From strategy to practice: building research capacity through junior researcher positions

What happens when a strategic objective of a higher education institution becomes part of an individual employee’s career path? This article explores how strengthening research capability is put into practice at LAB University of Applied Sciences and what it means to develop from a professional expert into a researcher through a new type of research career pathway.

Author: Sannakaisa Marjamäki

Direction, Goals and Means

In the Finnish higher education sector, increasing emphasis is currently placed on the impact of research, development and innovation (RDI) activities, international collaboration, and the ability to secure competitive research funding. At the same time, the operating environment of higher education institutions has become increasingly competitive. Securing research funding requires a strong research track record, international networks, and the ability to demonstrate research impact. Alongside public core funding, competition for supplementary and international funding continues to intensify (Ministry of Education and Culture 2024a, 2024b).

These developments are also reflected in the strategic choices of higher education institutions. In the strategy of LAB University of Applied Sciences, key objectives include increasing supplementary funding and strengthening the institution’s position as an innovation-oriented university of applied sciences built on research and development activities (LAB University of Applied Sciences 2024). Achieving these goals requires highly skilled personnel, which is why the development of human capital has become an increasingly important component of strategic development. Higher education institutions need experts capable of conducting long-term, high-quality research and development work and generating solutions that address the needs of society and working life (LAB University of Applied Sciences 2024; Ministry of Education and Culture 2024a, 2024b).

One response to this need has been the creation of new research career pathways within higher education institutions. At the beginning of 2026, LAB University of Applied Sciences and LUT University launched a joint doctoral training model aimed at strengthening research competence in the university of applied sciences sector, deepening research collaboration, and establishing new researcher pathways as part of RDI activities. As a result, ten Junior Researcher positions were opened and filled by individuals recruited both from within and outside the organisation (LAB University of Applied Sciences 2025).

This is where a strategic objective becomes a practical personnel development initiative. Instead of strengthening research capability solely by recruiting established researchers, the institution invests in developing the research competencies of both existing experts and new potential. From the perspective of strategic talent management, future-critical competencies are not only acquired but also systematically developed within the organisation itself (Collings & Mellahi 2009).

My Journey as Part of This Change

I began my employment at LAB University of Applied Sciences in early 2022 as a Simulation Instructor working across both education and RDI activities. Combining these two roles provided a unique vantage point from which to observe how closely education, research, and the development of working life are interconnected. At the same time, it revealed some of the challenges associated with integrating these functions. The role sparked my interest in research and laid the foundation for my later transition into a researcher role.

In spring 2026, I was selected for one of the new Junior Researcher positions. My role as a Simulation Instructor came to an end, but I brought with me years of experience from working life, education, leadership, and development. At the same time, my own career path became connected to the broader objective of strengthening the research capabilities of the university of applied sciences.

Growing Within a Research Group

In practice, the Junior Researcher role combines doctoral studies at a university with research work in a university of applied sciences research group. The purpose of the position is not merely to complete a doctoral degree but to gradually become part of the research community and develop the capabilities required for independent research.

My research group is the Diverse and Inclusive Working Life (DIWL) research group at LAB University of Applied Sciences. The group explores diversity, inclusion, equality, and accessibility in working life and society, producing multidisciplinary and multimethod research aimed at developing both workplaces and society. The group brings together expertise from fields such as leadership, health and social care, higher education pedagogy, and workplace development. Its mission is to promote a humane and socially sustainable working life while generating knowledge for the benefit of society and working life (LAB University of Applied Sciences 2026).

From my perspective, the greatest strength of the research group is its multidisciplinary nature. Research ideas are explored from multiple perspectives, and no single researcher is expected to master everything. On the contrary, research is largely built on combining different forms of expertise and learning together (LAB University of Applied Sciences 2026). In addition to my own research group, support is provided by the broader research community at LAB University of Applied Sciences, which consists of several research groups with complementary areas of expertise. Behind these groups stands a wider support system of RDI structures, services, and networks that enable research and development activities across the university of applied sciences. For me as an early-career researcher, this support is reflected in everyday opportunities to learn from more experienced researchers, participate in shared discussions, and gradually develop my own expertise as part of a larger research community.

Reflections and Insights

Research is not an individual sport. Working within a research group, participating in international research discussions, and continuously challenging one’s own thinking are skills that can only be learned through practice, often through trial and error. This is, in my view, the greatest strength of the new doctoral training model. Learning does not take place separately from working life or the research community, but rather within them.

I have come to see myself more as a generalist and a team player than as a specialist focused on a single research area. My professional background lies in healthcare, but as a researcher I am fascinated by understanding complex phenomena, bringing together different perspectives, and finding solutions that are useful for working life. In my opinion, the most meaningful research questions often emerge from outside academia, directly from the realities of working life. Research should also return to working life in the form of practical actions that improve workplaces and society one step at a time.

Perhaps the most important insight of my research journey so far has been that a researcher does not need to be the leading expert on the topic under investigation. Instead, it is essential to recognise the expertise that exists around you, connect different forms of knowledge, and help people excel through their own strengths. The more I have reflected on this, the more similarities I have found with leadership and management. You do not need to know everything yourself, but you do need to create an environment where collective expertise becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Bringing Strategy to Life

My transition into a Junior Researcher role is just one example of a broader change that extends from national policy goals to the everyday experiences of individual employees. In the international competition for knowledge, research, and innovation among OECD countries, Finland aims to strengthen research and development activities and enhance its research capabilities. This direction is reinforced by reforms to higher education funding models introduced by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which place increasing emphasis on research impact, internationalisation, and competitive funding (Ministry of Education and Culture 2024a, 2024b).

Within higher education institutions, this translates into growing expectations to produce impactful research, build international networks, and succeed in an increasingly competitive funding environment. LAB University of Applied Sciences has responded through its strategy, where strengthening research capabilities, developing RDI activities, and increasing supplementary funding play central roles (LAB University of Applied Sciences 2024).

The Junior Researcher positions and the joint doctoral training model provide a concrete example of how strategy is translated into practice. They demonstrate that research capability is not built solely through structures or funding, but above all through people. In the future, initiatives like these may prove decisive in determining how effectively higher education institutions can respond to changing competence needs, generate new knowledge, and create impactful research for the benefit of working life. Ultimately, the issue is not only about becoming a researcher, but about how organisations build future capabilities one person at a time.

References

Collings, D. G. & Mellahi, K. 2009. Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda. Human Resource Management Review. 19(4), 304–313. Cited 19 Oct 2026. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2009.04.001

LAB University of Applied Sciences. 2024. LAB Strategy 2030. Cited 19 Oct 2026. Available at https://lab.fi/fi/info/tietoa-meista/strategia

LAB University of Applied Sciences. 2025. LAB and LUT Launch a Joint Doctoral Education Programme. Cited 19 Oct 2026. Available at https://lab.fi/fi/uutiset/lab-ja-lut-aloittavat-yhteisen-tohtorikoulutuksen

LAB University of Applied Sciences. 2026. Diverse and Inclusive Working Life Research Group. Cited 19 Oct 2026. Available at https://lab.fi/fi/tutkimus-kehitys/tutkimusryhmat/moninaisuus-ja-yhdenvertaisuus-tyoelamassa

Ministry of Education and Culture. 2024a. Ehdotus ammattikorkeakoulujen ja yliopistojen valtakunnallisten rahoitusmallien uudistamiseksi vuodesta 2025 alkaen: Työryhmämuistio. Publications of the Ministry of Education and Culture 2024:4. Helsinki: Ministry of Education and Culture.

Ministry of Education and Culture. 2024b. Korkeakouluille uudet rahoitusmallit. Cited 19 Oct 2026. Available at https://okm.fi/-/korkeakouluille-uudet-rahoitusmallit

Author

Sannakaisa Marjamäki works as a Junior Researcher in the Diverse and Inclusive Working Life (DIWL) research group at LAB University of Applied Sciences and is pursuing doctoral studies in the Doctoral Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management at LUT University. Her doctoral research is titled: Talent Management in Finnish Healthcare: What Is the Meaning of Talent in Nurse Managers’ Roles, How Is It Managed, and What Is Its Contribution to Organisational Performance?

Illustration: Teemu Rasi