New Academy Research Fellows and Academy Projects in social sciences and humanities granted funding by Research Council of Finland

The Research Council of Finland’s Scientific Council for Social Sciences and Humanities has decided on funding for 40 new Academy Research Fellows and 61 new Academy Projects, which involve a total of 76 subprojects. The total funding comes to around 22 million euros for Academy Research Fellowships and around 36 million euros for Academy Projects.

The Scientific Council for Social Sciences and Humanities provides funding for excellent, high-impact and innovative research and promotes open science and research. In this round, the success rate for Academy Research Fellowship and Academy Project applicants was approximately 13 per cent.

The funding decisions were made taking into consideration the variety of fields in the Scientific Council’s domain. The applications submitted in the Scientific Council’s fields were reviewed in 19 panels. Many of the review panels in these fields are multidisciplinary, and this multidisciplinarity is also reflected in many of the applications that were selected for funding.

According to Professor Petri Karonen, Chair of the Scientific Council, funding was awarded to a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, and the best proposals placed emphasis on solid fundamental research and the scientific and societal impact it can generate.

The funding is granted to the host research organisations, which manage the use of the funding. The Research Council of Finland monitors the impact of funded research.

Academy Research Fellowships

Academy Research Fellowship funding is intended for early-career researchers on a fast career track who have formed international networks and who are conducting scientifically high-quality and high-impact research that contributes to scientific renewal. The Scientific Council made the Academy Research Fellow funding decisions taking into account the diversity of methods and support for international cooperation.

The funding can be used flexibly according to the research needs, for example for the researcher’s own salary, to hire a research team and to cover other research costs.

Academy Projects

Academy Project Funding aims at both scientific and societal impact and scientific renewal. The funding supports scientific renewal and strengthens future research skills, including through additional funding for doctoral education. The Research Council of Finland had earmarked an additional 30 million euros to strengthen doctoral education in Academy Projects.

In the Academy Project decisions taken by the Scientific Council for Social Sciences and Humanities, funding for doctoral education doubled compared to previous years, reaching 8 million euros. The funding for doctoral education and training strengthens high-level competence in line with the Research Council of Finland’s strategy. The funding will also strengthen the networking and integration of new researchers into the research teams of Academy Projects.