University of Tartu and Cybernetica to jointly train industrial doctoral students starting this autumn
The University of Tartu and Cybernetica AS have entered into an agreement to jointly train industrial doctoral students, with the aim of developing knowledge-based solutions for challenges in information technology. This autumn, three doctoral students began their research at Cybernetica AS under the new partnership.
The industrial doctorate is a collaborative initiative that enables companies and other organisations to generate new knowledge alongside the university, while also enhancing the skillsets of their employees. Cybernetica is an Estonian IT company which places a strong emphasis on R&D in areas such as information security, e-government solutions, cryptography, artificial intelligence, and related societal implications.
Dan Bogdanov, Chief Scientific Officer at Cybernetica, highlighted the importance of this collaboration, noting that the company’s work in building e-government systems and information security solutions for countries worldwide is highly complex and demands top-tier expertise. "Increasing the proportion of employees with doctoral degrees is a key goal for Cybernetica’s Research Institute. We were therefore eager to invest in the creation of new doctoral study places. The agreement with the University of Tartu gives me confidence that Estonia's technological capabilities will continue to advance rapidly. As a University of Tartu alumnus myself, I am personally very pleased to see this partnership come to life," Bogdanov said.
The agreement with the University of Tartu gives me confidence that Estonia's technological capabilities will continue to advance rapidly.
The University of Tartu has leading expertise in a wide range of disciplines, from social sciences and humanities to natural sciences and medicine. According to Professor Mari Moora, the university’s Vice Rector for Research, IT plays a critical role across all these fields, making this collaboration an important opportunity to strengthen and expand research competencies for both institutions.
Starting in September, the industrial doctoral students will be tackling a variety of pressing issues, such as legal challenges related to data usage, verifying the locations of events, people, and objects, and enhancing the security of privacy-preserving artificial intelligence systems. These projects are guided by Cybernetica’s experienced researchers who specialise in applying research results in real-world contexts. Academic supervision is provided by experts from both the School of Law and the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Tartu.
Cybernetica has a long-standing and fruitful collaboration with the University of Tartu, which is reflected in joint initiatives such as the company’s scholarship programme for master’s students, doctoral thesis supervision, and extensive IT-related research. Both organisations are also members of the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (EXAI), established in 2024. The recently signed framework agreement strengthens this collaboration by facilitating the creation of industrial doctorate places at the university and junior researcher roles at Cybernetica AS, ensuring close cooperation throughout doctoral studies.