Grants

How to apply for a grant?

The declaration of grant application rounds are informed through PoDoCo websites (www.podoco.fi). Further information about PoDoCo program and the application round is available on PoDoCo website. Apply a grant by filling in the electronic application form and uploading required attachments at PoDoCo website.

The electronic application must be sent within the application period.

The required attachments to the application include:

Abstract

Project plan (max. 5 pages)

Letter of intent

Curriculum vitae and list of publications

Doctoral degree certificate or assurance from guiding professor regarding the graduation (in case of not graduated doctoral candidates)

Possible references

The maximum amount of attachments is 15 pages. The attachments may be written in Finnish, Swedish or English, except for the abstract, which must be written in Finnish or Swedish.

Abstract

In your application, give a summary of your work plan stating the purpose for which you are applying for a grant, how you intend to execute your plan, and within what time frame. If possible, also state why it is important for you to obtain funding and why you are the right person to conduct this project. The maximum length is 2000 characters. The abstract must be written in either Finnish or Swedish.

Project plan

The project plan states clearly the objective of your work as well as its background and significance, say where you intend to execute the work and how industry is involved. The project and research plan must be concise and compact and it should include both research and targeted research period. The maximum length is 5 pages. Use PoDoCo proposal template! KORJAA LINKKI!

Doctoral degree certificate

A statement of expected date of graduation ( in a case of doctoral candidates)

Doctoral candidates, who have not yet graduated but graduating next 6-9 months may also apply for a grant. In such cases a statement of expected date of graduation signed by the guiding professor must be enclosed with the application.

Letter of intent

Signed letter of intent (LoI) from the company indicating the interest towards the selected research topic and intent to hire the post doc for a period of time equivalent to the period of the grant applied. Please use PoDoCo LoI template. KORJAA LINKKI

References

References may be added to the grant application. References are not statutory.

Allow yourself plenty of time to prepare the application. Do not leave it to the last moment!

Who is eligible to apply and what is funded?

The grants awarded by PoDoCo foundation pool are intended for academic research with high industry relevance for post docs who have recently completed their doctor research. The aim is that PoDoCo program offers the first position to young doctor after the doctoral degree. Grants are also available for non-Finnish nationals. PoDoCo program is intended to support strategic renewal of Finnish industry, and PoDoCo undertakings need to have connection to Finland.

There is no limitations regarding the branch of science or branch of industry. Instead PoDoCo program is aimed for all branch of industries and all disciplines, e.g. natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, social sciences and humanities (OECD, Field Of Science And Technology Classification).

The grant is to be used to pursue the plan set out in the application. The grant-funded work may begin only after the grant decision has been made. The tax exemption nevertheless applies only to grantee. The working grant is intended for full-time work and requires leave from regular salaried employment. The grantee may not receive salary from the company related to PoDoCo period. The grantee may not have had employment relationship with the company related to PoDoCo period in recent past.

Prerequisites for the grants:

1. Recently graduated PhD or PhD student graduating during next 6-9 months willing to work in companies

The applicants’ doctoral degree was completed no more than four years previously (excluding maternity leave, military service and Non-military service)

Doctoral candidates, who have not yet graduated but graduating during next 6-9 months may also apply for a grant. In such cases a statement of expected date of graduation signed by the guiding professor must be enclosed with the application. The grant will not be paid out until after the doctoral degree is completed.

The PoDoCo-project should be started before the following PoDoCo application round decisions are made. (If funding is applied for in the fall, the project must start in May at the latest, and correspondingly, if applying in the spring, the project must start in November at the latest).

2. Letter of intent (LoI) from the company indicating the interest towards the selected research topic and intent to hire the post doc after the research period for a period of time equivalent to the period of the grant applied.

How much can I apply for?

PoDoCo foundation pool offers 6 to12 months research grants. The time unit of research grants is one month. In other words, the sum you apply for will depend on the work’s duration, which is typically one year. A one-year research grant is EUR 32 000. Please note that grants awarded by PoDoCo program are tax-exempt up to the amount 26 269,46 euros (2024). Deduction of expenses directly related to the income can be claimed against the part of the income exceeding the tax-free limit by sending the required specification of expenses to the tax authorities.

It is considered that the statutory social contributions (approx. 15% of the total grant) and up to EUR 4 000 of common expenses arising from travelling, materials, equipment, workroom rental, and such are considered to be included in the grant sum.

Grants awarded by the PoDoCo pool are subject to statutory insurance, in accordance with the Farmers’ Social Insurance legislation. The insurance is not obligatory for the share of the grant assigned for research expenses. The grant recipients must contact the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution Mela to find out whether they need to take the insurance.

For further information: Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution Mela

Grants awarded by PoDoCo program are tax-exempt up to the amount equivalent to the Finnish state grants for artists (2024 € 26 269,46).

For further information: Tax Administration,Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers’ tax guide, and Council of Finnish Foundations

The participating foundations decide by themselves the number of grants they will award. In addition, the participating foundations decide by themselves how much funding they will allocate to the PoDoCo pool annually.

How the payment of grants is organised?

The grants will be payable after they have been made public. In addition in a case of doctoral candidate who have not yet graduated the grant will not be paid out until after the doctoral degree is completed.

Grants are paid according the procedures of the foundation which has given the grant.

Can research period contain collaboration with university?

Yes it can. However, postdoc, company and university should agree in advance on practical matters, IPR matters and possible costs arising from the use of university equipment and premises. This should be done already in application phase in order to avoid problems in grant phase.

How reporting on the use of the grant is organised?

The PoDoCo program requires grant recipients to submit Final Reports. Please use the PoDoCo final report template to meet your reporting commitment. The final report should be submitted when the PoDoCo-project has ended ( i.e. after the targeted research period ends). The report should also be sent in the event that the project ends earlier than planned.

The final report is intended to concisely summarize the outcomes and impacts of the PoDoCo project and to explore the experiences of the project participants. Final reports are mainly used to collect stories on PoDoCo projects and the impacts of the projects for both the postdoc and the collaboration company. The final report should address a wide audience, including the general public.

In addition, the grant recipient reports on the use of the grant to the foundation, which has given the grant according to the procedures set by the foundation.

Send the report to seppo.tikkanen@dimecc.com

All PoDoCo templates KORJAA LINKKI

Can awarded grant be deferred?

The use of an awarded grant may be deferred by six months, if the project plan remains the same. Decisions concerning longer deferrals are made by the PoDoCo Management Board case by case.

How the grant application is evaluated and funding decisions informed?

PoDoCo Management Group with representatives appointed by each member foundation manages PoDoCo foundation pool. The pool takes care of expert review of applications and preparatory work and makes a suggestion for each application (reject/accept, including the name of Foundation). The foundations involved will make the actual grant decisions.

Successful applicants will be informed of receiving a grant immediately after the funding decisions are made. The names of the grant recipients will be published at PoDoCo website and according to the standard practices of the foundation which has awarded the grant.