For applicant
Information for grant applicants
A grant under the Brain Import Programme is intended for a person who has carried out significant research abroad for at least four years and is now returning to their home country to bring their expertise and experience to Finnish research. We are looking for researchers who are able to boost Finnish medical research.
Quick links:
Information about the grant / Evaluation of applicants / How to apply for the grant
Who can apply?
You are eligible to apply if you have publicly defended your doctoral thesis in Finland or are a Finnish citizen who has publicly defended their doctoral thesis abroad and after your post-doc period have continued a research career outside of Finland. The grant is awarded to an independent medical researcher who does not have their own researcher post or employment relationship in Finland.
We require active research work and strong evidence of significant, original research results achieved outside of Finland over the past 10 years.
Besides this, we require a plan to launch a new project in the field of medical research in Finland.
The academic eligibility requirement is a doctorate.
Information about the grant
The grant available under the Brain Gain programme is €2.5 million for a period of five years and covers a five-year project in Finland. The grant includes all the researcher’s personal salary costs and partly also the research group’s salary costs and research costs.
The Brain Gain programme is implemented in cooperation with universities, to which it provides a unique opportunity for targeted recruitment to strengthen research excellence.
The researcher chooses the host organisation. The aim is for the host organisation to commit to academic evaluation at the end of the research period. Based on the evaluation, the university has the prerequisites to recruit a top researcher who has already provided evidence for a permanent employment relationship.
The grant is paid to the researcher’s employer with whom the researcher signs an employment contract. The starting point of the project is agreed with the employer.
Evaluation of applicants
The grants are awarded on the basis of independent scientific evaluation. Efforts are made to ensure that each application is treated as fairly as possible.
Each application is evaluated by experts appointed by the foundations participating in the Brain Gain programme.
Application instructions
The grant application time is 6 December 2023 – 31 January 2024.
During week 2 in January 2024, we will hold a virtual application event on the Brain Gain programme and on how to apply for grants.
You can apply for the grant through a separate grant programme during the call for applications period. The call for applications is once a year.
How to apply for the grant
You can apply for a grant through the Finnish Medical Foundation’s grant service. The call for applications begins on 6 December 2023 and closes on 31 January 2024.
Note. A grant application info event will be held in early January 2024. You can sign up for the event here (opens on 6 December 2023).
Instructions on how to complete the application form
Registration
Completing the application form begins by registering as a user of the service. If you registered in last year’s call, you can use the user name you created at the time. You then need to create a new password.
When you register, you enter your basic information (name, address, etc.), specify a user name and password for yourself and select the type of grant you wish to apply for. When you use the service the next time, you can log in using the same credentials created in conjunction with registration.
How to complete the application
Once you have registered, go to ”Create a new application”. Choose the right type of grant and complete the application.
The pages are saved automatically when you move from one tab to another. You can also save a page by clicking the ”Save and continue” button at the bottom of the page.
Please note that all text formatting will disappear when copying text to the grant application from some other app.
Complete the application later
You can leave your application and complete it later. However, you should remember to log out of the service (form in top right-hand corner). It’s advisable to log out especially if you are using the service on a shared computer.
Application completed
Once you have completed your application, choose the ”Send application” button on the Summary page. Once you have done this, you will no longer be able to edit your application.
In case of problems, you can contact us through the Messages function in the grant app (Messages tab).
Go to the grant service (link coming later)