Research Council of Finland 2026
About this scholarship
The Research Council of Finland funds research projects, doctoral researcher posts, and postdoctoral positions in Finland across many disciplines. Support is usually delivered through funded university positions rather than a single direct scholarship for all applicants.
The Research Council of Finland is Finland’s main public research funding body. It supports high-quality research, research careers, profiling actions, and Centres of Excellence at Finnish universities and research organisations. In practice, students and researchers usually access this funding through specific vacancies or project-based positions advertised by host universities rather than through one universal scholarship application.
Based on current postings, Research Council of Finland funding commonly supports doctoral researcher and postdoctoral positions in Finland. Opportunities span a very wide range of fields, including physics, environmental science, education, public health, computer science, engineering, political science, biology, and medical research. Many positions are full-time fixed-term research posts linked to larger funded projects, Centres of Excellence, or university profiling programmes.
Funding conditions vary by project and host institution. In many cases, support takes the form of a salaried university position rather than a traditional scholarship. Depending on the post, funding may cover salary/stipend-equivalent support, research costs, conference or research travel, and employee benefits such as occupational health services. Duration in the reference postings ranges from about 1 year 5 months to 4 years, with many doctoral roles lasting around 3 to 3.5 years and postdoctoral roles often lasting 3 to 4 years.
Eligibility depends on the specific vacancy. Doctoral positions generally require a relevant Master’s degree and admission or eligibility for doctoral studies at the host university. Postdoctoral roles require a doctoral degree, often completed within a defined number of years before appointment. A good command of English is frequently required, while Finnish or Swedish may be helpful for some roles but is not always mandatory.
If you are interested, the best route is to monitor job and doctoral vacancy pages at Finnish universities and research units for openings that state they are funded by the Research Council of Finland. You then apply directly to the host university using that institution’s application system.
Eligibility
Who can apply for this scholarship
Eligibility is position-specific. Doctoral researcher roles typically require a relevant Master’s degree or equivalent and eligibility for doctoral admission at the host Finnish university. Postdoctoral roles typically require a relevant doctoral degree, often completed within a recent time window set by the post. Applicants usually need strong academic merit, research fit, and good English skills.
Requirements
Documents typically needed to apply
Language requirements
Good command of English is commonly required; Finnish or Swedish may be advantageous for some positions but is often not mandatory.
Where you can use this
Open positions accepting Research Council of Finland.
