GRANTS

APPLICATION PERIODS

The Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation has two grant application periods each year: a Spring Call and an Autumn Call.

The Spring Call is open 4–15 May 2026. During the Spring Call, grants are available only to individuals beginning their doctoral studies in economics who have been nominated by their department of economics to the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation. In addition, recipients of a first-year grant awarded in the previous spring may apply for an extension grant for their second year of doctoral studies.

The Autumn Call is open 1–30 September 2026. During the Autumn Call, the Foundation awards grants for doctoral studies and research in economics, medicine and health economics, as well as for the organisation of scientific conferences and seminars.

The Foundation’s Board considers only applications submitted through the Online Grant Service during the application period. Applications submitted outside the application period are considered only in exceptional circumstances and for particularly compelling reasons.

SPRING CALL

GRANTS FOR FIRST-YEAR DOCTORAL STUDIES IN ECONOMICS

During the Spring Call, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation awards full-year grants to first-year doctoral students in economics who have been nominated by their department of economics to the Foundation. The grant is intended to support full-time doctoral studies leading to a doctoral degree, beginning in the autumn of the same year or in the following spring.

Grant quotas are allocated to the departments of economics during the preceding autumn. In the spring, each department nominates candidates for the Foundation’s grants within its allocated quota. While the Foundation uses these nominations as the basis for its decision-making, all grant decisions are made independently in accordance with the Foundation’s grant criteria.

Recipients of a first-year grant may apply for an extension grant during the following spring to support their second year of doctoral studies.

GRANTS FOR SECOND-YEAR DOCTORAL STUDIES IN ECONOMICS

During the Spring Call, extension grants are available to applicants who received a first-year doctoral grant in economics from the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation during the previous spring.

Applications must include the grades for courses completed as part of the applicant’s doctoral studies. In addition, applicants must ask their supervisor to submit a letter of recommendation through the Foundation’s Online Reference Service during the application period. Applicants cannot view the reference letter, and referees cannot access the application.

Grants for second-year doctoral studies are awarded on the basis of the applicant’s academic performance and the progress of their doctoral dissertation.

INSTRUCTIONS AND TIMETABLE FOR THE SPRING 2026 CALL

The application period is 4–15 May 2026. The Online Grant Service opens at 9:00 and closes at 16:00 (Finnish time). Applications must be completed and submitted through the Online Grant Service in either Finnish or English.

Before completing the application, applicants should read the following documents carefully:

• Instructions for applying for a first-year doctoral grant in economics can be found here
• Instructions for applying for a second-year doctoral grant in economics can be found here
• General Grant Guidelines

Grant decisions will be announced in June. All applicants will be notified of the outcome by email.

Access the Online Grant Service >>

AUTUMN CALL

The Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation awards grants for doctoral studies, research in economics, medicine and health economics, and the organisation of scientific conferences and seminars.

The Autumn Call is open to all applicants from 1 to 30 September 2026. The application period opens at 9:00 and closes at 16:00 (Finnish time). Grants awarded during the Autumn Call are intended for use from 2027 onwards.

WHO CAN APPLY AND WHAT WE FUND?

Grants may be awarded to Finnish applicants, as well as individuals, research groups and organisations based in Finland. Applicants from outside Finland are also eligible to apply, provided that the proposed project has a clear and substantial connection to the Finnish research community.

The Foundation awards two types of grants: Personal Working Grants and Project Grants. Grants may be awarded for the following purposes:

• Personal Working Grant for doctoral studies, doctoral research or postdoctoral research in Finland or abroad (3–12 months).
• Yrjö Jahnsson Fellowship for a postdoctoral research visit in economics at MIT (4–12 months). This fellowship is intended primarily for experienced postdoctoral researchers and applicants at the level of (Associate) Professor. Applicants are expected to have excellent spoken English and to participate actively in the academic work of the university.
• Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation Fellow grant for a research visit in economics at the University of Cambridge (4–12 months).
• Project Grant for a collaborative research project.
• Project Grant for organising a scientific conference or seminar (applications must be submitted by an organisation).

In addition, departments of economics may apply for grant quotas for students who will begin their doctoral studies in economics in the following autumn or the subsequent spring. Instructions will be sent directly to the departments of economics in August.

WHAT IS NOT FUNDED?

The Foundation does not award grants solely for conference travel. However, travel, research visits and conference expenses that are directly related to a research project may be included as part of another grant application.

The Foundation does not provide funding for undergraduate or master’s-level studies, including theses completed at universities of applied sciences, master’s degree studies, master’s theses, MBA programmes, or medical doctoral research conducted before completion of the basic medical degree.

PRIORITY AREAS

According to the Foundation’s statutes, priority in economics is given to research on monetary theory and wage formation, followed by research on public finance and other areas of economic policy.

In medicine, funding is available only for research on:

• the health effects of lifestyle and environmental factors;
• genetic and omics research on diseases of major public health importance (excluding cancer); or
• the health of children, adolescents and young adults, with a particular emphasis on psychosocial problems.

In health economics, priority is given to research on:

• health behaviour analysis; or
• the analysis of health systems.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Foundation’s scientific reviewers evaluate whether the proposed project falls within the Foundation’s fields of support and assess the scientific quality of the research plan. The evaluation also takes into account the applicant’s research qualifications and/or academic performance, as well as whether the requested funding is well justified, realistic and consistent with the proposed research.

Based on these expert evaluations, the Foundation’s Research Directors prepare funding recommendations for the Board. The Board of the Foundation considers these recommendations and makes the final grant decisions. Individual reviews are not disclosed, and the Foundation does not provide separate justifications for its decisions.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Applications must be completed and submitted through the Foundation’s Online Grant Service.

Before preparing an application, applicants should carefully read the Foundation’s General Grant Guidelines.

Late or incomplete applications, or applications that do not comply with the application instructions, will not be considered. Applicants must also carefully follow the instructions provided in the Online Grant Service, including the page limits for attachments.

Applications may be submitted in Finnish or English. Applications for the Yrjö Jahnsson Fellowship (MIT) and the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation Fellow (University of Cambridge) must be submitted in English.

Applicants should clearly indicate in their application if they are applying for either the Yrjö Jahnsson Fellowship (MIT) or the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation Fellow (University of Cambridge).

Letter of Recommendation

Applicants must ask their supervisor to submit a reference letter through the Foundation’s Online Reference Service during the application period. Applicants cannot view the reference letter, and referees cannot access the application.

A letter of recommendation is required only if:

• the applicant is applying for a grant for first-year doctoral studies in economics (during the Autumn Call) or second-year doctoral studies in economics (during either the Autumn or Spring Call); or
• the applicant is applying for a grant in medicine and does not yet have any scientific publications.

Grant Decisions

The Foundation will publish the names of grant recipients on its website on 16 December at 19:00. All applicants will also be notified of the decision by email. Applications that are not funded will be deleted.

Access the Online Grant Service >>

GENERAL GRANT GUIDELINES

PERSONAL WORKING GRANTS

A Personal Working Grant is intended to cover the grantee’s living expenses while undertaking full-time doctoral studies or carrying out research. The grant is awarded to an individual and remains personal even if the grantee works as part of a research group. A Personal Working Grant is not a salary, does not constitute an employment relationship, and may not be used to cover salary costs.

Personal Working Grants in Finland

For research or doctoral studies carried out in Finland, the annual Personal Working Grant amounts to:

• €29,000 for doctoral researchers (approximately €2,417 per month)
• €36,000 for postdoctoral researchers (€3,000 per month)

These amounts include the statutory pension and occupational accident insurance contributions payable by the grantee.

Additional research-related costs may also be included in the grant. These may include, for example:

• data acquisition and access costs,
• conference expenses, and
• overhead costs payable to a university or research institute (up to 7% of the grant amount).

All additional costs must be itemised in the budget section of the application.

Personal Working Grants Abroad

The amount of a Personal Working Grant awarded for research or doctoral studies abroad depends on the destination country and the anticipated costs associated with the research visit.

The grant is intended to cover living expenses during the stay abroad, including accommodation and daily living costs. Additional eligible expenses may include travel to the host institution, as well as mandatory visa, residence permit and insurance costs.

All anticipated expenses must be itemised in the budget section of the application.

Applicants may use the country-specific budgeting guidelines published by the Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool when preparing their cost estimate.

Restrictions on Personal Working Grants

A Personal Working Grant may be awarded for a maximum of one year at a time.

A Personal Working Grant cannot be paid to an individual who simultaneously receives a full-time salary from an employment relationship or another grant that enables full-time research during the same period.

While receiving a full-time Personal Working Grant, the grantee may undertake part-time paid work equivalent to no more than 25% of full-time working hours. If more extensive paid employment is required, the grant period must be adjusted in agreement with the Foundation.

Applicants are required to notify the Foundation if, after submitting their application, they receive another grant covering the same period or commence full-time employment.

PROJECT GRANTS

Project Grants for Research Projects

Project Grants may be awarded to universities, research institutes, other organisations or research groups to support the implementation of a research project.

Eligible costs include, for example:

• salaries for research assistants (typically for a maximum of six months),
• equipment purchases,
• data acquisition and analysis costs,
• purchased services, and
• other expenses directly related to carrying out the project.

The grant may also include overhead costs payable to a university or research institute, amounting to a maximum of 15% of the grant. All costs must be itemised in the budget section of the application.

Project Grants may not include Personal Working Grants or researchers’ salaries. If members of a research group require funding for full-time, longer-term research, each researcher must apply separately for an individual Personal Working Grant.

Project Grants for Scientific Conferences and Seminars

Project Grants may also be awarded to organisations for the organisation of scientific conferences and seminars.

Eligible expenses include venue hire, technical services, speakers’ travel and accommodation, programme production, communications, and other costs directly related to organising the conference.

All costs must be itemised in the budget section of the application.

Applications for conference grants must be submitted in the name of the organising organisation.

Administration and Responsibilities

The grant recipient—or, in the case of an organisation, the designated person responsible for the project—is responsible for the appropriate use of the grant and for reporting to the Foundation.

If a project involves several partner organisations, a project lead must be appointed to act as the Foundation’s primary contact. The project partners must conclude a written agreement specifying the use of the grant and the division of responsibilities.

Project Grant expenses must be administered through the financial administration of the organisation responsible for managing the grant.

If Project Grant funding is used to employ research assistants, the grant recipient is responsible for fulfilling all employer obligations, including tax withholding and statutory employer contributions.

GRANT CONDITIONS

Grants may be used only for the purpose for which they have been awarded and only during the approved grant period.

Any changes to the purpose of the grant or the grant period require the Foundation’s prior written approval. Requests for amendments should be submitted by email to toimisto@yjs.fi.

Grants may not be transferred or assigned to a third party.

The grantee must notify the Foundation without delay if the use of the grant is interrupted, either in full or in part.

The Foundation expects all scientific publications arising from funded research to acknowledge the support received from the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation. Grants awarded for scientific conferences should likewise be acknowledged in the conference programme or other appropriate conference materials.

GRANT PAYMENTS

Grant payments are made on the basis of payment requests submitted through the Foundation’s Online Grant Service. Payment schedules vary according to the type of grant awarded.

Read detailed instructions on Grant Payments →

GRANT REPORTING

Grantees are required to report on the use of their grant in accordance with the Foundation’s reporting instructions. In some cases, an interim report is also required during the grant period.

Read detailed instructions on Grant Reporting →

GRANT CANCELLATION

If the grantee has neither requested payment of the grant nor agreed with the Foundation on its use within one year of the grant decision, the grant will automatically lapse without separate notice.

If only part of the grant has been withdrawn, any remaining balance will automatically lapse three years after the grant decision unless otherwise agreed with the Foundation.

The Foundation reserves the right to enforce all or part of the grant if it has not been used in accordance with the grant decision or the Foundation’s grant guidelines.

TAXATION

Grantees are responsible for declaring their grant in their annual tax return. The Foundation reports all grants awarded to the Finnish Tax Administration in accordance with applicable tax legislation.

Grants awarded by private foundations or other private organisations are taxable only to the extent that the total amount of grants received during the tax year, after deduction of eligible expenses incurred in earning or maintaining the income, exceeds the annual amount of the Finnish State Artist Grant.

For current information on the taxation of grants, please visit the website of the Finnish Tax Administration: www.vero.fi.

PENSION INSURANCE AND SOCIAL SECURITY

Grantees who receive a Personal Working Grant for at least four consecutive months and who otherwise meet the statutory insurance requirements must obtain pension insurance from the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution (Mela) within three months of commencing work under the grant.

The Foundation reports all Personal Working Grants that meet the statutory insurance criteria to Mela.

Current information on pension insurance and social security for grantees is available on Mela’s website: www.mela.fi.

ONLINE REFERENCE SERVICE

Applicants who are required to submit a letter of recommendation must ask their supervisor to provide it through the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation’s Online Reference Service.

A statement is required only in the following cases:

• the applicant is applying for a grant for first-year doctoral studies in economics (during the Autumn Call) or second-year doctoral studies in economics (during either the Autumn or Spring Call); or
• the applicant is applying for a grant in medicine and does not yet have any scientific publications.

If a supervisor supports several doctoral researchers applying during the same application round, the supervisor is asked to rank the applicants in order of priority.

Reference letters are confidential and are not disclosed to applicants.

Reference letters may be submitted only during the application periods:

• 4–15 May 2026, or
• 1–30 September 2026.

Reference letters must be submitted through the Online Reference Service no later than 16:00 (Finnish time) on the final day of the application period. Late submissions or statements sent by email cannot be accepted.

Access the Online Reference Service >>

GRANT PAYMENTS

Grant payments are made on the 15th day of each month or, if the 15th falls on a weekend or public holiday, on the following business day. No grant payments are made in July.

Payment requests must be submitted through the Foundation’s Online Grant Service using strong electronic identification. To submit a payment request, the grantee will need the confirmation code provided in the grant award letter. The Online Grant Service will guide applicants through the information required to process the payment request.

Payment requests must be submitted before the beginning of the month in which payment is requested.

PERSONAL WORKING GRANTS

Personal Working Grants are paid to the grantee’s personal Finnish bank account in several instalments of approximately €4,000–10,000, distributed evenly over the approved grant period. For example, a one-year grant is normally paid in four instalments.

Full-year Personal Working Grants awarded to first-year doctoral students in economics are paid in September, November, February and April. Recipients must submit an Interim Report on the progress of their studies by the end of January by email to toimisto@yjs.fi. Grant payments will continue only after the Interim Report has been received.

Personal Working Grants awarded for research visits abroad may be paid as a single instalment.

PROJECT GRANTS

Project Grants are paid to the Finnish bank account of the university, research institute or other organisation responsible for administering the grant. Payments may be made in one or several instalments, depending on the nature of the project.

Access the Online Grant Service >>