Academy Projects for all Research Fields (Finland)

The goal is internationally high-quality scientific research, potential scientific breakthroughs and research collaboration with the best international groups.

An Academy Project is built around a scientifically high-quality and ambitious research plan, which is implemented by a high-level research group or consortium of research groups. Academy Projects promote the quality of research, scientific and other impact, scientific renewal and diversity. The goal is research of the highest possible international scientific level, possible scientific breakthroughs and research collaboration with the best international groups. The starting point is that the funded project serves Finnish research, society and international cooperation.

The funding is primarily intended for groups consisting of researchers preparing and/or having completed a doctoral dissertation. The Academy encourages researchers to engage in international mobility to support their research, for example by having a researcher employed on a project work abroad for a fixed period of time. A foreign researcher who is already working in Finland or who will be working in the Finnish scientific community may also be employed on a research project. The funding may also be used to employ researchers returning to their home country.

Funding Information

• The maximum grant for a four-year project is 600,000 euros, for a four-year consortium project a maximum of 1 million euros in total, and for a four-year consortium sub-project a maximum of 500,000 euros.

Eligible Expenses

• Academy funding can be applied for to cover, for example, the following direct research costs:
  • research team salary
  • limited salary costs for the responsible director of the research project
  • Salary funding for a researcher returning to Finland from abroad
  • necessary costs incurred in carrying out the research
  • traveling expenses
  • domestic cooperation and mobility
  • international cooperation and mobility
  • preparation of international projects

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual research groups and consortia of two or more groups can apply for funding. The parties to the consortia can represent one or more research organizations.
• A consortium application refers to an application built around a joint research plan, in which each party in the consortium applies for funding from the Academy. The Academy processes the consortium application as a single entity, even though funding is awarded separately for each sub-project. The composition of the consortium cannot be changed after the application period has ended.
• The responsible director of an Academy project must have a doctoral degree and other significant evidence of scientific work. He or she is usually a researcher at the level of professor or docent. The director of the consortium sub-project must also meet the above criteria. In addition, the applicant must have strong connections to Finland to carry out the multi-year research project, and these connections must be stated in the application.
• The responsible director of an application cannot be changed during the application processing process (after the application period has ended but before the decision is made). The only exception to this is the death of the responsible director.

For more information, visit Academy of Finland.