RCF selects new Academy Research Fellows and Academy Projects in natural sciences and engineering

10 Jun 2026

The Research Council of Finland (RCF) has selected 61 researchers in natural sciences and engineering research to receive Academy Research Fellowship funding. The RCF’s Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering also granted funding for 76 new Academy Projects, which involve a total of 103 subprojects. The Scientific Council’s total funding comes to some 41 million euros for Academy Research Fellowships and around 53 million euros for Academy Projects. More than half of the RCF’s research funding in 2026 is allocated within the Spark funding category, which provides long-term support for bold new research ideas.

The funding period in the Academy Research Fellowship and Academy Project funding schemes is four years. The funding is granted to a research organisation that will manage the use of funding and be responsible for compliance with the RCF’s funding terms. The RCF monitors the impact of funded research.

This year, the success rate of Academy Research Fellowship and Academy Project applications in the natural sciences and engineering was about 14 per cent. Only about a quarter of Academy Project applications and 31 per cent of Academy Research Fellowship applications that received the highest overall ratings of 6 or 5 in the peer review could be funded, meaning that several excellent applications were not funded. The applications submitted to the Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering were reviewed in a total of 29 panels. The Scientific Council supports the disciplines it represents in a multidisciplinary manner.

Academy Research Fellowships

The RCF’s 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 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. As regards the Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering, the average funding per post in this round comes to around 677,000 euros.

The Scientific Council decided to fund Academy Research Fellowships with a larger proportion than before, which meant the success rate increased to the level of Academy Projects. This year, too, the new Academy Research Fellowships in the natural sciences and engineering are divided between researchers at different career stages. Professor Kalle-Antti Suominen, Chair of the Scientific Council, said: “We received excellent applications particularly from female applicants, and their proportion among funding recipients is indeed higher than among applicants”.

Academy Project Funding

The aim of the RCF’s Academy Project Funding is to promote the regeneration and broad range of Finnish science and to improve the quality and scientific and other impact of research. The aim is to attain internationally as high a scientific standard of work as possible and to support scientific breakthroughs and top-tier international research collaboration. The funding supports scientific renewal and strengthens future research competencies, including through additional funding for doctoral education.

Although the competition for Academy Project Funding was extremely tough, the Scientific Council was able to fund projects comprehensively across different fields in the natural sciences and engineering. In particular, the Council is pleased that researchers have started using machine learning as a tool in their research.

This year, the application process also included a self-assessment of research security and, where necessary, the preparation of a risk management plan. Suominen said: “The perspectives of responsible science and the security of research were taken into account in most applications, but I encourage researchers to look at these issues on an even more concrete level in future.”

Funding granted under the Academy Project funding scheme is used to hire a research team and cover other research expenses. The principal investigators of the funded projects include researchers at different career stages.

The RCF Board decided on 3 June 2026 to introduce a resubmission restriction in Academy Project calls. The results of the 2026 call do not affect the restriction.