Linnéa Carlsson, chair of the Swedish National Union of Students' Doctoral Committee, comments on the report:
– It is welcome that UKÄ has mapped and discussed the need for doctoral students for future academia. An important question is how Sweden can continue to meet the academy's, as well as Sweden's, need for doctoral graduates in the next 10–15 years. The study "University's future need for doctoral graduates" contains several points that are important for how Sweden can continue to profile itself as a knowledge nation in terms of doctoral education.
– The study shows that the number of doctoral students over the next 10–15 years will decline, not least as a result of the fact that the number of foreign doctoral students is expected to decrease. Today, foreign doctoral students make up around 40% of all doctoral students in Sweden. In addition, interest in doctoral education is predicted to decline. Something that, in combination, could lead to a shortage of doctoral graduates at our universities and colleges. Agricultural science and veterinary medicine, social sciences, and humanities and arts are particularly highlighted. That said, there are identified challenges regarding how Sweden can profile itself as a knowledge nation in the coming years.
Read the report here.