General grant call

In the general grant call, we are looking for innovative projects and active researchers and actors that enable or support sustainability transformation that protects natural systems.

In the general grant call, we award funding for three purposes. You can apply for:

• personal grants for doctoral thesis projects (for a maximum of 4 years)
• personal grants for postdoc projects (for a maximum of 2 years)
• project funding for science-based action projects (for one year).

The application must be sent through the Nesslink system. All applicants must register to apply.

What kind of work is the Nessling Foundation supporting in the autumn 2025 call?

The Nessling Foundation offers funding for innovative projects and active researchers that enable or support sustainability transformation that protects natural systems. Natural systems are systems formed by other species and their habitats. These systems support all life, including human societies. Natural systems are threatened by the crossing of planetary boundaries.

The research or project does not have to address all aspects of sustainability transformation. Rather, the applicant should clarify how their work contributes to safeguarding natural systems and to understanding and enabling the necessary transformation. Applicants are asked to concretise this in their application, for example by tying their project to a particular socio-ecological system and the securing of planetary boundaries.

The Nessling Foundation places special emphasis on projects that promote cooperation between different disciplines or sectors and the transfer of knowledge and information to end-users. We fund multidisciplinary projects as well as projects dealing with a specific disciplines, and basic and applied research. It is important that the applicant understands and is able to express the societal relevance of the project and the role of their research in sustainability transformation that protects natural systems.

We do not require that the projects relate to Finland only, because the sustainability transformation must be carried out on a global scale. However, the results of the projects that receive funding must be applicable to decision making in Finnish society and support Finland’s environmental goals.  

What kind of funding can be applied for in the autumn 2025 call?

Each applicant can submit only one application during the call. The same person can receive funding for a doctoral or postdoctoral project only once. Those who have previously received project funding for a science-based action project may apply again if the final report of the previous project has been submitted and processed by us. We do not grant funding for a new project if the applicant currently has an ongoing project funded by the Nessling Foundation.  

Please note that simultaneously with the general call, a separate Murros-call will be open for applications. The same person can apply for funding in both the Murros-call and the general funding call for a science-based action project, but they can act as the project leader in only one of these applications. Those applying for doctoral thesis or postdoc project funding in the general call cannot be involved in applying for funding from the Murros-call.

1. Doctoral thesis projects: we award personal working grants along with funding for possible research costs for doctoral thesis projects for a maximum of four years

• In the 2025 call, the amount of a personal grant is €30,000 a year for a doctoral thesis researcher. In addition, well-founded research and travel expenses can be included in the application.
• The applicant must be a researcher in the research project, i.e. the author of the thesis.
• We fund doctoral thesis work if the project is less than halfway through. We do not fund the finalising of doctoral theses.
• The funded work must commence in 2026.
• The doctoral student’s undergraduate degree must be completed and admission to the doctoral programme must be confirmed before beginning their grant-funded work.
• The grant can also be used in a non-Finnish research institute.

Read more about funding for doctoral thesis projects and the instructions for making an application.

2. Postdoc research projects: we award personal working grants along with funding for possible research costs for postdoc research projects for a maximum of two years

• In the 2025 call, the amount of a personal postdoc grant is €34,000 a year. In addition, well-founded research and travel expenses can be included in the application.
• The applicant must be a researcher in the research project, i.e. the postdoc researcher.
• We fund postdoc projects if no more than five years have passed since their doctoral degree (excluding parental leave, long-term illness or Finnish military/civil service). You can apply in the 2025 grant call if your defence took place in 2020 or later.
• The funded work must commence in 2026.
• The grant can be applied for if you are about to complete your doctoral degree. The permission to defend your dissertation must be submitted to the Nessling Foundation by 7 November 2025 at the latest.
• The applicant must be affiliated with a research institution.
• The grant can also be used in a non-Finnish research institute.

Read more about funding for postdoc research projects and the instructions for making an application.

3. Science-based action projects: we award project funding for science-based action projects for a maximum of one year 

• The grant amount is a minimum of €50,000 and a maximum of €100,000 per project.
• Projects should aim for societal impact.
• The impact of the projects must be directed at Finnish society. Therefore, the project team must include at least one Finnish participant or organisation, and the project’s stakeholders or target groups must include at least one Finnish entity. 
• We award funding to individuals and different working groups, research groups, consortia, organisations, communities, and companies. The applicant must always be the project leader responsible for the project (e.g. logs into the application system and prepares the application). 
• Funding can be applied for a maximum period of one year. We can also fund co-financed projects, the continuation of which will be financed by another party.
• The funded project must commence in 2026. 
• Please note that from the 2024 application period onwards, those who have previously received project funding in this funding category from the Nessling Foundation can apply for funding again. A condition is that the final report of the previous project has been submitted and processed by us. In the case of such applicants, not only will the new application be evaluated, but also the success of the previous project or projects implemented with Nessling Foundation funding. A new funding application may concern an entirely new project or be a continuation of a project previously funded by the Nessling Foundation.

Read more about project funding for science-based action projects and the instructions for making an application.

What are the key criteria for funding decisions?

Research projects, i.e. doctoral thesis and postdoc projects:

• Connection of the research to sustainability transformation that protects natural systems 
• The scientific quality, originality and novelty of the research 
• Research implementation plan, materials, and methods 
• The scientific quality and capabilities of the researcher and possible research group 
• Cooperation and mobility between researchers/research groups/organisations, including international mobility 
• Educational, advisory and scientific structures that support the research (if applying for a grant for a doctoral thesis) 
• Communicating about the research and interacting with stakeholders (especially knowledge users) 
• Societal relevance and scalability of results 
• The quality and realism of the risk assessment 

Science-based action projects: 

• Connection of the project to promoting sustainability transformation that protects natural systems 
• The applicant’s understanding of the scientific knowledge base related to sustainability transformation which serves as the context for the project and how it does so.  
• The chosen method of implementation and suitability of the means to achieve the objectives of the project 
• Realism of the plan for a one-year project 
• The applicant’s (individual or group) know-how and operating environment related to the implementation of the project  
• The quality and realism of the risk assessment 

Where can I get more information about the autumn 2025 calls?

We are organising two separate info sessions on the autumn 2025 funding calls, which you can attend live or online.

Information session on project funding – Monday 16 June from 3 PM to 4 PM

• On the agenda: science-based action projects and Murros-call
• This info session will be presented in Finnish. After the event, we will publish a recording with subtitles in English.

Information session on personal grants – Tuesday 17 June from 3 PM to 4 PM

• On the agenda: doctoral thesis projects and postdoc research projects
• This info session will be held in English. After the event, we’ll publish a recording with subtitles in Finnish.

Both sessions will take place in Puistokatu 4, Helsinki and they can be viewed online on our YouTube channel. You can send in your question through the YouTube chat (requires logging in).

Signing up for the info sessions will be opened shortly. A link to the YouTube stream will be sent out for everyone who signs up for either session.

Call us during specific service hours – we will not answer email inquiries

We will not answer questions via email. Instead, during the application period, starting 11 August, you can call our grant coordinator, Kristiina Takkinen. You can call on Tuesdays between 2 PM and 4 PM and on other weekdays between 3 PM and 4 PM.

The calling times are specifically intended for questions related to the application, project budget, and other practical technical and administrative matters.

Grant coordinator Kristiina Takkinen: +358 50 502 7537.

Check out the projects we have funded in the past

If you are wondering if your project would be suitable for funding by the Nessling Foundation, we recommend browsing the projects we have funded in the past. You can filter the list by funding year or search projects by keyword. Many of the projects we have funded have also been featured on our blog.

Book a personal sparring session

We offer personal advice from mid-August until the end of the application period. You can book a sparring time starting from 11 August 2025. The sparring sessions are always held by phone, with the Nessling Foundation staff calling the applicant. As session times are limited, please cancel your reservation if you are unable to use it. Also read the instructions for making an application in advance.

You can reserve a sparring time for the following purposes:

• You want to discuss the project in general and its suitability for funding by the Nessling Foundation.
• You want to discuss the communications and interaction plan of the project, which is to be attached to your application.
• You are applying for project funding for science-based action projects and want to discuss your project and application.

When booking a sparring session, decide in advance which of the above themes you would like to be advised on. One applicant can book one sparring session during the application period.

Book your sparring session here.

When will the funding decisions be published?

The governing board of the Nessling Foundation decides on the awarding of grants on the basis of an expert committee’s proposal. We explain our entire evaluation process in the article How does Nessling Foundation select projects for funding?

We will publish the 2025 grant recipients on our website on 17 November 2025. Applicants will also be notified of the decision by e-mail.

We do not provide written feedback on the application decisions, but we offer feedback by phone in separately booked sessions after the decisions have been published. We open the booking calendar for feedback sessions on our website at the same time as we publish the projects that will receive funding.