RESEARCH GRANTS

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.

RESEARCH GRANTS

The research grants are intended for senior-level researchers.

Research grants may be applied 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 in 2022 was 50,000 euros, and the shortest grant period was one year.

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

There is no specific funding allocation for psychosocial cancer research in 2023. However, researchers representing psychosocial field can still apply for funding. Their proposals will be evaluated among the clinical and epidemiological applications as previously.

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 or 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

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

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 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 1,492 euros. The team leader shall notify Mela of all team members who are paid grants of at least 1,492 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/ . Accounts statements for one-year grants are provided in February 2025, accounts statements for two-year grants in February 2026 and accounts statements for three-year grants 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 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 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 Foundation 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, if the party wants their name to be mentioned.

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