Academy of Finland updates guidelines on effects of Covid-19 pandemic

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic affects not only how research is done and how researchers are mobile but also how research funding is applied for and how the funding is used. It also affects decisions to extend funding periods, among other things.

The Academy of Finland has released updated guidelines on the effects of the pandemic for applicants and funding recipients.

The Academy has taken steps to ensure that key activities related to the Academy’s calls and funding continue running and that advice is provided as needed, despite these exceptional circumstances.

Read the updated guidelines here: Information for Academy of Finland funding recipients and applicants on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The guidelines page contains information and news on how the pandemic will be taken into account in Academy calls and funding granted. The page also includes a FAQ section.

Specified guidelines on extending funding period

For example, the Academy has specified the guidelines on possible extensions to funding periods.

The Academy can extend the funding period of a project if the implementation of the whole project or an integral part of it is interrupted or slows down significantly because of the pandemic. To extend a funding period, the funding recipient needs to apply for an extension, and there must be a justified reason for it. In addition, the site of research must support the extension. The Covid-19-related reason for the extension must also be specified in the application.

Difficulties caused by the pandemic taken into account in the mobility requirement

Postdoctoral mobility is still required from applicants for funding for research posts as Postdoctoral Researcher and Academy Research Fellow. Changing research environments (i.e. the mobility requirement) will thus remain an eligibility criterion when applying for Postdoctoral Researcher or Academy Research Fellow funding in September 2021. The Academy will however take into account that the Covid-19 pandemic may have prevented applicants from meeting the mobility requirement.

In the September 2020 call, deviation from the mobility requirement was possible if the pandemic prevented the move to a foreign university, for example, or interrupted the mobility period. As the pandemic has not yet abated, we will continue this practice of granting an exemption from the mobility requirement in September 2021 in cases where an agreed mobility period has been interrupted or cancelled. Furthermore, if it has been impossible to physically change research environments, we will also accept other forms of mobility than physical mobility.

Read more in our blog: Researcher mobility in 2021