Academy of Finland to develop mobility funding based on bilateral agreements
At the Academy of Finland, the physical and virtual mobility of researchers and changing research environments are considered important to promote international interaction in science and research. Changing research environments, mobility and good international networks benefit researchers’ careers. The internationalisation of Finnish research environments will also increase the competitiveness of Finnish research. For this reason, the development of mobility funding has continued at the Academy during the corona pandemic. This year, a number of reforms will be made to mobility calls.
Due to the pandemic, implementing international research cooperation, and researcher mobility in particular, has been difficult. As a result of travel restrictions, virtual communication and other digitalisation have increased and developed rapidly. However, it has not been possible to implement all cooperation remotely. There still are and will continue to be situations where physical movement from one place to another is necessary and useful.
Four mobility calls in autumn 2021
In the September 2021 call, the Academy’s bilateral mobility partner countries and related mobility opportunities will be regrouped according to the nature of the activities. We will open four mobility calls:
- Mobility grant to Japan, Taiwan or Russia
- Mobility invitation to Finland from Taiwan or Russia
- Mobility seminar with Japan or China
- Mobility cooperation with India, China or Germany.
Structured research plan
In the future, mobility applications must include a structured research plan in accordance with the guidelines. The maximum length of the research plan is five pages plus possible references, so the text is expected to be concise and clear.
The research plan should be drafted in such a way that the text is filtered through the following perspectives:
- What are the reasons for the application, why and for what purpose is the funding sought?
- How does the application take into account the aim of the funding, promoting the international interaction of Finnish researchers and the internationalisation of research environments?
- What is the quality, impact and innovativeness of the research collaboration described in the application?
Funding for India cooperation is changing
Last year, the mobility funding related to China was reformed, and this year a similar reform will be implemented with the Indian Department of Biotechnology (DBT). From September, mobility cooperation in biology research will be implemented in accordance with the so-called counterpart model. This means that each collaborating research party will send the application to their own funding provider in order for the application to be eligible.
Further information
The Academy of Finland promotes the international interaction of Finnish researchers and the internationalisation of research environments through mobility funding based on its bilateral agreements. Mobility funding is only intended for direct travel and living costs. Funding for the actual research collaboration must continue to come from other sources.
The Academy’s mobility funding calls cover India, Japan, China, Germany, Taiwan and Russia. The call texts will be published in June. Applications can be submitted in the online services from 11 August to 22 September 2021.
- Ulla Ellmén, Science Adviser (India, Japan, Germany and Taiwan), tel. + 358 295 335 011, firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi
- Siru Oksa, Science Adviser (China and Russia), tel. + 358 295 335 125, firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi
Read more about the mobility requirement for Postdoctoral Researchers or Academy Research Fellows:
