Guidelines on how to submit an application
In the Academy's October call 2010, these guidelines only apply to the research infrastructure call (FIRI 2010)
Login and preparing an application
The Academy of Finland has wholly changed over to an online application procedure. You can access the online services via the Academy’s website at www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > Log in to online services. If you have previously applied for funding from the Academy then you already have a personal username and password; new subscribers will receive them after clicking the button Register for service. If you have forgotten your personal username and password, you can get them sent to you by email through User identification here.
If you encounter problems when using the online services, you can leave a message through Questions and feedback in the menu at the bottom of the website.
After logging in you should update your personal and contact data via My account.
The link New application opens a list where you can select the call to which the application will be submitted. This selects the type of the application form. If you want to submit an application to another call, you must start a new application. Applications can only be filled in during the application time. The name of the call is indicated in the appropriate section of the call for applications. The next step is selecting the language of the application.
Next, the General description page will open. When you have saved the requested information, the application has been activated and numbered. After this step, you can, where necessary, interrupt the drafting of the application. You may also supplement and change an unfinished application as you see fit, at any time while the call is open. Applicants are advised to save the pages during the session; the session will expire 30 minutes after the last save.
Each page in the application section of the online services has a Help link in the top right corner that opens instructions on filling in the application. You can print the complete application form, if needed, during the session by clicking the Open form button top right.
The commitment of the site of research is requested online. See guidelines under Request for commitment of the site of research. Applicants need not sign their application, as they are identified electronically.
The application cannot be submitted online if it lacks any appendices or information defined as obligatory (e.g. the annual funding applied for from the Academy, by type of expenditure). It is not possible to submit an application in accordance with the full cost model into the Academy’s online system if the applicant has entered a funding percentage of more than 80% of the total costs for the Academy. An application is registered as filed with the Academy when the applicant has clicked the Submit application button within the application submission deadline given in the call for applications. It is important that applicants submit their applications in good time to secure smooth drafting and submission. Also note that the deadline is indicated with an exact time.
Request for commitment of the site of research
The site of research undertakes to administer the project by issuing for the application a commitment of the site of research. The applicant sends via the online services a request for commitment to the representative of the site of research by saving the representative's data on the Commitment of the site of research page. The request for commitment by the site of research will not be sent until the application period and the period for supplementing applications have ended, after which the request will be sent by email from the Academy to the person issuing the commitment. After the request has been submitted, the page shows a time stamp for when the request has been sent. When the representative of the site of research has read the online application with appendices and issued a commitment, the applicant receives an email message of it to the address he/she has given under My account. The site of research can issue the commitment until the application has been processed at the Academy and a proposal for a decision made.
Supplementing an application
Applicants have the right to supplement possible shortcomings in their applications, submitted within the deadline, using the online services. They may do so during seven days from the expiry of the submission deadline. The Academy does not guarantee that supplements and information submitted after seven days will be considered.
You can supplement your application, for instance, with updated appendices. To do this, change the old appendix and replace it with the new one (select the old appendix, delete it, upload the new one). Make sure to name the new one differently.
Consortium registration online
The leader of a consortium (or a Finnish contact person for an international consortium) registers the whole consortium into the online services. Consortium registration is done by clicking the New consortium button in the list that opens after login. The consortium leader gives the name of the consortium, the abbreviation that describes it (e.g. acronym) and the responsible leaders and sites of the research of the sub-projects.
After the consortium registration has been submitted, the consortium leader receives a consortium number code to be used in the online applications (not the same as the application number). The consortium leader forwards the code to all partners of the consortium, who then give it in the General description screen of their application when they start their applications. The number code is used for purposes of identifying the different projects involved in the consortium.
In calls involving two stages, the consortium code is the same both at the letter of intent stage and at the full application stage.
The information of the consortium can be changed via New consortium.
Technical requirements
The online system works in Windows and Apple Macintosh environments. In the Windows environment, the online services operate best with the newest browsers: Explorer, Firefox and Opera. In the Apple Macintosh environment, Safari 1.2.4 and newer versions work best.
In order to avoid mixing sessions, only one session at a time can be open in the Academy’s online services from the same work station.
For purposes of processing the applications, the Academy converts all attachment files into pdf format. To ensure the quality of the conversion, it is recommended that the applicants themselves convert appendices containing complicated pictures or graphs into pdf files.
In addition to pdf, other permissible attachment file formats are rtf, doc, xls, docx, xlsx, wpd, jpg, txt and htm. In general, files drafted in Microsoft Office 97–2007 (Word and Excel) and Corel WordPerfect 8–X3 saved in the normal format are suitable. The maximum size for attachments is 12 MB.
Guidelines updated 1.10.2009/PPI