The Finnish Pharmaceutical Society is excited to organize the 2nd pitching competition for PhD students as part of FinPharmSci 2026 event. This year, we will select two winners:
One to represent Finland in the European PhD pitching competition at the EUFEPS Annual Meeting 2027, in Krakow, May 19-21, 2027,
and one to represent Finland in the Young Scientist Symposium to be held in the context of the EFMC Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry Meeting 2027, in Edinburgh, September 3-4, 2027 – with a possibility for oral presentation at the Symposium (speakers to be selected from among national representatives by the EFMC’s Young Scientist Network).
Both winners will get free access to the mentioned events and travel support from the society.
About the Competition
- Format: 5-minute pitch + 2-minute discussion
- Audience: National jury and FinPharmSci attendees
How to Apply
To participate in the pitching competition, please register to the FinPharmSci event via the e-form and indicate in which category (EUFEPS or EFMC) you’d like to pitch. In addition, please submit the following materials to arto.merivaara@uef.fi by October 18, 2026:
- The title of your presentation
- A 100-word abstract summarizing your pitch
The status of your PhD thesis (e.g., official starting date of PhD studies and estimated graduation time (including information of possible longer leaves of absence).
The board of the Finnish Pharmaceutical Society will review all submitted abstracts and, in case of overflow, will select the best candidates to compete in the pitching competition at the FinPharmSci 2026 event. For competitors from the University of Eastern Finland or Åbo Akademi, travel costs to Helsinki (return ticket by train or bus) will be reimbursed to facilitate participation in the FinPharmSci 2026 event.
Eligibility
- You must be a PhD student at the time of the national selection (12 November, 2026), but you may graduate before the international competition
- The representative selected for the EUFEPS competition (Krakow, 19–21 May 2027) must be in at least the third year of their PhD programme by the time of the competition.
We encourage all eligible PhD students to take part in this exciting new program. The competition offers a great opportunity to gain visibility, sharpen your communication skills, and connect with the pharmaceutical science community in Finland and across Europe.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the secretary, Arto Merivaara (arto.merivaara@uef.fi).
With kind regards,
The Board of the Finnish Pharmaceutical Society