Second funding period (2024–2027) for SRC programmes BIOD and DEMOGRAPHY (invited applicants only)

The funding can be applied for by consortia funded in 2021 under the SRC programmes BIOD and DEMOGRAPHY.

In accordance with the original call text (BIOD call text, DEMOGRAPHY call text), the cost estimate for the consortium’s entire term (six years) must have been drafted so that the funding for the second funding period comes to no more than 75% of the funding for the first period. However, in 2024, the SRC has decided to allocate more funding than planned for the second period.

In the spring 2024 call, a consortium can apply for up to 75% of the first period’s funding for work under the original research and interaction plan to be carried out during the second funding period, plus (if they wish) for up to 500,000 euros of additional funding for new activities to increase the programme’s societal impact.

Applying for additional funding

The additional funding may be applied for by the consortia funded under the BIOD and DEMOGRAPHY programmes. A consortium may apply for additional funding for one or more activities to increase the programme’s societal impact, up to a maximum total of 500,000 euros.

Consortia are encouraged to discuss the new activities with other consortia funded under the programme and with the programme director.

Additional funding may be granted for a consortium’s research and interaction activities that meet the following conditions:

• The aim is to use the knowledge, expertise and collaboration developed in the programme and its projects to address topical needs identified by the current government and its ministries; at least one ministry supports the plan.
• The activity is linked to the research and interaction work already carried out by the consortium, but adds a new element to the original research and interaction plan. The new element can mean either or both of the following:
• the utilisation of research results from one or more consortia funded under the programme towards a concrete output suitable for use by stakeholders
• planned information co-creation with key stakeholders, in cooperation between two or more consortia funded under the programme.

The additional funding requested by the consortium may be allocated to one or more consortium parties (subprojects). The consortium parties agree among themselves on the distribution of the requested funding within the consortium.

There is no competition between consortia in the call for the second funding period: all applications for funding, including the new activities, are eligible for funding. However, the SRC may decide not to fund new activities that do not meet the objectives for additional funding.

The evaluation of new activities carried out with the additional funding will not affect the continuation funding (up to 75% of the first period’s funding) under the initial research and interaction plan. The funding for the second period will be granted based on a mid-term review.

How to submit and supplement the application

The deadline is non-negotiable. The deadline for applications is 9 Apr 2024 at 16.15 Finnish time.

Make sure to submit the application in good time before the deadline. The system will only accept applications that contain all obligatory information. The application follows the same consortium model as the model used in the application for the first funding period. The joint consortium application is submitted by the consortium PI. The person can submit the consortium application only after all subprojects have tagged their applications as complete.

You can edit and supplement the application until the deadline. You can make changes to a submitted application (e.g. change appendices), but you must make them before the deadline.

If you notice that your application lacks important information after the deadline, immediately get in touch with the call’s contact person, so that they can reopen the application for you. Make sure to re-submit the application after you have supplemented it. We will consider the supplemented information if it is possible in view of the processing and decision-making.

We may also ask you to supplement the application. The request for supplementation will be sent to you by email. If you do not supplement the application by the given deadline, or if the application is substantially incomplete even after a request for supplementary information, we may decide to dismiss it (i.e. it will not be processed). You must make sure that your contact details (email address) are up to date.

How the application becomes pending

According to section 17 of the Finnish Administrative Procedure Act and section 8 of the Act on Electronic Services and Communication in the Public Sector, the sender is responsible for the application arriving by the set deadline. An application becomes pending when the online application and the obligatory appendices have been submitted in the online services. The system will confirm a successful submission by sending an email to the address you have provided.

If you fail to submit a final report on a completed or ongoing project according to our guidelines, we may decide not to process your new application.

An application will not be processed if the applicant or the application does not meet the competence requirements or other key requirements, or if the application otherwise does not qualify for processing. The SRC may decide not to process and not to fund an application based on science policy objectives or if it is apparent for some other reason that the applicant cannot receive funding with the submitted application. Read more about the circumstances that may cause us not to process or review an application.

Publicity and data protection

Except for the research and interaction plan, plan of intent and abstract, which are primarily subject to professional secrecy, the application and its appendices are public documents. For example, the CV is a public document and as such must not include any confidential information. This publicity is based on the Finnish Act on the Openness of Government Activities.

We are committed to following regulations on data protection. The applicant is responsible for the disclosure of the personal data contained in the application and, where appropriate, for requesting the consent of the parties concerned.

The GDPR-compliant privacy notice concerning the research funding process is available on our website under Data protection.

The application consists of forms completed in the online services and PDF appendices.

Personal data

• Personal details
• Degrees (most recent one first); parental leaves etc. may be filled in under ‘Additional information’
• Titles of docent and professorships

Consortium parties

• Subproject PIs (site of research that will receive the funds)
• Details on each party (name, email address, organisation and country)

General information

• Details on the site of research
• Title of research project in English and Finnish/Swedish
• Research fields (at least three, no more than five). See the research field classification.

• Keywords in English and Finnish/Swedish

Abstract

• Maximum length 2,500 characters including spaces
• Brief overview of scientific and societal objectives, research methods and data as well as expected research results and impact; if necessary, update the abstract used for the first funding period

• Read more about the abstract.

SRC call for invited applicants: research and interaction

In the online application, fill in the following free-text fields: Please fill in sections A–D in Finnish.

A. Description of (a) how the objectives set out in the consortium’s original research plan have been reached or promoted and (b) the research objectives and implementation for the continued funding period. (max. 10,000 characters)

• In item a, make use of the consortium’s follow-up data (interim report). Focus on highlighting key results, outputs and achievements.
• In item b, include any changes in target-setting and implementation, their justifications and effects on the consortium’s activities (personnel, structure of work packages, procurement, etc.).

B. Description of (a) how the objectives set out in the consortium’s original interaction plan have been reached or promoted and (b) the interaction objectives and implementation for the second funding period. (max. 10,000 characters)

• In item a, make use of the consortium’s follow-up data (interim report, incl. impact stories). Focus on highlighting key activities, outputs and achievements.
• In item b, include any changes in target-setting and implementation, their justifications and effects on the consortium’s activities (collaborators and stakeholders, means of interaction, procurement, communications, etc.).

C. Summary of the above points (i.e. summary of the consortium’s achievements during the first funding period; the main objectives for the second funding period and any changes to the original research and interaction plan, with justifications). (max. 2,500 characters)

D. Description of the new activity or activities for which the consortium is seeking additional funding. A description of how the proposed activity links to the research and interaction activities already carried out by the ongoing SRC project. If the consortium participates in more than one activity, they must be clearly distinguished. Consortia are under no obligation to apply for additional funding. (max. 10,000 characters)

• How is the proposed activity relevant for society, and how will it increase the societal impact of the programme? How does the proposed action respond to the concrete needs identified by the current government and its ministries? Which stakeholders are involved, and how? Is the activity carried out by one or more consortia?
• What is the role of the consortium and its subprojects in the proposed activity? Breakdown of the additional funding requested by subproject and, where appropriate, by consortium.

SRC call for invited applicants: collaborators

• Specify the new collaborators of the project (name, organisation, country, brief description of goals/benefits of the collaboration)
• Letters of collaboration from the collaborators involved in the new activity (at least one ministry involved).
• Remember to append the new letters of collaboration on the tab ‘Appendices’.
• Read more about letters of collaboration.

Research ethics

• Preliminary ethical review for project and/or animal testing permit (yes/no)
• Found guilty of research misconduct (yes/no). We will not consider (process) a funding application if the applicant has been found guilty of research misconduct in the three years preceding the year of the call.
• Guilty of illegal employment within the meaning referred to in section 7(2) of the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (yes/no)
• See the ethical guidelines.

Funding for the project

• The project’s funding follows the full cost model. The SRC’s funding contribution comes to 100%.
• Before you can fill in the cost estimate, you must first select the site of research on the tab ‘General information’.

• The site of research maintains the following percentages: effective working hours, indirect employee costs, overheads percentage and VAT.
• Enter the funding period (1 October 2024–30 September 2027).
• Enter salaries and other costs.
• Itemise the additional funding requested by type of expenditure in the free-text field. If you are applying for funding for more than one new activity, make a separate cost breakdown for each.

Public project description

• Maximum length 1,000 characters including spaces
• Popular and reader-friendly description of the research project in English and Finnish/Swedish Update the original description as needed.
• We use the project descriptions in our communications on funded research projects. It is important that the public description is written for a general audience. The description will also be stored at fi, a service that makes available information on scientific research conducted in Finland.

• Read the guidelines on the public project description.

Authorisation

• You can authorise another person to supplement or view your application.
• Start by entering the person’s name in the field.
• The person must have an account in our online services (SARA).
• You cannot authorise more than one person at a time to edit a field in your application, and you cannot edit that same field while the authorisation is active.
• Do not authorise yourself.
• See technical instructions on the authorisation process in the how-to guides for the online services.

Appendices

Appendices must be PDF files.

Case-specific appendices (subprojects):

1. If necessary: new letters of collaboration, if the consortium has new collaborators
2. If necessary: new letters of collaboration with respect to the additional funding requested
3. If necessary: account of state aids received (applies to organisations engaging in economic activity).

NB! The interim report (see reporting guidelines for first funding period) must be submitted by 18 March 2024 in the Research Council of Finland’s online services before the application is submitted. The applicant will no later than 28 March receive information on the approval of the interim report or a request to supplement it.

Changes to original plans

In the application for continued funding, consortia are encouraged to specify and if necessary update their research and interaction plans for the second period. All changes to the original research and interaction plan are described and justified on the application form (see above); the research and interaction plan itself must not be modified.

The budgets of subprojects may differ from those set out in the original research and interaction plan, as long as the overall budget of the consortium is not exceeded (max. 75% of the funding for the first period). The consortium will also decide on any additional funding requested (up to €500,000) and on its distribution between the subprojects.

The applications for continued funding will not be peer-reviewed. Research Council of Finland officials and the Strategic Research Council will conduct a so-called mid-term review of the consortia. The review will focus on the information presented in the application for continued funding and the interim report. The aim is to determine whether the research and interaction work carried out by the consortium has progressed as expected, that is, whether the work has been active and appropriate and whether the plan for the second period is up-to-date and justified.

Plans for additional funding for the consortium will be discussed separately in the SRC. The following criteria are used in the decision-making:

• Is the proposed set of activities significant in terms of the societal impact of the programme?
• Does the proposed set of activities promote the societal use of the information, knowledge and cooperation networks developed in the programme for the topical information needs identified by the current government and its ministries?
• Has the implementation taken into account the needs of key knowledge-users and other relevant stakeholders? Are appropriate co-creation methods in place to promote impact beyond the end of the project?
• Does the proposed set of activities tie in with the research and interaction work already carried out in one or more projects, but add something clearly new and innovative?
• Is the proposed set of activities feasible and credible, given the achievements of the consortia involved so far?

The Strategic Research Council aims to make the decisions on the continued funding in June 2024. The decision criteria are based on the results of the mid-term review mentioned under ‘How the application is reviewed’.

How to receive the funding

A positive funding decision is accompanied by the funding terms and conditions. Make sure to check the decision and accept the funding and its terms in the online services without delay. This must be done within eight weeks of the decision date, unless otherwise stated in the special conditions of the decision notice.

If necessary, update the popular project description. It is important that the public description is written for a general audience. Once you have accepted the funding, the system will send a notification to the commitment issuer at the site of research. That person must also accept the granted funding.

The funds can be paid only after the applicant and the representative of the site of research have accepted them. The system will then notify the funding to the finance administration of the site of research, whereupon the funds will be ready to use.

• Katri Huutoniemi, Science Adviser, firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi, , tel. +358 295 335 195
• Tuomas Katajarinne, Senior Science Adviser, firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi, tel. +358 295 335 067
• Helpdesk at aka.fi/feedback; send your message to the Division of Strategic Research.