Application period: 24 October–20 November 2025
Teollisuusneuvos Heikki Väänänen Fund awards grants for wood-related scientific research at the University of Eastern Finland. Grants may be awarded for research projects that increase research-based knowledge of wood and promote the development of novel wood products or enhance the use and usability of wood for the needs of humanity.
In 2026, grants can be awarded for basic or applied research supporting these purposes with the following criteria:
- One-year grants (EUR 26,700) for doctoral or postdoctoral research. The grant includes the costs related to the compulsory MYEL pension insurance. The university does not collect the so-called “university compensation” from the recipients.
The grants awarded for doctoral or postdoctoral research are personal working grants intended for full-time research work, i.e., the grantee cannot have a paid employment during the same time period. No travel grants, funding for research expenses or funding for thesis finalizing will be awarded. The same applicant may be awarded a one-year grant from the Fund only once.
The grant application must include, as an appendix, a research plan that indicates:
1. Background of the research
2. Objectives
3. Materials and methods
4. Expected outcomes and their significance, and
5. Timetable (the overall length of the plan may not exceed 3 pages, font size 11).
The research plan for the postdoctoral phase must indicate that the research is part of a research group at the University of Eastern Finland.
The application must also include as an appendix:
- the applicant’s CV (curriculum vitae),
- for postgraduate students, a statement by the supervisor
- the commitment of the relevant research unit to ensure that the proposed research is linked to the unit’s other research, as well as the basic conditions for the applicant’s work (e.g., working facilities, telecommunications, printing, and library and information services).
The grant recipient must report on the use of the grant according to separate instructions. You can apply here (website).
The grants must be used during 2026. Two one-year grants will be awarded. The Fund reserves the right not to award the grants if no eligible applications are received. The grantees will be announced at the Karelia Symposium on 16 April 2026.
Further information:
Member of the fund committee, Professor emeritus Ossi Turunen, e-mail [email protected], tel +358 29 445 3119
Secretary of the fund committee, Executive Head of Administration Arja Hirvonen, e-mail [email protected], tel. +358 29 445 3002
