Funding opportunities for doctoral researchers

You can apply for salaried doctoral researcher positions offered by the University of Eastern Finland’s doctoral programmes. These positions allow you to carry out your doctoral research full-time. The positions are open to applicants regardless of whether you are already a doctoral researcher at UEF or are just planning to begin your doctoral degree.

Doctoral researcher positions are typically advertised in spring. When applications are open, you can find detailed instructions on the university’s Open positions page (link opens in new tab).

Doctoral researcher positions may be available in projects funded by the Research Council of Finland, Business Finland, companies or the EU. You can find open positions on the university’s Open positions page (link opens in new tab).

In the shared doctoral researcher system, you hold two simultaneous part-time employment contracts: one with the University of Eastern Finland and one with an external employer. In both roles, your primary work is doctoral research. The work may also include a small amount of teaching related to your doctoral research.

First, your doctoral research supervisor negotiates with the head of their department or unit about the possibility of funding the doctoral research through the shared doctoral researcher system. Learn more about the process and the system on the intranet (link opens in new tab, UEF login required). For further information, contact Senior HR Specialist Tuula Ranne (link opens in new tab).

When new doctoral researchers are recruited to the shared doctoral researcher system, applications are evaluated based on the standard selection criteria of the doctoral programmes as well as on how the expertise gained through the doctoral research can be utilised in business and industry or more broadly in society. The steering group of the doctoral programme assesses the working-life relevance of the other employer.

The University of Eastern Finland is open to discussing shared doctoral researcher positions with organisations interested in strategic partnership. Interested organisations can contact Head of Academic Affairs Kaisa Laitinen (link opens in new tab) at UEF Researcher Training Services.

If you have received a working grant of at least 12 months from a funder external to the university, you can establish a part-time (10%) employment contract with the University of Eastern Finland.

As a doctoral researcher, you initiate the process of preparing the contract:

1. Read more about the terms of part-time employment on the intranet (link opens in new tab, UEF login required).
2. Fill in the electronic researcher’s initiative form, available on the intranet.
3. Submit the form no later than one month before the planned start date of the employment contract.

For further information, contact the head of your department or unit.

Working grants

A working grant is funding awarded for scientific or artistic work. A working grant is expected to cover the researcher’s living costs and, very commonly, also the basic costs of conducting research, such as a computer, internet connection, workspace and minor research-related travel. Grants are awarded for a fixed term, and their duration varies from a few months to several years.

Working grants are typically characterised as follows:

• Grants are openly advertised and awarded based on an application.
• No special conditions are attached to the award, and the research is not carried out on the initiative of or under the direction of the funder.
• There is no employment relationship between the funder and the recipient, and the grant is not compensation for work performed.
• A grant is tax-exempt up to a limit set annually by the state.

When working on a working grant, your primary work must be the research for which the grant was awarded. Small-scale secondary work is often possible during the grant period, but check the conditions set by the funder. Some foundations also award part-time grants. Many foundations require you to report on the progress of your work at regular intervals.

If you receive a working grant for a period exceeding four months, you must take out statutory pension and workplace accident insurance. You are also personally responsible for ensuring that any applicable tax prepayment thresholds are observed.

Read more about grants on the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers website (link opens in new tab).

Other grants

In addition to working grants, you can apply for grants for studies, research visits and conference travel, and publication costs. Some foundations also award short-term grants of less than four months, sometimes referred to as incentive grants. Incentive grants are not covered by the statutory pension system, and the recipient is not required to take out pension or workplace accident insurance.

Several foundations and funds award grants for doctoral research as well as shorter grants for purposes such as travel. Explore grant opportunities on the following pages:

• Association of Finnish Foundations (link opens in new tab)
• Research.fi (link opens in new tab)
• Pivot RP Database (link opens in new tab) (UEF login required, more information on the intranet)
• Foundation deadlines (link opens in new tab, UEF login required)
• UEF Research Funding on Viva Engage (link opens in new tab. UEF login required)

The faculties of the University of Eastern Finland award grants for starting and completing a doctoral dissertation. Practices vary between faculties — check the current situation in your faculty below.

The Philosophical Faculty awards starter grants for beginning doctoral research and completion grants for doctoral researchers in the final stages of their work. Information about starter grants is available on the doctoral programme’s website under the heading Funding doctoral studies (link opens in new tab). The call for completion grants is typically open twice a year, in spring and autumn. The call for applications is published in the FILOTO Doctoral Programme Viva Engage community (UEF login required).

The Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology awards grants for completing a doctoral dissertation for a period of 1–3 months. Apply using the electronic form (link opens in new tab). The grant must be used by the end of the year in which it was awarded.

The faculty also offers annual grants from the Heikki Väänänen Fund for scientific research related to wood.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies: departments and units in the faculty award starter grants for beginning doctoral research, subject to available funding. Apply using the electronic form (link opens in new tab), where you will also find detailed application instructions.

The Faculty of Health Sciences offers annual grants from foundations and funds. Calls for applications are published in the Faculty of Health Sciences Viva Engage group (link opens in new tab) (UEF login required).

Note: If you receive a working grant awarded by the university, you must be released from your regular duties for the duration of the grant period.