Eligibility

An application is ineligible and will not be considered (processed) if the applicant or the application does not meet the competence requirements or other key requirements of the call, or if there are otherwise no conditions for processing the case.

Reasons why your application might be ineligible:

• The application is late.
• The application does not meet the eligibility criteria set out in the call text, or there is some other restriction in the call text that makes the application ineligible.
• The application is substantially incomplete even after a request for supplementary information, or the application has not been supplemented by the deadline.
• The site of research does not commit to the application.
• You have submitted more than one application in the same call in one or several of the following schemes: funding for Academy Research Fellowship or Academy Project Funding. In this case, we will only review the first application to arrive.
• You have submitted more than one application, contrary to the restriction specified in the call text.
• You have not submitted a report on an ongoing or completed RCF-funded research project.
• The application concerns a purpose for which we do not grant funding.
• The application does not belong to the call in question.
• You have participated in the planning of the call to an extent likely to give you a comparative advantage over other applicants. This applies to, for example, members and permanent experts of preparatory and steering committees.
• A member of our Board, one of our scientific councils or the Strategic Research Council is applying for RCF funding during their term.
• We will not process a funding application if you have been found guilty of a serious violation of research integrity in the three years preceding the application.
• The funding is applied for to a recipient located in Russia or Belarus.
• Applies to RCF calls opening on or after 19 September 2025: In the application, you have not identified and assessed the risks related to research security and, where necessary, presented an adequate risk management plan.
• Applies to RCF calls opening on or after 19 September 2025: You have not described in the research or action plan how good scientific practice will be followed in the implementation of the project, how gender equality and nondiscrimination will be promoted in the implementation of the project, and how the RCF’s guidelines on open access to research results and on the responsible management of research data will be followed in the project.

A scientific council or another decision-making body may decide 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.

Always refer to the ‘Who can apply?’ section of the call text for details on eligibility and exceptions.