RESEARCH GRANTS

Applications for grants that open for application in autumn 2024 are submitted in the Cancer Foundation’s electronic grant application system. A research protocol and a list of the principal researcher’s publications from 2019–2024 shall be appended to the application. Applications can be submitted between 3 June and 21 August 2024. The grant application system closes on Wednesday 21 August at the end of the day. Applications cannot be supplemented after the deadline. Late applications will be rejected, as will applications that do not comply with the instructions.

This year, the Cancer Foundation will also award funding for cancer research from the Tellervo Edessalo Foundation in the form of research grants and dissertation grants totalling 75,000 euros.

In the review of applications, particular attention will be paid to, among other things, the scientific quality and feasibility of the protocol, the applicant’s scientific merits and the project’s relevance to cancer research. Grants are only awarded for research that has a clear connection to cancer or cancer prevention, detection, treatment or rehabilitation. The applicant must demonstrate this connection in the application.

Only one application per applicant will be considered. A researcher may have only one Cancer Foundation research grant at a time.

Grants are awarded to support research conducted in Finland. The grants are intended for senior-level researchers. It is not possible to apply for Cancer Foundation funding for research and product development projects at companies.

The Cancer Foundation does not award research grants to researchers or research teams that have funding from the tobacco industry. The tobacco industry includes any company or group of companies that derives a major portion of its income from the manufacture or marketing of tobacco or other nicotine products.

The Board of the Cancer Foundation decides the grants to be awarded based on proposals from the Grants Committee. When reviewing and deciding on applications, account is taken of the conflict of interest principles approved by the Board.

A condition for awarding the grant is that the researcher has reported and provided financial accounts on previous grants in accordance with the Cancer Foundation’s instructions.

Applications are completed in English.

The Cancer Foundation emphasises that the protocol must clearly indicate the purpose of the grant. A general description of the research area is not a research protocol. Only applications that clearly express the objective will be considered.

PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS

The Board of the Cancer Foundation decides the grants to be awarded based on proposals from the Grants Committee.

Awarded grants will be announced in November 2024.

A condition for awarding the grant is that the researcher has reported and provided financial accounts on previous grants in accordance with the Cancer Foundation’s instructions.

For more information on the Cancer Foundation’s grant process, see our website: Cancer Foundation Finland’s Grants.

RESEARCH GRANTS

The research grants are intended for senior-level researchers.

Researchers may apply for one-year, two-year or three-year grants. Even if a researcher applies for a grant to cover several years, it is possible that it will be awarded for a shorter period. However, grants will not be awarded for a longer period than the period applied for. The smallest grant awarded is normally 50,000 euros, and the shortest grant period is one year.

Recipients of research grants will not be awarded separate travel grants. This means that researchers must budget for research and conference travel in their grant applications.

CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATION ACCORDING TO FIELD OF RESEARCH

Applicants indicate their main field of research on the application form. The alternatives are basic research and clinical research (incl. epidemiological research). The application may be transferred to be reviewed under another field in order to ensure the most expert review possible.

APPENDICES TO APPLICATION FOR RESEARCH GRANT

1. Research protocol of no more than five pages including references. The font size must be no less than 12 pt.

Indicative structure for research protocol:

a. Background
b. Research objective
c. Research implementation and methods
d. Schedule
e. Division of labour among research team members
f. Basis for cost estimate
g. Ethical considerations.

2. List of principal researcher’s publications from 2019–2024. The publication must have been printed or published electronically in 2019 or thereafter. A publication may be “in press”, but in this case it must have been approved for publication. “Submitted” does not yet count as a publication. Only enter five key publications on the application form. A more complete list of publications is appended to the application.
3.  When a grant is applied for a interventional study/trial, please enclose a research protocol. If this is not available, please enclose a synopsis of a planned study/trial.

RESEARCH TEAM

On the application form, applicants shall indicate the time spent on the research project by both the principal researcher and the members of the research team. Research team members are individuals who are involved in the publication of the research results in an author capacity. Here, assisting staff members are not counted as members of the research team.

CVs only need to be completed for the principal researcher and, if necessary, for the two most important members of the research team.

REIMBURSEMENT OF OVERHEADS

A maximum of 15 per cent of a grant can be paid to the site of research as reimbursement of overheads.

GRANT PAYMENT

After the award decision, the applicant shall submit their payment details through the grant application system. They must also notify related party affiliations as required by the Finnish Foundations Act. Research grants are paid into the account of the site of research in equal instalments every six months. The first instalment will be paid in January 2025.

A grant for which sufficient payment information has not been provided will be transferred back to the Cancer Foundation one year after the award decision was notified, unless otherwise agreed with the researcher.

GRANTEES’ SOCIAL SECURITY AND NOTIFICATION OBLIGATION

Mela, the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution of Finland, provides comprehensive pension cover and social security to farmers and recipients of scientific or artistic grants and scholarships. The Cancer Foundation notifies Mela of all grants where the grant period exceeds four (4) months and where the grant is at least 1,501 euros.

A grantee resident in Finland must take out social security insurance if they work on the grant for at least four (4) consecutive months, and if the grant comes to at least 1,501 euros. It is the responsibility of the research team leader to notify Mela of any grants and scholarships paid to members of the research team that meet the criteria. Grants paid to members of the research team are not awarded by the Cancer Foundation, but by the research organisation. Read more on Mela’s website.

NOTIFYING THE TAX AUTHORITIES

The Cancer Foundation notifies the Tax Administration of the amount in euros of grant money it pays and the personal data of the grantee. If a grantee also pays research scholarships or grants to research team members, the organisation making the payment (e.g. a university) must notify the Tax Administration of the sums paid and the personal data of the recipients.

A notification to the Tax Administration requires that the recipient has a Finnish personal identity code. The personal identity code is provided with the payment details via the grant application system. Read more on the taxation of grants on the Tax Administration’s website.

ACCOUNTS STATEMENT

Grantees provide an accounts statement on the use of the grant using a separate form to which they append the accounting reports. The form is available on the Cancer Foundation’s website. Recipients of research grants decided in 2024 must provide the accounts statement one year after the end of the grant period. Accounts statements for one-year grants are provided in February 2027, accounts statements for two-year grants in February 2028 and accounts statements for three-year grants in February 2029.

If there is grant money left over at the end of the grant period, grantees may have the grant period extended by special (free-form) request and sufficient justifications. If the extension is granted, the accounting period is extended correspondingly.

The Cancer Foundation may require a grant to be returned, if the recipient fails to provide an accounts statement. Failure to account for the use of a previously awarded grant may preclude the payment of future grants.

REPORTING ON RESULTS GRANT

When receiving a grant, the researcher undertakes to report on the results attained with the grant using Researchfish. The reporting period runs from February to March each year, but researchers may update their reporting throughout the year.

Separate instructions on reporting via Researchfish will be sent to the grantees in January–February.

CHANGES TO INTENDED USE OF A GRANT

If necessary, grantees may apply to change the intended use of the grant. The procedure must be agreed in advance with the Cancer Foundation.

COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES

When referring to the grant in their communications, we hope that grantees take into account the following:

The grant has been awarded by Cancer Foundation Finland sr (in Finnish Syöpäsäätiö sr, in Swedish Cancerstiftelsen sr).

We hope that grantees will also notify interesting research findings to the Cancer Foundation’s Communications Department at [email protected].