What’s new in the Academy of Finland’s funding terms and conditions (11 Aug 2021–31 Aug 2022)
The Academy of Finland’s funding calls that will open between August 2021 and August 2022 follow the funding terms and conditions adopted on 26 May 2021. The same terms and conditions also apply to funding decisions made on such calls. The changes that have been made to the funding terms are based on the Academy’s latest criteria for funding decisions, adopted by the Academy Board on 19 April 2021. See the latest funding terms and conditions here (PDF).
The following sections have been revised: 1.1, 3, 4, 5.3, 5.3.1, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.2, 14, 14.1, 14.2, 15.1 and Appendix 1.
1.1 Scope of application of these funding terms and conditions: The definition of a research organisation has been elucidated.
3. Basic project facilities: “The costs associated with storing and sharing research data are regarded as overheads for the project’s site of research. Only exceptionally and for justified reasons can they be accepted as research costs to be covered by Academy research funding.”
4. Costs of foreign scientists’ research visits to or research in Finland: The grant calculation guidelines have been updated and the sums have been raised. For example, the grant for professors comes to €2,800–4,500/month.
5.3 Publishing, data and open science: A few updates have been added to the section on open science. The updates will not affect open science practices.
5.3.1 Open access to peer-reviewed scientific articles: “Special permission for the use of an exceptional licence shall be requested from the Academy. The permission is requested by submitting a request for amendment as additional information to the funding decision in the Academy’s online services.”
8.1 General principles: “Projects funded by the Strategic Research Council are expected to participate both in the activities of their own research programme and in the joint societal impact activities of strategic research. Activities promoting impact include joint events, data summaries and policy briefs.”
8.2 Eligible project costs: “costs related to promoting the utilisation of research, if they are not incurred in economic activities.”
9.1 Funding for research posts as Academy Professor or Academy Research Fellow: “If an Academy Research Fellow receives a full professorship or similar post, they do not have to give up their post as Academy Research Fellow. This requires that the Academy Research Fellow can carry out the research in accordance with the research plan until the end of the funding period and is not paid salary for another task (unless the Academy has made a decision on co-financing, see below).”
9.2 Funding for research post as Postdoctoral Researcher: Similar wording as in section 9.1.
14 Reporting: “The Academy has separate guidelines for reporting on Centres of Excellence funding, Flagship Programme funding, research infrastructure funding and funding to strengthen university research profiles as well as for funding by the Strategic Research Council.”
14.1 Reports on research: final report and progress report
“A funding application submitted to the Academy will only be processed if the applicant has submitted final reports on their completed Academy-funded projects or progress reports on their ongoing Academy-funded projects.” This condition shall not apply where the person is responsible for the funding application in a funding scheme in which the applicant is an organisation.
14.2 Auditor’s report: EU matching funds granted by the Strategic Research Council do not fall under the audit obligation.
15.1 Advance payments: Advances can be paid from research infrastructure funding.
Appendix 1: Guidelines on how to apply for changes in funding decisions, 2. Extending funding period:
“As a rule, this change requires that no substitute has been hired for the researcher and that the researcher will return to work on the same project, under the same funding decision.”
“An extension of the funding period may affect the granting of new funding. Check this in the relevant call text.”
