Funding

Funding bodies for doctoral studies

N.B. For some of the below institutions, you must apply or fill an application form in Finnish.

The first places to look for funding are the Research Foundation of the University of Helsinki, your own doctoral programme and the Aurora database. An exhaustive list of FInnish foundation can be found from the member page of the Council of Finnish Foundations.

Another way of searching for funding is by visiting the Research Professtional network. To access this website, you need to visit their page on the university network or through the vpn and paste in the following address:

https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/home

in the search field to the top right and click on ‘browse’. Once you are logged in, click on the link ‘funding for PhD students – other funders’ under the ‘Funding searches’ header. This will lead you to a locked search form, which you can edit by clicking on the small yellow lock icon right above it and set it to look for funding in Finland.

Research Foundation of the University of Helsinki – application period: September

This fund supports doctoral students in all fields of research. Students who get these grants are then paid through the university as employees. Note that in 2015, 10 stipends were distributed.

CIMO (Center for international mobility) Fellowships – application period: continuous

The CIMO scholarships are open to everyone but priority is given to doctoral students from Russia, China, India, Chile, Brazil and North America. Decisions are made within approximately 3 months after receipt of an application.

Finnish Medical Foundation – applications period: May

Projects, research and encouragement scholarships from the Finnish Medical Foundation are awarded to M.D.s and to M.D. students.

Finnish Cultural Foundation – application period : October (central fund) and January (regional funds)

The foundation offers personal grants for doctoral studies in a broad range of topics but NOT for these specific purposes.

Sigrid Juselius Foundation – application period (several – see)

This foundation offers grants for doctoral students in the field of medical research.

Niilo Helander Foundation – application period : March

The foundation covers fields in both arts and sciences.

Metsämiesten Foundation – application period: December to January

This foundation offers grants to students in the forestry sector, encompassing a very broad range of fields related to the use of forests.

Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation – application period: August – September

The Nessling foundation supports students in the field of Environmental Research and covers a broad range of topics.

Jenni ja Antti Wihuri Foundation – application period: before October

The foundation offers financial support for a very broad range of topics to students and organizations. The Wihuri Research Center focuses on biomedical research.

Juliana von Went Fund – application period: April

The fund offer support for scientific research in animal husbandry well-being and research aiming to reduced to practice of animal testing.

Emil Aaltonen Foundation – application period: January – February

This foundation offer grants for doctoral students in all topics.

Ella and Georg Ehrnroot Foundation – application period: January – February

The purpose of the foundation is to promote scientific research and literary activity and offers grants for students in all topics – but not in mathematics, astronomy, physics and chemistry (including biochemistry and medical chemistry), nor in medicine or economic science which are covered by the Magnus Ehrnroot Foundation (see below).

Magnus Ehrnroot Foundation – Application period: by mid December

This foundation grants support to doctoral students doing scientific research in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry including medical chemistry.

Alfred Kordelin Foundation – application period: August

This foundation offers grants that promote science, literature, art and public education. The fundation also offers a variety of separate grants (only in Finnish) for research conducted in specific fields such as chemistry, Estonian language and research conducted in specific town across Finland.

Väisälä Fund – application period: before end of September

This foundation grants funds for for research in mathematics, physics, astronomy, geophysics and meteorology, the call for application can be found here.

Emil Öhman Fund – application period: before June

This foundation supports doctoral students doing cultural research focused on German-speaking area or on the German language.

Eino Jutikkala Fund – application period: before June

The foundation grants support to doctoral students working in the field of humanities. (Apurahat on tarkoitettu tutkijoille, jotka edustavat Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian humanistisen osaston tieteenaloja).

Hilkka and Otto Brusiin Fund – application period Spring

The fund supports students in Legal research. The call for application takes place every two year in Spring. According to the Fund’s bylaws, the board meets either in March or in April to review the applications.

Alli Paasikiven Foundation – application period: January – February

The foundation supports doctoral students in the field of social sciences but you can check more precisely the kind of subject they consider in priority.

Diabetes Research Foundation – application period: January

This foundation grants scholarships to doctoral students doing their research in the field of diabetes.

Eija and Veikko Lesonen Foundation – application period: before April 12th

This foundation focuses mainly on supporting grass-root voluntary work in Northern Finland but as stated on their webpage,they are also prepared to support anti-drug activities in the context of child and juvenile education so if your research falls into these categories you might want to consider contacting them for more information.

Finska Läkaresällskapet – application period: before mid September

The Finnish Medical Society supports doctoral candidates in the medical field but their supervisors must be a member of the society and the supervisor must apply for the grant on the behalf of the doctoral student.

Fortum Foundation – application period: April

The purpose of the foundation is to support  natural, technical and economic scientific research, education and development in the energy sector. The foundation places priority in the energy sector are energy production and use, as well as transport-related energy solutions.

Svenska Kultur/Studie Fonden – application period: February

The Swedish Cultural Fund supports doctoral students working full time on their studies. Moreover, you must either be a Finnish citizen or have permanent residence in Finland and do your studies in Swedish or speak Swedish as your mothertongue.

Helsingin Sanoma Foundation – application period: continuous

The foundation supports research in the field of media and communication science.

Instrumentatrium Research Foundation – application period: June

This foundation supports medicine and medical technology research as well as natural sciences and economic research related to the medical field.

Jalmari and Rauha Ahokkaa Foundation and the Hilja and Pekka Vuorisalo Fund – application period: before end August

This foundation supports scientific research in the field of respiratory medicine, psychiatry, endocrinology and oncology. The separate Vuorisalo fund is meant to support cancer research at the university of Helsinki. The grants are distributed every two years (next call in 2016).

Jane and Aatos Foundation – application period: continuous

This foundation provides grants and scholarships for technical, economic and medical research but also cultural projects and other projects promoting mental and physical wellbeing. In 2014, this foundation has donated over 32M euros.

Juho Vainio Foundation – application period: September

This foundation supports scientific research and activities that promote public health and healthy lifestyles, especially health promoting physical activity and nutrition, prevention of health hazards caused by smoking and the use of alcohol, as well as the promotion of mental health and environmental health (including prevention of health hazards in buildings).

Civil Education Fund – application period: November and December

The fund provides scholarships for a few doctoral students every year, preferably students working on working life research, environmental economics research, as well as historical research of the labor movement.

Foundation for the Promotion of Karelian Culture – application period: November

The foundation supports research and gives scholarships to doctoral students working in the field of humanities (history, culture and traditions) or similar and doing research primarily linked to Karelia.

Kone Foundation – application period: September

In their own words, “the foundation’s goal is to advance bold initiatives in research and the arts. Boldness, crossing of boundaries and new initiatives are important for us and we also encourage our grant applicants to work towards these goals”.

The Foundation for Municipal Development – application period: deadlines on last working days of August and February

This foundation allocates funding for research projects on municipalities as well as grants for researchers in the field. Applications are not restricted to a particular field of study or discipline. The aim of the foundation is to support the self-government of municipalities as well as to improve their scopes for action.

Pediatric Research Foundation – application period: March

This foundation supports research on children diseases and studies on the promotion of health and well-being of children.

Foundation for Economic Education – application period: July

The Foundation for Economic Education awards grants for research in the field of business and economics, and for complementary studies particularly in business economics.

Fund for Land and Water Engineering (Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki) – application period: continuous

This organization offers grants for a wide range of projects in the water sector, environmental engineering and soil conservation. These are usually grants for attending courses and congresses abroad as well as doing research in this field.

Marjatta and Eno Kolli Foundation – application period : continuous

The foundation plays an important role in funding research related to agriculture, forestry and constructions. It has its roots in the forestry and wood proccesing industry. You can check if you are eligible for a grant. The applications are reviewed 4 times a year.

Maud Kuistila Memorial Foundation – application period: January

This foundation supports research and doctoral students in medical fields.

Maritime Transport Foundation – application period: February

This foundation offers support to researchers and doctoral students working on projects pertaining to the maritime shipping sector, ship building research and technology as well as maritime economy and law of the sea. It also provide grants for traveling abroad and attend courses.

Nokia Foundation – application period: end of August to end September

Scholarships are granted for individuals pursuing a doctoral degree in information or telecommunications technology or in areas supporting the development of these branches of science.

OP-Pohjola and Kyösti Haataja Foundations – application period: January

The OP-Pohjola Group Research foundation supports economic research, with priority given to research on cooperative banking operations and the Kyösti Haataja foundation supports research on the social and legal conditions of rural population, especially farmers.

Oskar Öflund Foundations – application period: mid-January to mid-February

This foundation grants small scholarships (only up to 6000e) to students in all walks of research, check here for the full list.

Osk. Huttunen Foundation – application period: mid-May to mid-June

This foundation supports doctoral students of Finnish nationality only and who are visiting or completing their doctoral thesis at an English university of some other institute aborad.

Paavo Nurmi Foundation – application period: September

The foundation supports researchers and students as well as many other activities in the domain of medical research and more specifically in the field of cardiovascular research.

Wage earners’ Foundation (Palkkansaaja Säätiö) – application period: twice a year before August 15th and December 31st

This foundation supports, among others, doctoral students doing their dissertation in various fields of social sciences (economics and labour-related, but check the link for examples).

Particia Seppälä Foundation – application period: December to end January

This foundation funds a wide range of activities on the topic of photography and supports research related to it.

Paulo Foundation – application period: August

This foundation supports research primarily in the biomedical domain but also in a variety of other non-related fields through a series of specific funds. Look at the grants handed out in 2014 for some examples.

Gambling Research Foundation (Pelitoiminnan tutkimussäätiö) – application period February

This foundation distributes grants for research that focuses on gambling as a social and cultural phenomenon, excluding research looking at the topic from a medical, psychological, problematical or healthcare-related perspective as well as research not pertaining to money games.

Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation – application period: before September 15th

The foundation aims to advance the mental and physical well-being of children and seniors by sponsoring medical research, health care and other activities in line with these objectives.

Finnish Foundation for The Promotion of the Stockmarket – application period: (unknown)

This foundation supports finnish research in economics related to stock markets.

Raisio Research Foundation – application period October

The Raisio Foundation supports doctoral and licentiate students doing scientific research aimed at improving food and feed and their ingredients and methods of production.

Saara and Björn Wahlroos Foundation – application period: continuous

This foundation grants support for research and scholarly work in preparation for public and political debate, particularly the study of market based solutions to economic problems.

Signe and Ane Gylleberg Foundation – application period: January

The foundation’s purpose is to support medical research, particularly in psychosomatic research and Steiner-based research in medicine.

Sigrid Jusélius Foundation – application period::Autumn and Spring but look at their calendar

The foundation supports national ‘top-level’ research in the medical domain

Silmä- ja kudospankkisäätiö – application period: September

This foudnation supports scientific research in the field of eye diseases, injuries and defects.

Silmäsäätiö (Eye Foundation) – application period: Deadline mid-October (check here)

This foundation aims to promote scientific research in the field of eye diseases, injuries and defects.

Appolonia Foundation – application period: October

This foundation supports doctoral students in dentistry research.

Foundation for Research of Natural Resources in Finland – application period: August – September

The foundation supports innovative research projects dealing with the use of Finnish natural resources.

Finnish Forest Foundation – application period: 4 times a year, see the timetable

The foundation supports activities related to forest including research projects and sub-pojects.

The Finnish Parkinson Foundation – applications period: Deadline mid-February

The foundation provides support for research and doctoral theses on the Parkinson disease.

Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research – application period: December-January

The foundation provides grants for doctoral students doing research in the field of cardiovascular disease.

Tiina and Antti Herlin Foundation – application period: November

The foundation aims at supporting and promoting social welfare, culture, the environment and science, as well as related doctoral (and other) researchers.

Walter and Andrée de Nottbeck Foundation – application period: September

The foundation supports envrionmental research, more specifically research pertaining to the Baltic Sea.

Foundation for Communication and Media – application period: continuous

This foundation supports doctoral students doing research in the sector of media and communications.

Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation – application period: September

This foundation supports doctoral research in the fields of economics, health (see this page for more details).

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