External funding

Here is a list of funding opportunities for research, capacity building and different types of grants and other support offered by national and international funding agencies. Please note that the list aims to provide an overview of the variety of funding sources but is not exhaustive.

Useful databases and directories

  • EU Funding Overview is an information service that provides an overview of different programmes and agencies of the European Commission. You can easily filter the overview on type of funding (grants, loans...), target group (gov, sme...), project type (growth, innovation...) and thematic area. It includes all the Grants from the European Commission.
  • EURAXESS - Researchers in Motion is a pan-European initiative delivering information and support services to professional researchers. It supports researcher mobility and career development, while enhancing scientific collaboration between Europe and the world.
  • Research.fi is a service offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture that collects and shares information on research conducted in Finland. The service contains information on the Finnish research system, publications by Finnish organizations, projects funded by public and private research funders, information on researchers operating in Finland and their research activities, and statistical information on the development of research resources and impact.
  • Terra Viva Grants Directory offers information about grants for agriculture, energy, environment, and natural resources in the world's developing countries.

European Commission’s Programmes

  • Horizon Europe - With a budget of around €13.5 billion earmarked for research and innovation (R&I), this programme will contribute to the EU reaching its climate goals, increasing energy resilience, and developing core technologies.
  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions – The Research Fellowship Programme funded by the European Commission supports researchers from different fields at all stages of their careers, irrespective of nationality. It is the reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training.
  • Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe. Erasmus+ has opportunities for a wide range of organisations, including universities, education and training providers, think-tanks, research organisations, and private businesses. Erasmus+ also offers opportunities for individuals of all ages, helping them develop and share knowledge and experience at institutions and organisations in different countries.
  • Capacity4Development

Other international funding sources

  • IFS (International Foundation for Science) offers individual grant schemes for developing country scientists and holds research competitions.
  • Nordic Co-operation grant project funding in a wide variety of topics. The projects must benefit the Nordic countries and the adjacent areas and generate Nordic synergy.
  • The Nordic Africa Institute conducts research and offers resources that help further understanding about contemporary Africa. The Institute offers different opportunities such as scholarships, internships, library visitor's programme, briefing, and remote access to their digital recourses.
  • The Fulbright Center offers grants to Finnish students, researchers and scholars wishing to conduct research in the United States.

National funding sources

  • Research Council of Finland offers a variety of funding opportunities for scientific research.
    • Academy Programme for Development Research - DEVELOP2 is a research programme jointly funded by the Academy of Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The programme provides funding for multidisciplinary, phenomenon-driven and problem-based research that targets global development issues, helps boost economic, social and ecological development in developing countries and makes good use of Finnish knowledge and expertise in the field.
  • Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) promotes international cooperation and mobility in Finnish society through the different programmes and scholarship schemes it manages and implements.
    • Higher Education Partnership Programme (HEP) supports collaboration projects between higher education institutions (HEIs) in Finland and in developing countries. The project proposed should fall within the prioritised thematic areas, target the ODA eligible countries and eligible actions defined in the HEP Programme Document 2023–2026.
    • TFK Programme goal is to create and strengthen cooperation between Finnish higher education institutions and the target regions and countries selected to the TFK network, and to design new operating models for cooperation. The programme funds educational cooperation between higher education institutions through cooperation and mobility projects.

Photo credit: Markus Spiske, 2016, on Unsplash.