Research Track: For Tenure Consideration

At 15 months before the end of the fixed-term contract, the candidate will be informed by the Head of Department (HoD) that the process will be initiated 12 months before the end of the employment and that the candidate is required to provide the following materials no later than this date:

• CV (proposed content at https://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae), including list of publications.
• Personal statement, which includes a description of past and on-going research, research collaboration with other scholars, contributions to international scientific networks, involvement in applications for external research funding, contributions to the pedagogical development in the department or university beyond own teaching, contributions through institutional service to the department and own university, and contributions through societal impact. The personal statement needs to be written with the position in question in mind.
• Copies of the five research publications that, in the candidate’s opinion, best demonstrate high scientific quality research in their field. 
• A teaching portfolio (proposed content at https://www.hanken.fi/en/faculty-staff/job-opportunities/job-opportunities/applications-and-selection-process).

The materials are submitted to the Head of Department and to HR (humanresources@hanken.fi). 

Between 15 months and 12 months before the end of the fixed-term contract, a Department Committee is appointed by the Rector based on a proposal from the HoD and will consist of a Chair who should be a professor of the subject and could be the HoD, a minimum of additional 4 professors including at least one professor from another department/university, and one person from HR as secretary. Hanken’s recommendations regarding conflict of interest will apply in terms of academic cooperation with the candidate. 

An associate professor is required to have a doctoral degree. In addition, an associate professor will have achieved and can demonstrate internationally high levels of research within the scientific field of the position. An associate professor is also expected to have achieved high levels in teaching and contributed through institutional service and societal impact. 

The Department Committee assesses all complete applications using both qualitative and quantitative indicative examples of evidence for the extent to which each candidate fulfills the criteria in the Hanken Personnel Instruction (2024) and the criteria in the tables provided below for associate professorship. 

All the following must take place no later than 6 months before the end of the fixed-term contract to enable a tenure decision to be made:

1. Rector will appointment three external evaluators (plus at least two additional external evaluators in reserve) based on a proposal from the Department Committee. The candidate is given an opportunity to present objections regarding disqualification and/or insufficient impartiality in the selection of external reviewers.
   • The external evaluators are contacted first by the Chair of the Department Committee to determine willingness to act in this capacity, then by HR.
   • The evaluators are sent a letter and all materials provided by the candidate as above.
2. A teaching demonstration and interview with the Teaching Evaluation Committee is organised at Hanken. TEC provides a statement to the DC as to whether it assesses that the candidate has demonstrated high levels of teaching quality. In the statement, TEC also provides feedback to the candidate.
3. The Library provides a Publication Report on the candidate. 
4. Using both qualitative and quantitative indicative examples, the Department Committee meets and evaluates, based on the materials provided by the candidate and the statements of the external evaluators and the teaching evaluation committee, that the qualification requirements of the Personnel Instructions (Board decision, 2023) and the criteria in the table above (see Qualification Requirements) are fulfilled and conclude whether or not the candidate is qualified to be awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor Level 3.
5. The Department Committee prepares a proposal for the Faculty Recruitment and Promotion (FRP) Committee, considering all aspects of point 1-3 above. 
6. The Chair of the Department Committee is invited to present the case for the FRP Committee, after which the Chair must leave the meeting. The FRP Committee assesses the Department Committee’s proposal and all supporting documents and provides a recommendation to the Rector. 
7. Rector makes the final decision to award or not to award tenure and appointment to Associate Professor Level 3.
8. Rector informs the candidate about the decision. The candidate and the HoD are invited to a meeting to discuss the work contract and salary as Associate Professor, or alternatively, to present the reasons for the decision not to award tenure and appointment to Associate Professor. 
9. In case of a decision to award tenure and appointment to Associate Professor, the Head of Department submits the material for the work contract to HR; HR completes the work contract, which is signed by Rector and the candidate.
    

The employer and the employee may under certain exceptional circumstances agree to begin the process sooner. Such circumstances may include competitive situations with other universities over an employee and/or exceptional success in fulfilling the qualification criteria.

In such a case where the candidate would like the process to begin sooner than after four years, the candidate submits an application, including the reasoning for why the process should be started earlier, to the Head of Department (HoD) and provides the following materials:

• CV (proposed content at https://tenk.fi/en/advice-and-materials/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae), including list of publications.
• Personal statement, which includes a description of past and on-going research, research collaboration with other scholars, contributions to international scientific networks, involvement in applications for external research funding, contributions to the pedagogical development in the department or university beyond own teaching, contributions through institutional service to the department and own university, and contributions through societal impact.
• Copies of five research publications that, in the candidate’s opinion, best demonstrates high scientific quality research in their field or discipline.
• Teaching portfolio (proposed content at https://www.hanken.fi/en/faculty-staff/job-opportunities/job-opportunities/applications-and-selection-process).

All the following must take place to enable the process to begin sooner:

1. HoD and a professor, who is a topic expert from the department/subject, make an initial assessment of whether the candidate meets the qualification requirements of the Personnel Instruction and Hanken’s Tenure Track System Guidelines (2024).
2. HoD and the professor who is a topic expert make a proposal whether or not they support that the tenure evaluation process is initiated.
3. Rector decides whether or not the application to begin the process sooner is approved. 
   • If the application is approved, the tenure process outlined above is initiated and followed. 
   • If the application is not approved, the candidate reverts to the normal time frame of the tenure process outlined above. 
4. Rector informs the candidate and HoD about the decision.