Finnish Government Scholarship Pool 2019/2020 for Doctoral level studies & research in Finland ( EUR 1500 monthly allowance)

Application Deadline: February 15th 2019

The Finnish Government offers scholarships of 3-9 months for Doctoral level studies and research at Finnish universities or public research institutes.

The Finnish Government Scholarship Pool programme is open to young researchers from all academic fields. The scholarship cannot be applied for Master’s level studies or post-Doctoral studies/research.

Eligibility Requirements:

In order to be an eligible applicant for this scholarship, you must first successfully apply for a study/research placement at a Finnish university/public research institute – in other words, you must be at least provisionally accepted either as a visiting Doctoral-level student/researcher, or as a full-time Doctoral degree student. Please see section Doctoral Admissions for information on how to apply for a Doctoral-level study or research placement in Finland.

The scholarships are based mainly on cultural agreements or similar arrangements between Finland and the following countries:

• Australia
• China
• Cuba
• Egypt
• Israel
• Japan
• Mexico
• Mongolia
• Namibia
• Peru
• Republic of Korea
• Republic of Turkey
• Ukraine
• Uruguay
• USA (please see the section Fulbright-EDUFI Fellowships on the Fulbright Online website)

Only the nationals of the above-mentioned countries can be considered eligible applicants in this scholarship programme.

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• have established contact with the Finnish receiving institution before applying (see section ‘Doctoral Admissions‘)
• have a letter of invitation from the academic supervisor in Finland; the invitation should also explain the commitment of the host institution to the project
• have earned a Master’s-level degree before applying
• intend to pursue post-Master’s level studies as a visiting student, participate in a research project or teach at a university or public research institute in Finland; priority will be given to doctoral studies
• not have spent already more than one year at a Finnish higher education institution immediately before the intended scholarship period in Finland
• be able to give proof of sufficient skills in speaking and writing the language needed in study/research*
• be a national of one of the eligible countries listed above

*) this means that the application must include some proof of the applicant’s language skills – The scholarship programme itself does not require you to take an IELTS or TOEFL test, but if you have such official proof of your English skills that can of course be enclosed in the application. Usually however it is enough if, for example, the letter of invitation from the hosting Finnish university states that your language skills have been deemed sufficient by the Finnish university.

Benefits:

The scholarship includes:

• a monthly allowance of EUR 1500. The allowance is sufficient for one person only.

Expenses due to travel, international or in Finland, are not covered by the programme. Scholarship recipients are recommended to make arrangements for sufficient insurance coverage for their stay in Finland. Please see the section ‘Practical matters‘ for information on the practicalities of coming to Finland as an international student/researcher.

Scholarship period

• The Finnish Government Scholarship Pool programme can be applied for a study/research period of 3-9 months, 9 months being the maximum time for an individual applicant.
• You may wish to keep in mind that the Finnish academic year starts in late August/early September and ends in late May (check the exact dates with the Finnish university you’re interested in). However, in your application you may also specify your scholarship period to start later than September – as long as your scholarship period begins within the academic year that you’ve applied the scholarship for.
• This scholarship programme can not be applied to cover a whole Doctoral degree programme – if you are granted this scholarship, after the initial scholarship period you will need to look for other sources of funding for the remainder of your studies/research in Finland.

How and when to apply

Applications for the Finnish Government Scholarship Pool funding should be made to the appropriate authority in the applicant’s country. For information on the appropriate authority in your country, please see the listing of countries and authorities to contact.

• the announcements for the opening of the annual application round are sent out from the Finnish National Agency for Education at the end of September annually.
• applicants may then contact the scholarship authorities in their home country for information on the national deadline for submitting the application documents. Make sure you meet the national deadline in your home country, as that is the deadline by which you should submit your application to the national contact authorities.
• the annual deadline set by the Finnish National Agency for Education for the nomination of scholarship candidates by the national contact authorities is in mid-February (in 2018: 15th February)

Application Documents:

Documents required for an application:

• a completed and signed application form
• curriculum vitae
• copies of latest diplomas*
• two letters of recommendation
• study/research plan (2-5 pages, including a statement of motivation, goals, work plan, work method, expected results)
• invitation/expression of interest and motivation for cooperation from the hosting academic supervisor in Finland
• language certificate (Finnish, Swedish or English) or other indication of sufficient language skills – please see above, in the section ‘Eligibility criteria’

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Finnish Government Scholarship Pool 2019/2020