Academy of Finland defines grounds for funding decisions on new Academy Research Fellowships

The Board of the Academy of Finland has approved the document describing the grounds for its funding decisions. The document also provides a detailed description of the features of the new funding scheme for Academy Research Fellowships. The first call for applications for Academy Research Fellowships will open in autumn 2022, and the funding will be decided in spring 2023.

An Academy Research Fellowship supports early-career researchers on fast career tracks. The aim is to enable the Academy Research Fellow to make significant career progress towards more demanding research positions and achieve an established position in the national and international research community. Academy Research Fellows produce high-quality, high-impact research that stimulates the renewal of science.

Who can apply for an Academy Research Fellowship?

Applications for new Academy Research Fellowships are accepted from researchers who have completed their first doctorate at least two but no more than seven years ago. The autumn 2022 call will involve a transition period where applications may be submitted by researchers who have completed their first doctorate at least two but no more than nine years ago.

Fellowships will not be granted to persons holding a permanent, senior research position or comparable position. These include positions as professor, assistant/associate professor or research director.

Persons who have received Academy of Finland funding for a research post as Postdoctoral Researcher may be granted an Academy Research Fellowship during the last year of the Postdoctoral Researcher funding period if the funding periods do not overlap. A person who has received the current funding for a research post as Academy Research Fellow will not be eligible for the new Academy Research Fellowship.

A person who has received a four-year Academy Research Fellowship may be granted a new Academy Research Fellowship during the last year of the funding period if the funding periods do not overlap.

What can the funding be applied for and for how long?

The Academy Research Fellow’s site of research is an organisation based in Finland through which the funding is paid. During the funding period, the Academy Research Fellow may work abroad for periods of varying durations, for example at foreign universities.

The Academy Research Fellowship provides funding for four years. Funds can be made available for payment of the researcher’s salary and other costs associated with implementation of the research plan.

During the funding period, the Academy Research Fellow’s duties also include four months’ worth of tasks other than research tasks that are important for a professional research career. These may include teaching and supervision, administrative duties, interaction or advocacy, or other tasks related to the organisation’s core functions. The salary for the total of four months of work is implemented in such a way that a maximum of two months of the work can be included in the total cost estimate of the Academy Research Fellow.

Call text to be published in June

The call for applications, review documents and the funding conditions of the new funding opportunity will be decided in May-June 2022, as per the regular timetable for the autumn call. The call text is scheduled for publication in early June.

More detailed timetables for the call as well as the Ask & Apply call guidance sessions will be announced during the spring via the Academy’s various communication channels.

For questions and answers about the Academy Research Fellow reform, please see the FAQ section on our website: www.aka.fi/en/earlycareer