varies – check with the Study Coordinator what is available as well as how to borrow. There is also equipment available for recording and an option for editing at the Theatre Academy for purposes connected to studying or conducting research at Tutke. The equipment is offered by the AV technicians at the support services for artistic work.
The Uniarts information security instructions must be complied with when using computers and other equipment. The salaried doctoral candidates are part of the staff at the Theatre Academy and also comply with the procurement policies of the IT services. Instructions for printing on campus can be found in Artsi and Uniarts for Students.
The University of the Arts offers its doctoral candidates the services of a study psychologist and the university chaplain. Possibilities for exercising are offered via the UniSport services. There is also a gym under the Tori at the Theatre Academy. It is available during the opening hours of the academy.
The Theatre Academy supports full-time, goal-oriented doctoral study by employing some of the doctoral candidates for a maximum period of two years at a time on a full-time, fixed-term contract at the Theatre Academy. As an employee of the Theatre Academy, the Doctoral Candidate has the responsibilities and benefits of a staff member (see e.g. the induction page in Artsi). The work plan, 1612 hours a year, includes a 5 % (80.6 h/year) workload for Tutke. The work can include for example teaching, organizing common events, symposia or seminars. The tasks are agreed upon with the Contact Teacher and the employment supervisor.
Research projects are similarly coordinated at the university level and funded by national or international bodies such as the Research Council of Finland. The advisors and experts at the Uniarts Research Services coordinate the research initiatives and research funding.
Tutke has a system of individual budgeting for doctoral candidates. Costs related to the completion of a doctoral degree (examined artistic parts, participating in a conference to complete a curriculum requirement) may be reimbursed for the first six years of study at most. Ask the Planning Officer or your Contact Teacher for instructions on how to apply for production or travel support.
The doctoral candidate can realize one artistic part as a Theatre Academy production. Always submit a production application to the services for artistic work (TTP) even for artistic parts not produced by TTP, and even if you do not need production support from Tutke. Tutke’s coordinator will distribute the call for productions before the application period begins. TTP provides support in production-related matters even if it is not the producer of the artistic part.
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA) offers study grants and other financial aid for students. Note that the basic rule is that Finnish social security benefits are limited to citizens of Finland. There are some exceptions – find out more here. If you have at least eight years of work experience you might also be eligible for adult education allowance.
Various foundations offer grants for artistic work and artistic research, for example the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Alfred Kordelin Foundation and the Kone Foundation, as well as the Arts Council of Finland and its Regional Arts Councils under the Ministry of Culture and Education. Funding calls and other information about research in Finland can be found at Research.fi.
The purpose of a grant is to secure full time or part time work as stated in the research plan. The grants cover a fixed-time period that can be of any length of period between one month and five years, although a grant is usually offered for one year at a time. If the financing body does not offer separate funds for production costs, it is advisable to apply for project grants.
Doctoral candidates are advised to apply for project grants for artistic productions not only from Tutke but also form the above-mentioned funding organizations outside the Theatre Academy. Project grants may cover various production costs, from rents to salaries. The application instructions must be read carefully to find out what kind of funding is available in each case. The
application for a research grant can also include motivated extra costs such as material costs or costs for renting studio spaces.
Project grants are especially applicable for production costs in artistic parts, but they can also be granted for language checking or translation costs, costs of editing the documentation, or for employing assisting personnel. For a travel grant, a motivated travel plan is an integral part of the application. Questions on grant applications and reporting can be addressed to Tutke’s staff.
A motivated, detailed plan motivating the need for funding and describing how it will be used is always required for applying for a grant. Especially in applications for research grants, a statement from the supervisor is usually required, in addition to possible other references. The research plan is the foundation of the grant application. The applicant needs to request the statement from the supervisor at least two weeks in advance, and present an updated research plan, or at least the draft application, to support the request. In case a letter of commitment is required, the request for it also needs to be submitted at least two weeks in advance.
A written report of the use of the grant is always required. Grant periods longer than four months accumulate the pension fund, and the recipient of such a grant is therefore required to take the MYEL-pension insurance at the Farmers' Social Insurance Institution (Mela).