MAJOR GRANTS

The Cancer Foundation Finland implements the joint strategy of the Cancer Society of Finland, which is aimed at promoting a good quality of life for patients and their loved ones despite cancer, strengthening fairness and effectiveness in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and strengthening cancer research and expertise

(Cancer Society of Finland’s Strategy 2020–2025).

Grant applications are submitted in the Cancer Foundation Finland’s electronic system at https://cancer.apurahat.fi/. A research protocol and a list of the principal researcher’s publications from 2018–2023 shall be appended to the application. Applications can be submitted between 1 June and 23 August 2023. The grant application system closes on 23 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.

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 Finland research grant at a time.

Grants are awarded to support research conducted in Finland. The grants are intended for senior-level researchers.

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

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 Finland emphasises that the research 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. When reviewing and deciding on applications, account is taken of the conflict of interest principles approved by the Board.

Awarded grants will be announced in November 2023.

A condition for receiving 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.

FUNDING OPEN FOR APPLICATION

There are three three-year major grants of 450,000 euros, which are non-targeted grants intended for cancer research. The major grants are intended for senior-level researchers.

If applicants are not nominated to receive a major grant, their applications will be considered together with those for other research grants.

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

CLASSIFICATION OF MAJOR 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). Regardless of what the applicant indicates on the form, the application may be transferred to be reviewed under another field in order to ensure the most expert review possible.

APPENDICES TO APPLICATION FOR MAJOR 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.

  1. List of principal researcher’s publications from 2018–2023. The publication must have been printed or published electronically in 2018 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.
  2.  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. Major grants are paid into the account of the site of research in six instalments, every six months. The first instalment will be paid in January 2024.

Grant money that remains undrawn will be transferred back to the Cancer Foundation Finland one year after the award decision was notified, unless otherwise agreed with the researcher.

GRANTEES’ SOCIAL SECURITY AND NOTIFICATION OBLIGATION

If a grantee resident in Finland works on a grant of at least 1,429 euros for more than four (4) consecutive months, they can take out social security insurance.

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 Finland notifies Mela of all grants where grantees have notified that they will work at least four (4) months and whose share of the grant is at least 1,429 euros. The team leader shall notify Mela of all team members who are paid grants of at least 1,4290 euros from the leader’s grant and whose research work will take at least four (4) consecutive months. More information www.mela.fi/en

NOTIFYING THE TAX AUTHORITIES

The Cancer Foundation notifies the tax authorities 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 authority making the payment (e.g. a university) must notify the tax authorities of the sums paid and the personal data of the recipients.

A notification to the tax authorities 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. More information on grants and tax: https://www.vero.fi/en/individuals/tax-cards-and-tax-returns/income/earned-income/grants/

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 at https://syopasaatio.fi/en/homepage/for-researchers/guidelines-for-grantees/ . Recipients of major grants decided in 2023 must provide the accounts statement in February 2027.

If there is grant money left over at the end of the grant period, grantees may have the grant period extended by special request to the Cancer Foundation Finland and sufficient justifications. If the extension is granted, the accounting period is extended correspondingly.

The Cancer Foundation Finland 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 might preclude the payment of future grants.

REPORTING ON RESULTS

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 2025.

If the recipient fails to report the results, The Cancer Foundation Finland is entitled to request the return of the grant. Failure to report the results of a previously awarded grant might preclude the payment of future grants.

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 Society of Finland.

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).

Sometimes grantees should also acknowledge the specific fund from which the grant has been awarded, for example the Juhlatoimikunta. Grantees should also acknowledge a party that has donated the grant money to the Cancer Foundation Finland, if the party wants their name to be mentioned.

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