Dissertation Grants 2025

Applications for grants that open for application in autumn 2025 are submitted in the Cancer Foundation Finland’s electronic grant application system. A research protocol and a list of the applicant’s publications shall be appended to the application. Applications can be submitted between 2 June and 20 August 2025. The grant application system closes on Wednesday 20 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, attention will be paid to the scientific quality and feasibility of the research 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. The Cancer Foundation Finland’s dissertation grants are awarded only once to the same person.

Grants are awarded to support research conducted in Finland. It is not possible to apply for Cancer Foundation Finland funding for research and product development projects at companies. The dissertation grants are intended for researchers whose dissertation work is already well advanced.

The Cancer Foundation Finland does not award research grants to researchers or research teams that are funded by 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. When reviewing and deciding on applications, account is taken of the conflict of interest principles approved by the Board.

Applications are completed in English.

The Cancer Foundation Finland 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 can be considered.

PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS

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

Awarded grants will be announced in November 2025.

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 Finland’s instructions.

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

DISSERTATION GRANTS

Dissertation grants are intended for researchers who are in the final stages of their dissertation. In 2025, the dissertation grant comes to 4,000 euros. The grant will not be awarded if the applicant’s doctoral dissertation is approved before the application deadline expires. The Cancer Foundation Finland’s dissertation grants are awarded only once to the same person. In a dissertation grant application, the principal researcher refers to the applicant.

CLASSIFICATION OF DISSERTATION GRANT APPLICATION BY 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 DISSERTATION GRANT

1. Research protocol of no more than three pages including references. The font size must be at least 12 pt.Indicative structure for research protocol:
   1. Background
   2. Research objective
   3. Research implementation and methods
   4. Schedule
   5. Division of labour among research team members
   6. Basis for cost estimate
   7. Ethical considerations
   8. Impact of research

2. List of publications by applicant; the publication must have been printed or published electronically. A publication may be “in press”, but it must have been approved for publication. “Submitted” does not yet count as a publication. Only enter publications included in the dissertation on the application form. A more complete list of publications is appended to the application.

PAYMENT OF DISSERTATION GRANTS

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. Dissertation grants are paid into the applicant’s account in January 2026.

A grant for which sufficient payment information has not been provided 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

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 1,534 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 1,534 euros. Read more on Mela’s website.

NOTIFYING THE TAX ADMINISTRATION OF DISSERTATION GRANTS

The Cancer Foundation Finland notifies the Tax Administration of the amount in euros of grant money it pays and the personal data of the grantee.

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.  Read more on the taxation of grants on the Tax Administration’s website.

ACCOUNTS STATEMENT AND REPORTING

The Cancer Foundation Finland’s dissertation grants are personal grants. Grantees are not required to provide an accounts statement on the use of the grant.

Dissertation grants are reported on by sending a permanent link to the doctoral dissertation by email to [email protected] once the dissertation has been approved and published. Extensive reporting does not apply to dissertation grants.

COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES FOR DISSERTATION GRANTS

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 by email at [email protected].