Research grants - Apollonia

The Finnish Dental Society Apollonia, the Finnish Dental Foundation, and the Joint Fund of Dental Organizations annually award research grants.

The application period for research grants for 2024 will begin on October 1, 2023, and end on October 31, 2023, at 3:00 PM.

Research grants are granted for scientific research projects promoting dentistry, specifically for the members and student members of the Finnish Dental Society Apollonia. The recipient of the Joint Fund’s grant must be a member of the Finnish Dental Society Apollonia and the Finnish Dental Association.

The following research grants are available for the year 2024:

Student Grant
Grant up to 3,000 euros for students pursuing a primary dental degree during the application period.
Engouragement grant
Grant for dentists conducting doctoral theses, up to 5 000 euros.
Young Researcher Grant
Grant for dentists conducting doctoral thesis for either 12 months (21 500 euros) or six months (12 000 euros) of research work, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
Research Months and/or Expense Grant
For a researcher with a doctoral degree, up to 8 research months at 2 500 euros per month and/or an expense grant. The total funding for research months and expenses is up to 20 000 euros.

In the year 2024, the following named grants will also be distributed:

Grant to promote Oral Health
Grant donated by Colgate
Grant donated by Oral
Grant donated by Planmeca Group
Children’s Dental Care Division Grant, funded from Keijo Pólon’s research fund in 2024 (Please note that dental hygienists, dental nurses, and dental technicians can also apply for this grant, and there are separate guidelines for application.)
Implantology Division Grant
Periodontology Division Grant
Orthodontics Division Grant

The focus areas for supported research projects from the Joint Fund are:

Healthcare research (e.g., the effectiveness of treatment, management, work distribution, and organizational analysis, as well as research on the functionality of the healthcare system).
Clinical research related to the dentist’s work, well-being, and working conditions
Health economics
Public health and epidemiology

The awarded grants will be announced in March 2024 at the Apollonia Symposium and on Apollonia’s website. All applicants will be notified of the decision via email. More information considering the awarded research in 2023 [pdf]

To apply for Research Grants

The application period for the year 2024 research grants begins on October 1, 2023, and ends on October 31, 2023, at 3:00 PM.

To apply for a research grant, use Apollonia’s electronic grant system. Your username for the grant system is your email address registered with Apollonia’s membership database.

The applicant’s membership will be verified before sending a new application with a separate login into Apollonia’s membership database. This will be done once a year.

If you have not used the grant system before, you should register as a user for the first time. https://apollonia.apurahat.net/register.aspx.

Please ensure your username’s functionality well before submitting your application. You will find the instructions for completing the application within the grant system under various sections.

If you are a dental hygienist, dental nurse, or dental technician and wish to apply for the Children’s Dental Care Division Grant, funded by Keijo Pólon’s research fund in 2024, don’t hesitate to contact Apollonia’s Operations Manager, Kaisa Laukkanen, at firstname.lastname@apollonia.fi. You then receive a separate invitation link to access the system for application completion.

Additional Information Regarding Applications

Research Plan

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 Finnish].

Permits/ licenses

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.

Supervisor’s Statement

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.

General Expenses

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

Other Grants

Report any grants received from other sources in the past three years or any pending grant applications in your application.

Evaluation Criteria

Familiarize yourself with the evaluation criteria for grant applications [in Finnish]

Available Research Grants

Engouragement grant

For researchers with a dental license conducting doctoral thesis, for expenses and work, up to 5,000 euros.

Research Months and/or Expense Grant

For researchers with a doctoral degree, up to 8 research months at 2 500 euros per month and/or an expense grant, up to 20 000 euros.

Student Grant

Dental medicine students who are Apollonia members can apply for this grant. If you are a student for a primary degree during the application period, you may only apply for a student grant. The student grant is available for scientific work and research-related expenses, with a maximum of 3,000 euros.

Young Researcher Grant

This grant is awarded to dental researchers conducting doctoral researc, including those in postgraduate programs. The grant recipient must work on the research full-time during the grant period. Before starting the grant period, the recipient must submit a detailed written plan for using the grant and work hours to the Finnish Dental Foundation’ s agent (Vesa Pohjola, firstname.lastname@shlts.fi). In October 2023, applications for the Young Researcher Grant can be submitted for the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The Young Researcher Grant may be awarded for scientific work (work grant), covering expenses related to work (expense grant), or both scientific work and expenses (work and expense grant). The grant amounts for Young Researchers are 21,500 euros (12 months) and 12,000 euros (6 months).

Information for Grant Recipients

Notification of Receiving the Grant

Grants for 2024 will be announced in March 2024. Applicants will receive an email of whether the grant has been awarded. Grant recipients will also be asked to provide their bank account and personal information in the grant system.

Acceptance

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 Operations Manager, Kaisa Laukkanen, at firstname.lastname@apollonia.fi.

Payment

Payments for research, incentive, and student grants in 2024 will begin in March after the Apollonia Symposium. Grants are generally paid in one instalment during the year 2024. Grant recipients can specify their preferred payment date, which one adds to the payment plan in the grant system.

The first instalment of the Young Researcher Grant will be paid according to the agreement, and the second instalment will be paid six months later after the grant recipient has provided a progress and continuation report via email to the Finnish Dental Foundation agent (Vesa Pohjola, firstname.lastname@shlts.fi).

Use and disruptions

Grants must be used for the intended purpose.

Payment of the Young Researcher Grant requires full-time research work. Payment will be suspended during paid employment, temporary work/tenure, military service, parental leave, or similar circumstances. Extensions of the grant period may be negotiated if payment is interrupted due to military service, parental leave, or other reasons.

Grants received from elsewhere

Grants received from elsewhere during the last three years and pending grant applications will be indicated in the grant application. Other grants awarded during the grant application period do not need to be reported.

Pension and Accident Insurance

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.

Taxation

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

Report on Grant Usage

Grant recipients must submit a report using their research grant through the grant system by the end of the calendar year following the grant year. When applying for a new grant, the applicant must have reported using a grant previously awarded by Apollonia, the Finnish Foundation for Dental Medicine, or the Joint Fund.

For additional information, you may contact

Kaisa Laukkanen, etunimi.sukunimi@apollonia.fi, p. + 358 40 169 6534
Annamari Nihtilä, etunimi.sukunimi@apollonia.fi, p. + 358 50 569 7800
Vesa Pohjola, etunimi.sukunimi@shlts.fi tai p. + 358 40 146 3696