Supporting Attachments (Travel Grants)

Project Grants for Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Environmental Research, and Artistic Research
           Supporting Attachments (Project Grant Applicants)
Grants for Non-Fiction Writing
Grants for Arts and Culture and Other Grants
Continuation Grants
Specially Allocated Grant Calls
Saari Residence Grants

Who can apply?

Kone Foundation provides funding for research in the humanities, social sciences, environmental research, and artistic research. Funding is open to research groups as well as individual researchers. Project grants are awarded for projects that involve one or more researchers and have a research leader or supervisor. Researchers with a personal researcher grant from Kone Foundation can apply for travel grants abroad.

Only researchers who have completed a Master’s degree are eligible for Kone Foundation academic research grants.

Grants for non-fiction publications and translations of non-fiction are intended to support original work and translation in the humanities, the social sciences and the environmental research.

Other Kone Foundation grants are open to applications from professionals in the humanities and culture, either working individually or in or in collectives of some sort.

Kone Foundation provides funding for researchers of all nationalities working in Finland, and for Finnish nationals doing research abroad.

For what kinds of work can funding be sought?

Kone Foundation provides funding for research towards a doctoral degree, for postdoctoral research, and for research projects, in the humanities, social sciences, environmental research, and artistic research.

Funding is also provided for Finnish non-fiction writing and translations from or into Finnish.

Kone Foundation grants can also be provided for art and cultural projects and other projects that are significant for some aspect of Finnish society or culture.

Researchers with a personal researcher grant from Kone Foundation can apply for travel grants abroad.

Filling and sending the application form

Applicants should carefully complete the online application form and send it electronically to Kone Foundation.

When the applicant has sent the completed form, Sent will be displayed on the main page of the online applications service.

NOTE: The completed form must also be printed and posted to the Kone Foundation office along with the required supporting attachments.

Applications from within Finland and all required supporting documentation must be posted by 30 September at the latest. The date of postage marked on the envelope is sufficient evidence that the application has been posted on time. Applications posted from outside Finland must arrive at the Kone Foundation office by or before the application deadline. Envelopes should be marked Apurahahakemus, or Grant application.

If the application is sent via a courier service, the applicant must inform the service provider of the door code for the Tehtaankatu building. The door code can be retrieved from the Kone Foundation office. See Contact Information.

The application period for travel grants is on-going.

 

Online application service

Applicants must sign in to the online application service. If the applicant has not used the service before, he or she must create a username and password by clicking on Create New Username.

When the applicant visits the site for the first time, she/he must create a new application: press Create New Application. All information entered can be later completed, edited, previewed and printed by choosing the Edit function.

Electronic reference system

From 2011 on, the reference letter forms for researcher grants will be submitted electronically. Writing electronic reference statements for researcher grant applicants is possible through the Kone Foundation`s electronic reference system. For other types of grants, however, referees should submit free-form letters of recommendation.

See References and Reference Forms

How applications are processed

When the posted version of the application arrives at the Kone Foundation office, it is received and registered by a bar code reader. The same online application information details that were sent electronically are thus transferred to Kone Foundation’s online database.

Applications are sorted at the Kone Foundation office according to application type and discipline. So that each application reaches an expert in the appropriate field for assessment, it is essential that the applicant has selected the correct grant type and discipline.

All applications are handled confidentially. Persons involved in processing and evaluating the applications do not publicly discuss any applicant’s characteristics, personal circumstances or any information relating to any applicant’s economic situation. See also Privacy Protection.

Applications are peer reviewed. The peer reviewers are experts in the field and/or sub-discipline within which founding is being sought, with the necessary experience in assessing applications. The Board of Kone Foundation does not reveal the names of its peer reviewers. See also Criteria for Decisions.

Each year Kone Foundation receives many good applications that meet the required standard. Usually there are more applications of the appropriate quality than it is possible to fund.

During the processing period close attention is given to possible conflicts of interest or of incompetence due to the likelihood of bias. In the event of there being a conflict of interest or likelihood of bias in any individual case, affected peer reviewers and/or Kone Foundation board members will not participate in processing the application in question.

Funding period

Research grants applied for in the autumn are intended to be used from the beginning of the following year at the earliest. Usually Kone Foundation grants must be used up within three years of the date on which they were awarded. See also Use of the Grant and Deferral of Payment in the section headed Instructions for Kone Foundation Grant Recipients.

Grants are not provided in arrears.

Application period and decisions on the applications

Application period for Kone Foundation grants begins on 1 August and ends on 30 September.

Funding decisions are made by the board of Kone Foundation at its autumn meeting, which is held by the end of November at the latest.

The list of successful applicants will be published on the Kone Foundation website soon after the autumn Board meeting; see Decisions. Grants recipients will be sent a letter of notification by post. The names of the grant recipients will be published in the Kone Foundation annual report, too.

The application period for travel grants is on-going.

Kone Foundation also organizes specially allocated grants calls, application periods for which may differ from the regular application periods. Application periods are announced in conjunction with the announcements for specially allocated grants. For Saari Residence application periods, see the How to Apply section on the Saari Residence website.

Funding from other sources and other research-related pay

Applicants must list on the application form all grants received during the preceding three years, and any applications that are pending at the time of applying for Kone Foundation funding. Applicants must inform Kone Foundation immediately if he/she/they receive funding from any other source during Kone Foundation’s application and processing period. For projects, applicants must indicate on the application if they have sought funding for the same project from other sources.

If an applicant is granted Kone Foundation research funding without having informed us of successful grant decisions from other sources, the Kone Foundation decision may be repealed.

Kone Foundation grants are usually not granted to applicants who already have research financing (research grant/salary) secured for the entire coming year.

Research grant applicants must also indicate in their applications all graduate school places they have been granted or for which applications are still pending. They must also inform of any paid work related to the project to be funded.

General information on supporting attachments

All necessary attachments are sent in printed form to the Kone Foundation office along with the printed version of the online application form. Whenever possible, attachments should also be attached to the online application form. Possible file types are doc, rtf and pdf.

The envelope containing the printed version of the completed application form must contain all the required supporting documentation. Applications or supporting materials received after the deadline cannot be taken into account. The exceptions are certificates, and permits for public defence of academic dissertations awarded after the deadline for Kone Foundation grant applications. These should be sent to the Kone Foundation office as soon as possible, no later than 15 November.

The applicant’s likelihood of being to successfully complete the project is assessed based on the curriculum vitae and other supporting attachments that are included with the application.

Attachments, excluding Letters of Reference, can be retrieved from the Foundation’s office at a time separately agreed upon after the grant decisions are made. If an applicant wishes that the attachments are posted back to them, a return envelope with sufficient postage must be sent in with the application. If attachments are to be returned abroad, a sufficient amount of international reply coupons must also be included.

Attachments are stored for one year after the closing date for applications.

The precise list of attachments required varies according to grant type, and are indicated below.

• Grants for Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Environmental Research, and Artistic Research
• Travel Grants Abroad for Researchers
• Project Grants for Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Environmental Research, and Artistic Research
• Grants for Non-Fiction Writing
• Grants for Arts and Culture and Other grants

Research Proposal

The research proposal included with the application must be for work that falls within the fields covered by Kone Foundation funding. Proposals relating to environmental research must indicate the relevance of the research to environmental problems or challenges. In assessing all research proposals attention is paid to scientific merit, feasibility, topicality and possible original contributions to knowledge.

For doctoral research grant applications, the accompanying research proposal should be no more than three pages long.

The content and structure of research proposals will vary to some extent from one discipline to the next. In general however, the proposal should include the following parts:

• Introduction: The background of the research and its subject matter, and the significance of the proposed research in light of this background.
• Aims, objectives: What is to be studied and why. The objectives must be indicated as clearly as possible, for example through research questions.
• Research materials and methods: The research data or literature and the method chosen for analyzing or handling these materials.
• Work outline: A short estimate of the expected duration of each phase of the project.
• References, sources: There is no need for citations in the research proposal itself, but it is a good idea to include a concise list of the most important materials to be used in the research.

A cost estimate should not be included with the proposal. Applicants for Kone Foundation continuation grants must include an updated research proposal with their application.

Progress Report for Continuation Grants

Those applying for continuation grants must include with their application a short report (max. 2 pages) indicating the state of progress of the research. The report should give a brief account of what has been achieved during the previous Kone Foundation funding period, and the current state of the project.

NOTE: In addition to the progress report, continuation grant applicants must include with their applications an updated research or work proposal.

Curriculum Vitae

The purpose of the CV is to provide a concise overview of the research grant applicant’s education and experience. It should include work experience, previous research, previously received grants, publications, presentations and teaching experience; any of these which are of particular relevance to the project for which Kone Foundation funding is sought are especially important to include. A good length for curriculum vitae is between two and four pages.

Portfolio

Grant applications for artistic research funding must include a portfolio, which showcases the artist’s ability in the relevant field and conveys an impression of him or her as an artist. A portfolio thus showcases the applicant’s level of artistic expression, quality of artistic thought, and any other special proficiency that the applicant finds it relevant to mention.

At least part of the portfolio should be sent in printed form, but it could also include a compact disc (CD) or digital videodisc (DVD), for example. Sending a portfolio in electronic form only is not recommended.

Travel Plan and Budget

The travel plan and budget accompanying the travel grant application should be no more than three pages long. The travel plan should include the information on the purpose and on the period of the travel. The travel plan should also indicate the relevance of the trip to the applicant’s research.

The travel plan must also include a travel budget, in which the travel costs are estimated, e.g.travel tickets, accommodation expenses and possible conference fees. Daily allowances cannot be included for the days of travel as the monthly grant is regarded as covering normal living expenses also abroad.

Cost Estimate (Budget)

Project applications (Research Projects, Non-fiction Grants, and Grants for Arts and Culture and Other Grants) must include as a separate attachment a detailed project budget. Even though funding is awarded for one year at a time, the proposed budget of a project spanning several years must cover that project’s entire duration.

It is important to try to estimate costs realistically and precisely in the budget. Other possible sources of funding must also be mentioned. Even if only a portion of the funding of a project is being applied for from the Kone Foundation, the cost estimate for the entire project must be presented. A detailed budget facilitates the making of funding decisions.

In the case of project applications, the amount of funding being requested must be specified for each type of cost also in the electronic application form. NOTE: Only funding being applied for from the Kone Foundation is to be cited in the electronic application form. 

The budget attachment is not needed for research grant applications.

Further instructions on budgets can be found under information for each grant type.

Copies of Degrees

Applicants must include a copy of their most recent academic degree, or of the degree most relevant to the research project to be funded. There is no need to have the copy stamped by a notary public.

All supporting attachments should be posted with the application before the deadline. The exceptions are certificates, and permits for public defence of academic dissertations awarded after the deadline for Kone Foundation grant applications. These should be sent to the Kone Foundation office as soon as possible, no later than 15 November

References and Reference Forms

For researchers applying for research grants, it is essential to include with the application a reference letter from the research supervisor(s) or someone else highly familiar with the applicant’s work. If the same referee provides letters of reference for more than Kone Foundation research grant applicant, it is important that they be ranked in order of merit. Kone Foundation is keen to support postdoctoral research, and for this reason postdoctoral applicants are also strongly recommended to support their application with a letter of reference from an expert who is highly familiar with the applicant’s work. Applicants may include several letters of reference with their application if they wish. The name, degree or profession, and contact information of the referee(s) should be entered on the online application form in the section headed Referee or Referees.

The reference letter forms for researcher grants will be submitted electronically through the Kone Foundation`s electronic reference system. For other types of grants, however, referees should submit free-form letters of recommendation.

Excluding the researcher grant applications, the referee should return the reference letter in a sealed envelope to the applicant, who must ensure that it arrives with the application and all other supporting attachments before 30 September. NOTE: The referee(s) do not send the letter(s) directly to the Kone Foundation office but instead send them directly to the applicant, who must include them along with all the other supporting attachments.

Things to remember before sending your application

• Make sure that you have posted the printed version of the online application form along with all required supporting attachments. Make sure also that you have electronically sent the online version of the form, including the files containing whatever parts of the required supporting attachment are applicable. When you have sent the completed form, Sent will be displayed on the main page of the online applications service.
• Remember to sign and post the printed version of the completed application form.
• Do not send any part of the application as registered post. We do not collect registered post from the post office.
• For applications sent from within Finland the date of postage marked on the envelope is sufficient evidence that the application has been posted on time. Applications sent from abroad must be sent to arrive at the Kone Foundation office by or before the application deadline.

Researcher Grants in the humanities, social sciences, environmental research, and artistic research

Kone Foundation Researcher Grants are awarded for research in the humanities, social sciences, for environmental research and for artistic research. The grants are generally not intended to support research in the fields of education, psychology, theology, law, economics or communications research.

Only researchers who have completed their Master’s degree are eligible for Kone Foundation academic research grants.

The Kone Foundation has supported artistic research since the year 2007. For the Kone Foundation, artistic research signifies research that is performed at an arts institute of higher education and in which art and research interact. This type of artistic research is not theory-based but springs rather from the making of art. Artistic research is typically composed of both an artistic and a theoretical component, the subject of which is the artistic work of the artist/researcher.

From the year 2011 onward, the Kone Foundation will be decreasing the amount of funded doctoral research and will be concentrating the allocation of researcher grants to favour research that meets the following criteria:

In the decisions for the allocation of researcher grants, the Foundation will emphasize both the postdoctoral research of recent doctoral graduates as well as researchers with career experience. With regard to doctoral grant applicants, priority will be placed on those talented individuals whose fields of research do not have a PhD Programme in Finland. Priority is also given to subjects and fields of research which are either multi- or interdisciplinary, or even marginal or outside the mainstream. Furthermore, as internationality is also valued, applicants completing their degree abroad or foreigners completing their degree in Finland, for example, are also given priority. Under “Citizenship and Location of Research” in the application form, the applicant must state if they are a Finnish citizen doing research abroad or a foreign national doing research in Finland. Geographically, the focal point of the Kone Foundation is the Baltic region.

In the application form, grant applicants must argue the case for why their research ought to be funded.  

The applicant should first of all select the correct discipline and sub-discipline from those listed in the drop-down list on the online application form. The applicant should only select the option entitled Other, what? only if none of the options listed adequately covers the area in which he or she is doing the proposed research.

Individual researchers can apply for research grants for a maximum of one year at a time. Kone Foundation awards research grants for a maximum of four years for doctoral research, and for a maximum of two years for post-doctoral research. A fourth year of research funding is intended for final preparations of the PhD thesis, and will be granted only on well-established grounds.

To be eligible for grants researchers must be engaged in full-time research.

The "First year of Kone Foundation funding" option should be selected on the application form if the applicant is applying for the first year of funding for this purpose from Kone Foundation. Select "Kone Foundation Continuation Grant" if applying for the second or later year of funding for the same purpose from Kone Foundation.

The amount of Kone Foundation research grants (applies to decisions from 2011 on) is €25,200 annually (€2,100 per month) for doctoral research, and €27,600 annually (€2,300 per month) for post-doctoral research.

Kone Foundation is among the large Finnish foundations involved in a postdoctoral research pool established to support Finnish postdoctoral research abroad. For more information on The Foundations’ Post Doc Pool go to www.postdocpooli.fi.

Postdoctoral researchers seeking funding for research abroad for the 2010 - 2012 period should apply for funding from the Post Doc Pool, and not directly from Kone Foundation.

Researchers with a personal researcher grant from Kone Foundation can apply for travel grants abroad.

Supporting Attachments (Research Grant Applicants)

In addition to electronical reference form(s) submitted by the referee(s), new applicants are asked to include the following with their application:

• Research proposal (max. 3 pages).
• Curriculum vitae.
• A copy of applicant’s academic degree(s).
• A portfolio (for applicants applying for funding for artistic research).

Supporting attachments required from applicants for continuation grants, in addition to electronical reference form(s) submitted by the referee(s):

• Progress Report (max. 2 pages).
• Updated research proposal (max. 3 pages).

NOTE: Non-Finnish applicants must include at least one letter of reference from a Finnish university or research institute.

The application must include all the required supporting attachments. Applications or supporting materials received after the deadline cannot be taken into account. The exceptions are certificates, and permits for public defence of academic dissertations awarded after the deadline for Kone Foundation grant applications. These should be sent to the Kone Foundation office as soon as possible, no later than 15 November.

Travel Grants Abroad for Researchers

The Kone Foundation offers travel grants abroad for researchers with a personal researcher grant from the Kone Foundation. Travel grants are not, however, granted to researcher grant recipients working with project funding.

Travel grants are intended for archive and library visits, short fieldwork trips and other travel involving information gathering as well as for research visits. Grants are also afforded for participation in conferences or seminars.

Travel grants can be applied for to cover any extra costs of travel, such as tickets, accommodation expenses and possible conference fees etc. Daily allowances cannot be included for the days of travel as the monthly grant is regarded as covering normal living expenses also abroad.

The application period is on-going, beginning on January 1st 2012 up until at least the end of the year.

Travel grants can be applied for with an electronic application form, which is also printed and posted to the Kone Foundation office. Decisions regarding travel grants are made approximately six times a year.

By offering travel grants, the Foundation wishes to encourage the international interaction of researchers.

Supporting Attachments (Travel Grants)

The applicants are asked to include the following with their application:

• Travel plan and budget (max. 3 pages)
• Research proposal (max. 3 pages).

Project grants for research in the humanities, social sciences, environmental research, and artistic research

Research grants are also awarded for projects that involve one or more researchers and have a research leader or supervisor. Funding can be sought for projects spanning several years. Kone Foundation grants for research projects must also be applied for one year at a time.

Kone Foundation grants are awarded for research in the humanities, social sciences, for environmental research and for artistic research. Projects can be multi- or interdisciplinary, in which case several fields of research may be involved. The grants are generally not intended to support research in the fields of education, psychology, theology, law, economics or communications research.

The Kone Foundation has supported artistic research since the year 2007. For the Kone Foundation, artistic research signifies research that is performed at an arts institute of higher education and in which art and research interact. This type of artistic research is not theory-based art research but springs rather from the making of art. Artistic research is typically composed of both an artistic and a theoretical component, the subject of which is the artistic work of the artist/researcher.

The applicant should first of all select the correct discipline and sub-discipline from those listed in the drop-down list on the online application form. The applicant should only select the option entitled Other, what? only if none of the options listed adequately covers the area in which he or she is doing the proposed research.

Projects funded by the Kone Foundation offer researchers grants, not a salary. The amount of Kone Foundation researcher grants (applies to decisions from 2011 on) is €25,200 annually (€2,100 per month) for doctoral research, and €27,600 annually (€2,300 per month) for post-doctoral research. It is possible to pay salaries to research assistants and possibly the director of the project out of the financial support given to the project.

Yearly researcher grants and other possible expenses such as material, appliance and travel expenses as well as temporary staff and outsourcing service expenditure etc. must be specified in the project’s cost estimate. If the university requires a portion of overhead costs, its percentage and sum must also be specified. However, Kone Foundation does not pay any overheads on research grants.

The New Grant option should be selected on the application form if the applicant is applying for the first year of funding for this purpose from Kone Foundation. Select Continuation Grant if applying for the second or later year of funding for the same purpose from Kone Foundation.

Supporting Attachments (Project Grant Applicants)

New applicants are asked to include the following with their application:

• Project plan (max. 10 pages); in the case of a project spanning several years, the project plan must cover its entire duration
• Cost estimate; in the case of a project spanning several years, the cost estimate must cover its entire duration (see example)
• Curriculum Vitae for each project researcher
• if the applicant represents an organization, association, or corporation etc.: copies of the annual report, financial statement and auditor’s report from the previous year

 Supporting attachments required from applicants for continuation grants:

• Project progress report (max. 2 pages)
• Updated project plan (max. 10 pages); in the case of a project spanning several years, the updated project plan must cover its entire duration
• Updated cost estimate; in the case of a project spanning several years, the cost estimate must cover its entire duration

Grants for non-fiction publications and translations of non-fiction

Kone Foundation provides funding for Finnish non-fiction writing and translations from or into Finnish. Grants and financial support are also awarded to Finnish language scientific periodicals and, in particular, for their development projects. Non-fiction grants are intended to support non-fiction writing and translation in the humanities, the social sciences and environmental research. The main aim is to support efforts to make research in these fields as accessible as possible to the general public.

Read more >> (in Finnish only).

Grants for Arts and Culture and Other Grants

Kone Foundation grants can also be provided for art and cultural projects and other projects that are significant for some aspect of Finnish society or culture.

Read more >> (in Finnish only).

Continuation Grants

The New Grant / First year of Kone Foundation funding option should be selected on the application form if the applicant is applying for the first year of funding for this purpose from Kone Foundation. Select Continuation Grant if applying for the second or later year of funding for the same purpose from Kone Foundation.

Notice also that in most cases different supporting attachments are required from continuation grant applicants than from those applying for the first year of funding.

Specially Allocated Grant Calls

Kone Foundation also organizes calls for specially allocated grants. More information in Finnish only, see Suunnatut haut.

Saari Residence Grants

In addition, the Foundation also awards residency grants for artists in various fields. Read more about residency grants in Saari Residence section.