RESEARCH GRANTS 2025

The Cancer Foundation Finland implements the joint strategy of the Cancer Society of Finland. The strategy 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).

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 principal researcher’s publications from 2015–2025 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, particular 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. A researcher may have only one Cancer Foundation Finland grant at a time.

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

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.

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.

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.

As regards the research grants, applicants are requested to include a popular, Finnish-language summary in their applications. The summary is public and should not include confidential information about the project. The summary may be in English if the native language of the project’s principal researcher is not Finnish.

The summary should include the rationale for the project (why the research should be carried out, what the aim is), the methods (how the research will be carried out) and the expected results and benefits of the project. From the perspective of the Cancer Foundation Finland’s communications, it would be particularly important to describe the expected societal impact of the project: how the research, if successful, could contribute to cancer prevention, diagnostics, treatment and patient support.

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 Finland’s grant process, see our website: Cancer Foundation Finland’s grants.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Research grants are intended for senior-level researchers.

The grants are awarded for a period of one, two or three years. 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. Starting in 2025, the Cancer Foundation Finland will place greater emphasis on two- and three-year funding periods. This means that fewer projects will be funded in autumn than previously, but with longer funding periods. Researchers can still apply for a one-year funding period if this is justified by the research protocol.

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

CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH 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 RESEARCH GRANT

  1. Research protocol of no more than five 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 principal researcher’s publications from 2015–2025. The publication must have been printed or published electronically in 2015 or thereafter. A publication may be “in press”, but 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 applying for a grant for a clinical interventional study/trial, please enclose a study protocol. If this is not available, enclose a synopsis of the planned study/trial.

RESEARCH TEAM IN RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS

On the application form, applicants shall indicate the time spent on the research project (% of total project working time) 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. 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 IN RESEARCH GRANTS

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

PAYMENT OF RESEARCH 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. 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 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 Finland 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. 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 Finland, but by the research organisation. Read more on Mela’s website.

NOTIFYING THE TAX ADMINISTRATION OF RESEARCH 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. 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 FOR RESEARCH GRANTS

Grantees provide an accounts statement on the use of the grant using a separate form to which they append the relevant reports.  The form is available on the Cancer Foundation Finland’s website.

Recipients of research grants decided in 2025 must provide the accounts statement one year after the end of the grant period. Accounts statements for one-year grants are provided in February 2028, for two-year grants in February 2029 and for three-year grants in February 2030.

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 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 may preclude the payment of future grants.

REPORTING ON RESULTS OF RESEARCH GRANTS

When receiving a grant, the researcher undertakes to report on the results attained with the grant.

Separate instructions on reporting will be sent to the grantees.

The Cancer Foundation Finland may require a grant to be returned, if the recipient fails to report on the results. Failure to account for the use of a previously awarded grant may preclude the payment of future grants.

CHANGES TO INTENDED USE OF RESEARCH GRANTS

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 FOR RESEARCH 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].