October 2010 call for applications: what's new

The following summarises the main changes made to the Academy’s October call for applications (4–29 October 2010, 18 June 2010). More detailed information is available in the general overview of calls for applications (Application guidelines applicable to all calls) and in the descriptions of different funding opportunities.
 
1. SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

Changes due to the reform of Academy funding instruments

The Academy has made substantive changes to its funding instruments. These changes are intended to streamline the Academy’s funding system and to increase the flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness of Academy research funding. All funding instruments are designed to promote high scientific quality and international cooperation. For greater clarity, time limits have been set regarding degree completion in the case of personal funding applications: applicants for research posts as Postdoctoral Researcher must have completed their doctorate no more than four years ago, applicants for research posts as Academy Research Fellows 3‒9 years ago.

The following funding instruments have been discontinued as independent calls: Research grants for Senior Scientists, researcher training and research abroad, preparation of joint international projects, researcher mobility in working life, and doctoral studies of employed persons. Researcher mobility across international, organisational and disciplinary borders is supported in connection with all Academy funding instruments.

All major funding opportunities are now announced in connection with the autumn call for applications. These include all personal salary-based applications (Academy Professors, Academy Research Fellows, Postdoctoral Researchers) and applications for Academy project funding that are reviewed in similar review processes (which used to be called general research grants and announced in the January call).

Changes to funding periods

The Academy’s funding periods were revised in spring 2010. The funding period for each type of funding is indicated in the respective call for applications. As a rule, the following funding periods are applied:

• Academy Research Fellows, 5 years, and Postdoctoral Researchers 3 years: 1 Sept‒31 Aug
• Academy projects, 4 years: 1 Sept‒31 Aug
• FiDiPro: 1 Sept‒31 Aug
• Academy Professors, max 5 years: 1 Jan‒31 Dec
• Research programmes, Centres of Excellence, doctoral programmes (formerly graduate schools): 1 Jan‒31 Dec

Because of these changes, principal investigators who at the time of the October 2010 call have an ongoing project funded under a general research grant until the end of 2011, will be eligible to receive Academy project funding from 1 Sep 2011. Similarly, recipients of Postdoctoral Researcher funding, whose funding ends on 31 Dec 2011, are eligible to receive funding for a research post as Academy Research Fellow as of 1 Sep 2011. (Updated 28 Sep 2010) 

New restrictions

In the October 2010 call, the Academy will only consider one application from the same applicant for an Academy project, a research post as Academy Research Fellow or a research post as Postdoctoral Researcher. If the same applicant submits more than one application for any of these funding instruments or applies for more than one type of funding only the first application received from that applicant will be considered. Applications that are not reviewed for this reason will not be eligible to receive funding. The restrictions applicable are detailed in the call for applications.

The Board of the Academy has decided that if an Academy Research Fellow or Academy Professor appointed in the October 2010 call is granted research group funding related to their research post, they will not be eligible to receive funding for a simultaneous Academy project except for very compelling reasons. The restriction is not retroactive, and therefore current Academy Research Fellows and Academy Professors are eligible to apply for Academy project funding. Research Councils have different policies on this, and applicants are advised to contact the presenting official (the person listed for further information in the call for applications) before filing their application. If a person selected to the research post as Academy Research Fellow or Academy Professor already has adequate funding through other Academy sources, the Research Council will consider the need for additional funding (research costs for Academy Research Fellow or Academy Professor, Academy project) depending on the research plan.

Current policy decisions in October

Funding may be granted to cover the salary costs of the principal investigator in an Academy project for a period of no more than 12 months. The funds are intended to facilitate implementation of the project and they will only be made available for well-substantiated reasons. These reasons may include working abroad, returning to Finland, and moving to another research organisation or company in Finland.

Academy project funding is granted primarily to teams consisting of researchers who have completed their doctorate.

Academy funding granted towards the immediate costs of a research project are intended to cover expenses arising from the research team’s working hours, research costs, travel, domestic and international cooperation and mobility, and the preparation of international projects. The Academy may provide funding for the VAT costs associated with the project’s expenses only insofar as the funding recipient (which is usually the principal investigator’s host organisation) is not entitled to deduct VAT costs incurred in its operation. For example, universities cannot deduct these expenses and therefore they can be paid from funding granted by the Academy. For this reason researchers based at universities shall include VAT costs in their applications.

Academy funding awarded to organisations outside central government (such as universities) is defined as a discretionary Government transfer. Since these funds are awarded not to individual researchers but to their host organisation, that organisation is regarded as the recipient of the Government transfer and will accordingly be required to assume all related obligations. The decision to grant a discretionary Government transfer is subject to specific conditions in that the organisation receiving the transfer may only use the transfer to finance research carried out by the principal investigator named in the application. With respect to applicants to the research posts as Academy Professor and Academy Research Fellow, the commitment by the site of research also applies to the use of the researcher’s working hours, salaries and other circumstances surrounding the researcher’s work.

The principal investigator or other research staff at a Centre of Excellence are eligible to apply for Academy project funding only during the second three-year term of Centre of Excellence funding.

2. NEW CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH FIELDS

The Academy of Finland will adopt a new, more detailed classification of research fields in October 2010. This classification is based on Statistics Finland’s revised Field of Science and Technology (FOS) Classification and the Academy’s existing classification currently in use. The new classification lists 64 fields of research and a number of subcategories. In addition to their primary field of research, applicants may indicate four other research fields and subcategories in their applications, ranked according to their order of importance. The new classification of research fields is attached to the call for applications as Appendix 3.

It is important that not only the relevant category from the classification of research fields but also free form keywords describing the research and research methods are entered in the application form. This is important for organising an appropriate review of the application, for more accurate data searches and for further developing the classification.
 
3. THE ACADEMY’S NEW ONLINE SERVICES: HOW TO APPLY

The Academy’s online services are being updated during the summer. Detailed instructions for the completion and submission of applications will be made available by 4 October 2010 at the latest, i.e. when the call is opened.

Changes currently known:

Appendices to application:

• Some information that was formerly given in separate Appendices in free form is now entered in structured format directly in the application form. This and the changes made to the Academy’s funding instruments have necessitated some changes to the research plan appendix. Research plans shall now be written based on the new guidelines. There are also new instructions for the compilation of a progress report. No abstracts are attached to applications.
• Appendices shall be written in the same language as the application and attached in the online service to the application form under ‘Appendices’. This does not apply to CVs, however, which are attached to the application form under ‘Personal data/CV’.

New mobility plan (in research plan and on application form)

• Following the changes made to the Academy’s funding instruments, all research plans submitted must now include a mobility plan for the project. That document shall detail the research project’s national and international mobility plans during the funding period, describe the involvement of foreign researchers in the project, and explain other ways in which the project intends to transcend international, national, institutional and public/private sector boundaries.
• Furthermore, the plan shall describe how the project intends to make use of international research infrastructures. Detailed mobility information shall be entered in the online application form for statistical purposes.

Supplementing an application

• In contrast to earlier practice, applicants can no longer supplement their applications online within 7 days of the deadline. If the applicant notices significant omissions from the application, or if they have, for instance, received a letter of invitation from a foreign university after the deadline, they are urged to immediately contact the presenting official for the funding opportunity concerned (the person listed for further information in the call for applications), who will unlock the application so that the applicant can enter the relevant additions. These submissions will only be taken into account insofar as this is possible in view of the applications review and decision-making process.

Further details on the technical changes made to the online services will be posted no later than 4 October 2010 on the Academy website under For researchers > How to apply > Calls for applications > October 2010 call 2010: Online services instructions.

Content updated 1 Jul 2010