Research grants

The application should include a separate research plan, which is written in Finnish, Swedish or English. Familiarize yourself with Guidelines for writing a Research Plan.

In addition to the requirements outlined above, the research plan for a Project Grant must specifically address the following:

• Resources and conditions for project implementation: Describe the key resources and other conditions available for carrying out the project and explain how they support its implementation.
• Project implementation and timetable: Describe the key stages of the project and any subprojects, together with their planned timetable. Explain how the different stages of the project form a coherent and feasible whole.
• Research team and division of responsibilities: Describe the composition of the research team, the key tasks and roles of the individuals involved in the project, and the expertise relevant to carrying out the project. If not all individuals to be recruited to the project at a later stage have yet been identified, describe the planned staffing needs and responsibilities.
• Budget and use of funding: Provide a project budget and describe how the funding applied for will be used. Justify the key costs and explain their relevance to the implementation of the project. The budget must be proportionate to the project’s objectives, implementation, and timetable.

Ensure that all necessary permits/licenses for your research project are valid, and list them in your application. Copies of permits/licenses may be requested before grant disbursement. For more information, refer to the “Permits and Statements for Grant Applications” guidelines.

A Project Grant application may be evaluated and considered even if all the required research permits have not yet been obtained. A Project Grant may be awarded conditionally, with payment of the grant subject to obtaining the required permits. When applying for a Project Grant, applicants must clearly indicate in the application form which permits have already been granted and which have been applied for and are still pending.

Applicants for student grants, non-doctoral researchers, and researchers working in teams must provide a statement from the responsible research supervisor. While a separate report is not required in the application, please include the supervisor’s contact information and confirm whether the supervisor has reviewed the research plan.

Apollonia, the Dental Foundation, and the Joint Fund of Dental Organizations do not fund general university overhead costs.

A maximum of 10% of the awarded Project Grant may be used to cover overhead costs.

Report any grants received from other sources in the past three years or any pending grant applications in your application. Grants awarded by other funding organisations during the application period do not need to be reported.

Familiarize yourself with the evaluation criteria for grant applications [in Finnish]. Applications will be assessed as a whole and compared on an equal basis.

The 2027 research grant decisions will be announced in March 2027. Applicants will be notified through the grant application system whether or not they have been awarded a grant. Grant recipients will also be asked to provide their bank account and personal details through the grant application system for payment of the grant.

Grant recipients need not inform Apollonia of their grant acceptance separately. If a grant recipient is unable to accept the awarded grant, they should contact Apollonia’s Chief of Operations, Kaisa Laukkanen, at firstname.lastname@apollonia.fi.

Payments of research, incentive, and student grants awarded in 2027 will begin in March, following the Apollonia Symposium. Grants are generally paid in a single instalment during 2027. Grant recipients may specify their preferred payment date in the payment plan in the grant system.

The first instalment of the Young Researcher Grant will be paid as agreed, and the second instalment will be paid six months later, provided that the grant recipient has submitted a progress and continuation report by email to the representative of the Finnish Dental Foundation (Vesa Pohjola, firstname.lastname@shlts.fi).

The Project Grant is awarded for a two-year period and paid in two instalments: half in the year in which the grant is awarded and half in the following year. Payment of the second instalment is subject to approval of the interim report on the use of the grant.

A grant must always be used for the purpose for which it was awarded. Any changes to the use or terms of the grant require the approval of the grant provider.

The grant provider reserves the right to suspend payments and/or withhold the second instalment if the grant is not used in accordance with its terms and conditions, the required reports are not submitted, or the project is not implemented in all material respects.

All grants are personal grants, with the exception of the Project Grant. Personal grants may not be used to cover the salary costs of other individuals or university overhead costs.

Payment of the Young Researcher Grant requires full-time research work. Payment of the grant will be suspended during periods of paid employment, temporary appointment to a salaried position, military service, parental or childcare leave, or similar circumstances. An extension of the grant period may be agreed upon if payment is suspended due to military service, parental leave, or childcare leave.

The Project Grant is an expense grant intended for a research project and is not paid as a personal working grant. The Project Grant is paid to the organisation, not directly to the applicant.

The Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution (Mela) handles the mandatory pension and accident insurance for grant recipients. According to the law, insurance coverage applies to individuals within Finland’s social security scope who have received a research grant for scientific work.

This obligation applies to individuals receiving personal grants and those working as part of a team on a grant. It does not apply to grants for basic degree studies or covering expenses only. Insurance premiums are based on income. Pension insurance premiums are tax-deductible.

The Finnish Dental Society Apollonia and the Finnish Foundation for Dental Medicine report the grants they have awarded Mela when the grant meets the criteria for duration and amount. For more information on pension and accident insurance, visit www.mela.fi.

Every January, Apollonia submits an annual statement to the tax authorities regarding the grants paid out in the previous year. The obligation to report tax-free grants also applies. Grant recipients must verify their pre-filled tax return information and make any necessary corrections.

Grant recipients do not need to provide a tax card to Apollonia, and Apollonia does not withhold tax from the grants, even if the total grant amount paid in a calendar year exceeds the tax-free threshold. Any applicable taxes are delivered later on the portion of the grant that exceeds the tax-free amount. With questions about tax deductions for pension contributions and other expenses, one should turn to the tax authorities.

For more information about grant taxation, visit www.vero.fi

Grant recipients must submit a report on the use of their research grant through the grant application system by the end of the calendar year following the year in which the grant was awarded. When applying for a new grant, the applicant must have submitted a report on any previous research grant awarded by Apollonia, the Finnish Dental Foundation, or the Joint Fund of Dental Organisations.

Recipients of a Project Grant must submit an interim report during the funding period and before payment of the second instalment. The interim report must describe the progress of the project, key results, and use of funds, and must be submitted by the end of the year in which the grant was awarded. The Expert Committee will review the report and, based on its assessment, determine whether the second instalment can be paid. A final report on the Project Grant must be submitted after the project has been completed. The final report must include the research results, publications and other outputs, and a financial summary.

All Finnish Dental Society Apollonia members are eligible to apply for research grants and other Apollonia member grants. However, communications often mention only dentists representing most of our members.

The panel of experts consists of seven members, each of whom reads and scores each application. This procedure is designed to ensure equality and transparency. The panel assesses the scientific quality of the applications, the relevance of the research, and their feasibility. At the panel meeting, proposals for grant recipients are made to the Boards the Finnish Dental Society Apollonia, the Finnish Dental Foundation, and the Joint Fund of Dental Organizations.

The grant you apply for should be chosen according to your “status” at the time of application. If you are a student at the time of application, you can apply for a student grant. If you are applying for a “post-doctoral fellowship”, you must have already completed a doctoral degree at the time of application.

A detailed and precise plan includes research objectives, background information, hypotheses, methods, timeline and expected results. The plan should also explain the current status of the project. When writing the application, it is helpful to focus on what the money will be used to do – without losing sight of the bigger picture. In particular, if, for example, half of a larger project has already been completed and published, these achievements and the researchers’ previous work in this area should be highlighted in the background information. The plan should be well-founded and scientifically significant. In your plan, describe your research team and possible collaborators. In addition, describe your role and the expertise of your team and other research team members.

The application clearly targets the joint research grant call of the Finnish Dental Association Apollonia, the Finnish Dental Foundation, and the Joint Fund of Dental Associations.

A poorly written plan is unclear, inconsistent, or contains too little detail. In addition, the hypotheses and methods are not sufficiently well founded. The plan’s budget is inaccurate, unrealistic, or overly generous, and there is no breakdown of costs and no justification of costs. In a poor research plan, the scientific and societal relevance of the research cannot be identified or is not sufficiently justified. In general, too many objectives can also make it difficult to understand what the applicant considers to be the most relevant to the project.

A poor application will have an unrealistic and unclear timetable for the research. Furthermore, the applicant has not demonstrated sufficient commitment to the study.

Please attach the requested annexes and list precisely the questions specifically asked in the application. For example, permits should be listed in the application in the space provided; simply listing them in the research plan is insufficient.

An encouragement grant is intended for a researcher working on a doctoral thesis. Applicants are usually required to have one publication. Dissertation studies abroad are not an obstacle to applying for the grant.

You cannot apply for a post-doctoral research grant or an expense grant if you have not completed your doctorate before the application deadline.

You should apply for an encouragement grant since you have not completed your doctorate. In your application, you should clearly explain your situation. Based on your application, the expert committee will decide on the possible grant, its category and the amount of the grant.

A Young Researcher Grant is awarded to a dentist carrying out doctoral research. For example, you may be a trainee at a research school. You must be doing research as your main job during the grant period.

The Young Researcher Grant can be awarded for scientific work (working grant or working and expense grant). The Young Researcher Grants are 26 000 euros (12 months) and 13 000 euros (6 months).

We aim to pay the grant in the month you have requested it when you complete your payment plan in the grant system.

The Finnish Dental Society Apollonia, the Finnish Dental Foundation, and the Joint Fund of Dental Organizations do not fund any overhead costs the University charges.

Recipients must submit a statement or a report of using their research grant to the grant system, preferably by the end of the calendar year following the year of award. It should be noted that when applying for a new grant, a statement of any previous research grants awarded by the Finnish Dental Society Apollonia, the Finnish Dental Foundation, and the Joint Fund of Dental Organizations must have been completed

In Apollonia’s electronic grant system, you can also refer to the structure of the statement, which can be found in the “statement” section of your application. A free-form report, abstract or poster can also be attached to the report.