Instructions for making a science-based action project application 

The Nessling Foundation offers funding for active researchers and actors whose projects speed up the sustainability transformation that protects natural systems. Project funding for science-based action can be applied for during the general grant call in the autumn. Before submitting an application, please carefully read the instructions provided below.

Please review the following criteria first

• Projects must contribute to the sustainability transformation and aim for societal impact
• The funding is a minimum of €50,000 and a maximum of €100,000 per project
• We provide action project funding for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years. We can also fund co-funded projects where the continuation of the project, or other parts of it, are funded from other sources.
• The applicant must be a Finnish organisation with a Finnish Business ID. We provide action project funding only to organisations, not to working groups or individuals. Funding may be applied for to cover the salary costs of those working on the project, but not for personal grants.
• Those who have previously received action project funding from the Nessling Foundation: You may apply for funding if the final report for the previous project has been submitted by the end of July preceding the call. For these applicants, both the new application and the success of the previous project(s) funded by the Nessling Foundation will be assessed. The new funding application may concern an entirely new project or be a continuation of a project previously funded by the Nessling Foundation. Please note: The same applicant may receive funding for the same project no more than twice.
• Applicants who did not receive funding in the Nessling Foundation’s Small Funding may apply for action project funding in the general grant call. Please note that the criteria and grant amounts for action projects are different from those in the Small Funding.
• The funded work must start during the following calendar year, no earlier than 1 January and no later than 1 December 2027.

Submit your application using the Nesslink system

The grant application is prepared using the Nesslink system. The application form will be available in Nesslink from the start date of the application period on Monday 17 August 2026. 

When registering in the Nesslink system, select organisation as the applicant type. The project’s responsible leader registers as the applicant and prepares the application on behalf of the organisation. The project leader receives a personal username and password for the system and is responsible for its use with these. The project team may agree internally to share one user account among several users in a secure manner. The business ID of the organisation is mandatory at the time of registration.

The application form must be filled out with the contact details of the project leader, key parties implementing the project as well as project details, risk assessment, ethics assessment and budget. A possible request for a reference is also sent via Nesslink. Reference is an optional part of the application.

The mandatory attachments of the application include a project plan, communications and interaction plan, CV or portfolio from the project leader and others applying for funding from the Nessling Foundation, and a commitment form signed by the project implementation site and the project leader. The commitment form must be signed either by hand or using an electronic signature that requires strong authentication. 

You may submit your application in either Finnish or English. All attachments may also be prepared in Finnish or English. The only exceptions are the Project title and Project summary fields on the application form – these are to be given in both Finnish and English as we use this information in our communications if funding is granted for the project.

The Nesslink system allows you to save and edit an unfinished application. It will guide you forward and provide instructions. We only consider applications that are received through Nesslink by the deadline. All required attachments must also be submitted during the application period and cannot be edited after the application has been submitted.

How to fill in the application form

Below, you find instructions for completing the application form fields in the order in which they appear in the form. 

Project implementer

The applicant must always be the project leader responsible for the project. Each applicant may submit only one application during the call.

On the application form, fill in the project leader’s details, academic degree and project implementation site. Name also the key partners implementing the project. Additionally, you can choose the language in which you wish to communicate with the Nessling Foundation.

Project details

On the application form, fill in the project title in both Finnish and English, and the estimated duration of the project. Select also the project’s primary field of research from the options below and, if desired, any supplementary fields of research.

• Humanities 
• Business and Administration/Economics 
• Education  
• Natural sciences 
• Social sciences   
• Law 
• Technology   
• Health sciences 
• Sustainability science 
• Other, please specify 

Brief summary of the project

Provide a general overview of what the project entails and what the objectives are. This will be published on the Nessling Foundation’s website if funding is granted for the project. The summary is also requested in Finnish. The maximum length of the response is 1,000 characters. 

Risk assessment

Describe the internal and external factors related to the project that may delay or prevent the achievement of its objectives. You may use, for example, the following questions. The maximum length of the response is 1,500 characters.
 
What uncertainties or risks of failure are associated with the project? Why is taking these risks justified, and what potential outcomes could be achieved? How are the risks identified and managed?

Ethical questions

Describe how ethical considerations related to the action will be taken into account in the project. This may include, for example, participants’ rights and consent, data protection, the responsible handling of data, and any associated risks. The maximum length of the response is 1,500 characters.

Use of artificial intelligence

You may use artificial intelligence to support the preparation of your application, but the applicant is always responsible for the content, reliability and ethical integrity of the project. Make sure that its use does not compromise data protection, information security or the reliability of the research. Please also note that artificial intelligence has significant climate and environmental impacts.

Indicate whether you have used artificial intelligence in preparing the application and, if so, how:

• Artificial intelligence has not been used in preparing the application
• Artificial intelligence has been used to support idea generation
• Artificial intelligence has been used for editing or language revision
• Artificial intelligence has been used to generate content
• Artificial intelligence has been used for another purpose, please specify

References

References are an optional part of the application. You may choose a potential reference source yourself, and you may have up to two of them. The system will automatically send a request for a reference, and the request cannot be edited after it has been sent. Therefore, make sure that the email address is correct. The reference request cannot be delivered if the email address is incorrect. The references must be submitted within two weeks after the closing of the application period. You can check in your application whether the reference has been submitted and, if necessary, send a reminder. 

Budget

You may apply for funding for an action project lasting between one to two years. The funding is a minimum of €50,000 and a maximum of €100,000 per project. The Nessling Foundation can also fund co-financed projects.

On the Budget page of the application, fill in the total amount of funding applied for from the Nessling Foundation and over how many years the expenses are distributed. Then, specify the costs for each year. If preparing a budget for a two-year project, take into account the annual variations and moderation. Please also fill in all grants received during the preceding three years and any pending grant applications intended for the same purpose.

If the project receives funding, we will pay it in full to the organisation’s bank account, and the organisation is responsible for the statutory accounting and payment of salaries. If you are applying for funding for a consortium involving several organisations, please note that the Nessling Foundation will pay the full amount of funding to the applicant organisation, which acts as the project’s main implementer.

Costs breakdown

In this section, specify in detail the purpose and object of funds sought for salary grant, travel, work-related tools, communications and interaction and any other expenses. Please note that it is not possible to include the purchase of a standard laptop or office space in the project budget.

If you are applying for funding for a project that is part of a larger whole and has more than one funder, provide a description of the total funding for the project. Please also clearly describe which part of the project you are applying funding from the Nessling Foundation, and the status of the other funding at the time of application. If the space is too small for this, you may add the total funding of the co-financed projects as an attachment to the application.

VAT-liable organisations: Please note that project costs must be applied for and reported exclusive of VAT. This is because the VAT on project expenses cannot be deducted from the VAT on sales. This instruction applies only to operators liable for VAT.

Salary grants

In this section, fill in the salary, commission or compensation costs you are applying for the project. When calculating salary costs, take into account statutory social security, pension, and insurance contributions. Employees are not employed by the Nessling Foundation; the employer is the organisation implementing the project.

The Nessling Foundation’s guidelines for sustainable practices

We require applicants to take the Nessling Foundation’s guidelines on sustainable practices (updated during June) into account when budgeting costs and planning the project. The guidelines apply to travel expenses and any costs related to possible catering.

Overheads for non-profit organisations

We can pay overheads only to universities, government research organisations and non-profit organisations. If a non-profit organisation also carries out economic or business activities alongside its non-profit activities, we cannot pay overhead costs. In such cases, general project costs may be covered according to the same principles that apply for companies (see the section below).

Overhead costs refer to administrative expenses arising from the implementation of the project, that cannot be directly itemised in the accounts. These may include, for example, costs related to human resources or a calculated share of office rental costs. The overhead portion may amount to a maximum of 15 per cent of all project costs. For example, if the project costs applied for total €60,000, you may apply for a maximum of €9,000 for overheads. The total amount applied for may not exceed €100,000, including overhead costs.

Applicants requesting overheads are asked to provide a brief written description on the application form of the types of costs the overheads will comprise in the context of the project.

Overheads for companies and entities engaged in economic activity

As a non-profit foundation, we are not able to pay overhead costs to companies or other entities engaged in economic activities. However, general project-related costs may be reimbursed to companies under the following conditions:

• Reimbursable costs must be allocated to the project based on reporting, and must be verifiable and demonstrable
• Reimbursable costs must not include permanent acquisitions for the company (e.g., equipment)
• Reimbursable costs must not be related to the implementer’s economic activities. Economic activity is defined as any activity involving the offering of goods or services on the market, regardless of whether any profit is pursued or achieved.
• The implementer’s economic activity is separated from the funded activity, i.e., the project. In other words, the implementer must maintain separate bookkeeping for its economic activities and project-related activities to ensure that none of the project funding is allocated to economic activities.
• General project costs can account for a maximum of 15 per cent of project costs (for example, if the implementer’s project expenses are €60,000, it may apply for a maximum of €9,000 general costs). The uses of general costs must be itemised in the accounting report.

Attachments

The mandatory attachments of the application are:    

• project plan   
• communications and interaction plan   
• CV or portfolio from the project leader and others applying for funding from the Nessling Foundation 
• commitment form signed by the project implementation site   

Submit all attachments in PDF format. The maximum size of one file is 10 MB. Please note that all required attachments must be submitted during the application period and cannot be edited after the application has been submitted.

Attachment 1. Project plan

Action project funding is intended for projects that seek to achieve societal impact. The projects do not involve conducting research but are based on science-based knowledge. The project plan is the most important part of your application. It will be used to assess the project’s suitability for this call (please familiarise yourself with our criteria for action projects).

The maximum length of the plan is two pages (line spacing 1, font size 11, font Calibri). Any text exceeding two pages will not be read. In addition, the file may include one extra page for references or a bibliography. Please note, that a list of references demonstrating the scientific knowledge base is a mandatory part of the application. Applications submitted without it will not be processed. You may upload only one attachment in PDF format, with a maximum file size of 10 MB. 

The project plan may be written in free form, but it should address the themes described below, where applicable to the project.

• How does the project contribute to the sustainability transformation that protects natural systems, and what established structures, unsustainable assumptions, or practices in contemporary society does it challenge?
• What scientific knowledge base related to sustainability transformation does the project build upon, and how is research utilized and/or disseminated in the project? (Please note, that this must be demonstrated in the list of references)
• How do you know that the objectives of the project have been achieved?
• What are the desired impacts of the project, and who are the target groups affected by it? What concrete means are used to reach these target groups?
• Who are the collaborators in the project and why (i.e. the stakeholders or stakeholder groups of the project)? What concrete means are used to work with the stakeholders?
• The timeline for implementing the project and the key phases of the project scheduled
• Possible connections to other projects

Attachment 2. Communications and interaction plan

The aim of the communications and interaction carried out during the project is to increase the impact of the project. In the plan, describe the communication and interaction objectives and methods best suited to your project. When assessing applications and making their decision, the evaluators pay particular attention to the quality and realism of the communications and interaction plan.

The maximum length of the plan is one page (line spacing 1, font size 11, font Calibri). The attachment must be submitted in PDF format and may not exceed 10 MB.

The communication and interaction plan may be written in free form, but it should address the following themes, where applicable to the project:

• Societal impact of the project: What is the societal relevance of the project, and how does it contribute to the sustainability transformation that protects natural systems?
• Goals of communications and interaction: How do communications and interaction support the project’s objectives?
• Target groups and stakeholders: Who is the project aiming to reach and engage, and why?
• Communications: By what means will you share information about the project with different audiences? For example: articles, social media, interviews, public talks, policy briefs.
• Interaction: How will you collaborate with stakeholders? For example: workshops, school visits, meetings, events, campaigns.
• Timeline: The phases of communications and interaction throughout the project and after its completion. 

If your project is a communication project or inherently involves a lot of communication, you can apply this communication and interaction plan guideline in the way you see best. For example, you can consider which parts of the project plan are better suited to be included in the main project plan and which parts in the communication and interaction plan. Try to avoid unnecessary repetition so that the evaluators get the best possible overall understanding of your project.

For instance, if you are applying for funding to create some kind of piece (book, theater performance, documentary film, multimedia presentation, website, or similar), you can describe in the communication and interaction plan how you will guide the audience to your work, essentially creating a marketing plan.

We may grant additional funding for communications-related expenses, which can be used, for example, to purchase visualisations or layout services from a graphic designer, organise an event, or pay for translation assistance. Carefully consider any potential outsourcing costs for communications already at the application stage and include them in the budget table.

By communications, we mean all the communication actions that are carried out during and after the project. Communications may include, for example, writing and publishing general-interest articles on different platforms, media cooperation and giving interviews, opinion articles, social media activity, speeches at public events or policy briefs. 

By interaction, we mean cooperation with the various stakeholders of the project. We recommend that you work closely with the stakeholders throughout the entire project. There are many different ways of working with stakeholders. These include, for example, workshops, training, school visits, bilateral meetings with researchers, landowners, NGOs, companies, policymakers or officials, or even campaigning at a street event. The most important thing is that you identify the key stakeholders in your own project and pay attention to how to work with them.

The Nessling Foundation not only encourages communications and interaction, but also supports projects in various ways in these areas. For instance, we organise training sessions and provide sparring for grantees on the subject.

For further help with identifying stakeholders and planning communications and interaction, see for example the Science communication recommendations by the Committee for Public Information, the Researcher’s Handbook on Science-for-Policy by the The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, the From science to decision-making online course, the Biodiversa Stakeholder Engagement Handbook and the book Tutkimuksesta toimintaan (Koskinen, Ruuska, Suni, 2018; in Finnish).

Attachment 3. CV and list of publications

Attach CVs or portfolios from the project leader and others applying for funding from the Nessling Foundation. These may be in Finnish or English and must not exceed two pages per person, including the most relevant publications. You can only download one PDF attachment with a maximum size of 10 MB.

Attachment 4. Commitment form signed by the project implementation site and the applicant  

The commitment form must be signed by the project leader, that is, the person submitting the application, and by the implementing organisation. The commitment form must be signed either by hand or using an electronic signature that requires strong authentication. You may upload up to two files, each with a maximum size of 10 MB. Attachments may be submitted in JPEG, JPG or PDF format. (The template for the commitment form will be available soon.)