On Tuesday 2.6.2026 an Empathy in decisionmaking seminar took place at Kotka Concert Hall. Over 40 local councillors, youth councillors and civil servants from across the region took part. The seminar functioned as the official founding of Finland’s first Empathy Council, with most of the attendees signing up as members. Each of the six cities and municipalities in Kymenlaakso are represented.
The Empathy Council is a multiyear project that launched in 2025 and continues until summer 2027. The project is funded by the Kymenlaakso regional fund and realised by Kotka-born empathy artist Enni-Kukka Tuomala.
The Empathy Council functions as a think tank, where Kymenlaakso’s current and future leaders come together to consider the role and need of empathy in local decision-making and culture of dialogue. The council will also develop new models and tools for increasing empathy and collaboration that will remain with local councils, cities and municipalities for their continued use. The Empathy Council will meet both remotely and in person across the region. Lead by empathy artist Enni-Kukka Tuomala, the meetings and workshops will use different artistic approaches and ways of working.
The seminar attendees reflected on the importance of empathy in decisionmaking in a changing world:
Chair, Kouvola Youth Council
Sinishash Nio
“The Empathy Council is important in the current global situation. Public discourse often states that empathy doesn’t belong in decisionmaking. I think the opposite – empathy must absolutely be a part of decisionmaking. All decisions should be based on humanity and meeting each other as people.”
Chair, Virolahti Municipal Council
Tomi Kokkola
“Empathy should always be a part of decisionmaking – especially in the current state of affairs, when we are having to make tough decisions on an ongoing basis. The seminar opened me up to realise that I think I am also a very empathic person.”
Chair, Miehikkälä Municipal Council
Reino Pietikäinen
“The Empathy Council feels especially vital at this moment in time, when the economy is being tightened and people are getting older and fewer, highlighting the importance of children and young people. Decisionmaking must first and foremost consider the full picture instead of letting the economy always take priority.”
Hopes for the future of Kymenlaakso were also contemplated:
Deputy secretary, Pyhtää Youth Council
Maria Louko
“It’s brilliant that we are getting something new in Kymenlaakso. I hope that the Empathy Council will bring positive change. I hope that the culture of dialogue changes to become more active and empathic.”
2nd Vice-chair, Hamina City Council
Hannah Honkanen
“I believe the Empathy Council brings the councils and decisionmakers just the kind of creative, calm and open atmosphere that will help us understand each other.”
Mayor, Pyhtää
Terhi Lindholm
“I think it’s fantastic that we have been able to join the Empathy Council, an idea which was born in Kymenlaakso. We are building something completely new.”
The Regional Council of Kymenlaakso calls Kymenlaakso “the most caring region in Finland”. The Empathy Council asks if Kymenlaakso could also become the most empathic region in Finland. With the Empathy Council project the Kymenlaakso regional fund wants to encourage and invite other Finnish regions to start Empathy Councils.
Esteemed representatives of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s North Karelia Fund, dear grant recipients, honored guests, dear friends of culture,
I wish to extend my warm gratitude for the invitation to participate in this celebration and to speak at this distinguished occasion.
The work of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in support of Finnish science, art, and culture has been exceptionally meaningful – not only as a patron of cultural life, but also as a builder of social trust, civic education, and faith in the future.
Here in North Karelia in particular, this work carries its own special weight.
In border regions, people perhaps understand more concretely than most how vital culture is to the continuity, identity, and sense of belonging of communities.
Culture here has never been merely a question of leisure – it is part of how people survive, remember, meet change, and build the future.
It is a great joy and honor to speak here in Joensuu, North Karelia – a region where borders have never been merely lines on a map. Here, borders have been part of everyday life, memory, identity, movement, longing, encounter – and sometimes also fear.
I also wish to offer my warmest congratulations to today’s grant recipients. Every grant awarded is far more than financial support. It is an expression of trust – a message that research, art, cultural work, and new ideas matter to our society.
Ladies and gentlemen, the title of my speech is: “Borders as a Guarantee of Security?”
The question mark in the title is important. It is not decorative. It is the very heart of this address.
When Asko Saarelainen and Jopi Nyman were thinking about what theme they would like me to speak on, they suggested “Borders and their security.”
I was happy to take up the suggestion – but only on the condition that the title itself may also be challenged. For without a critical gaze, the security of borders easily becomes a self-evident assumption that is never truly examined.
And that is precisely what the question mark points to.
What does border security actually guarantee? For whom does it guarantee anything? And above all: what happens if strengthening borders does not in fact lead to broader security for society and its people?
If border security does not serve the security of people, its value is inevitably limited – perhaps even a mere symbol that promises more than it can deliver.
That is why I want to examine border security not only as an institutional goal, but also as a political instrument that can either build or narrow the experience of security.
Right now, in Europe and across the world, borders have returned to the center of politics, security, and public debate in ways we perhaps could not fully have imagined even ten years ago.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, geopolitical confrontation, hybrid influence, disinformation, migration, economic uncertainty, and the internal polarization of societies have made security the defining question of our era.
At the same time, borders have changed.
They no longer exist only at the edges of states. Borders are increasingly everywhere – and yet, at the same time, nowhere.
Our bounded world has become ever more constrained.
They appear in language, media, algorithms, identities, urban spaces, culture, human interaction, and in the way we conceive of “us” and “them.”
And perhaps that is precisely why we need culture today more than ever in order to understand security.
Security is still most often understood primarily in physical terms: border control, military defense, the capacity to counter threats.
But in the present state of the world, it becomes ever harder to think about security solely through the lens of national sovereignty or traditional security policy.
Security is no longer only a question of who may enter and who is kept out. Security is also an experience. Without a sense of wellbeing, inclusion, and meaning, security cannot be sustainable.
Security without wellbeing is an illusion. Security without trust is fragile.
Sustainable security requires that society be capable of responding to both external threats and internal challenges by strengthening the structures that make the future shared and life worth living.
This is precisely where the significance of culture becomes central.
The cultural policy report recently published by the Ministry of Education and Culture emphasized that culture is not a marginal phenomenon or a mere supplement to wellbeing. Culture builds inclusion, trust, and a sense of belonging – the very same factors from which societal resilience is ultimately built.
A strong shared message emerged: culture is not just an optional ornament in good times. Culture is part of society’s comprehensive security.
Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie captured this aptly when she noted that culture builds inclusion, trust, and a sense of belonging – precisely those things whose significance is heightened in times of crisis.
And perhaps this is the core question of security’s future.
What holds society together when uncertainty grows? What is that invisible social glue – absent from statistics and budget lines – upon which everything else ultimately rests?
Not infrastructure alone. Not defense systems alone. Not institutions alone. And not borders alone – though they are often placed at the center of discussion.
For borders can certainly protect, but they cannot carry a society by themselves.
What truly holds us together is trust between people: the capacity to trust that another will act rightly even when systems are under strain and the future grows dark.
It is reciprocity – the sense that we are more to one another than passing strangers.
It is justice – the experience that treatment is fair even when times are hard.
It is the feeling of belonging – a quiet certainty that we are part of something greater than any single crisis.
It is hope – the ability to see the horizon even when visibility is poor.
Woven through all of this is also culture – not merely as art or tradition, but as a shared language through which we understand one another even when words run out.
Culture is the silent compact that tells us how we treat the stranger, how we help the vulnerable, how we build a common future.
It is our shared memory and our imagined future simultaneously.
Culture is what teaches us to recognize one another’s humanity before we recognize one another’s opinions.
It is the invisible rhythm that keeps society moving in the same direction even when the road is rocky.
It is the web of meaning that holds us together when nothing else feels certain.
All of this forms the invisible fabric that does not shine in headlines but that carries society when nothing else can.
These are like quiet promises that people make to one another: that we will not abandon, that we will not close ourselves off, that we will not cease to see the humanity in each other.
That is why, in the midst of crises, the most important question is not only how we protect borders – but how we protect the cultural space in which trust, reciprocity, and hope can come into being at all.
Dear friends,
resilience – the capacity to withstand crisis – has emerged in recent years in almost every sphere: politics, research, media, and security strategies. Sometimes so much so that the concept itself risks becoming an empty buzzword.
But at its best, resilience means something deeply essential. Not merely the ability to recover from a crisis and return to what was before. But the ability to transform, to learn, and to renew.
The ability to face uncertainty without society losing its capacity to function – or its humanity.
Resilience is therefore not invulnerability.
It does not mean building fences or walls against everything unexpected. It is rather the capacity to live in a world where not everything can be controlled.
This matters for security policy as well. For many of the greatest security challenges of our time cannot be clearly bounded.
Hybrid influence does not stop at a border crossing. Disinformation requires no passport. Distrust spreads faster than any army moves.
And viruses cross borders even more effortlessly – often before we have even noticed they have set off.
And it is precisely the “soft” dimension of security – people’s experiences, fears, perceptions, and identities – that is most vulnerable to manipulation.
When societies begin to tear from within, this is not only a social problem. It is also a security issue.
In this situation, borders readily acquire symbolic significance. They are offered as a remedy for chaos.
Borders present themselves as a promise of clarity in a world that feels complex and uncontrollable.
But at the same time, the politicization of borders can also simplify problems in dangerous ways. When complex social crises are reduced to a question of “us” versus “them,” attention is diverted from the actual causes of those problems.
Borders then no longer only protect. They begin also to generate confrontation.
And it is precisely here that the role of culture becomes decisive.
Esteemed audience,
border security is often also symbolic politics.
It is visible, easily communicated, and politically effective at a time when many of the phenomena that undermine security are slow-moving, global, and difficult to grasp.
Border measures provide a concrete stage on which political agency can be made visible – a way of signaling that the state is capable of protecting, managing, and restoring order.
In modern politics, it sometimes appears that the visible performance of sovereignty has become almost as important as its actual exercise.
Border fences are a good example of this. They are visible, concrete, and easily communicated symbols: tall, technological, expensive, and above all photogenic structures.
They can be staged as media events.
They demonstrate that someone is “doing something.” And that is precisely why they are politically effective.
A border fence offers a simple and easily understood answer to a complex problem.
The political message is clear: “We are taking care of you.”
At the same time, the security problem is located beyond the border – somewhere “over there.”
The solution offered is a concrete measure: a barrier, surveillance, control. And at the same time, agency is demonstrated: decisiveness, strength, and a protective posture.
In such a framing, alternative approaches can easily be presented as naive, weak, or even dangerous. As simply wrong.
In this sense, border security is not merely a technical or legal question. It is also an affective and symbolic process.
Borders produce a feeling of security at a time when uncertainty feels structural and permanent.
In an unstable world, borders can function as psychological anchors – signs that something remains fixed, distinguishable, and governable.
They reassure us that “we” and “this place” are still separable and protectable.
But it is equally important to remember that reinforcing borders does not necessarily remove the underlying causes of insecurity.
Physical barriers alone do not resolve distrust, social inequality, polarization, or the experience of exclusion.
And that is precisely why security cannot be built through borders alone.
We also need those social structures that strengthen trust, inclusion, and shared faith in the future. And this is precisely where the significance of culture becomes central.
Culture has always been closely bound up with borders.
On one hand, culture constantly crosses them. Music, literature, language, memories, ideas, and art move across state borders almost unnoticed.
But culture is also used in the construction of borders.
The idea of “our culture” can, at its best, create community and continuity.
But at its worst, culture becomes an instrument for excluding others.
The economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has reminded us that identity becomes dangerous when a person is forced into a single, fixed definition.
When people are seen only through the lens of nationality, religion, ethnicity, or culture, the world begins to simplify in ways that feed conflict. Culture can then become an instrument of fear, suspicion, and the exercise of power.
But culture can also act in the opposite direction.
It can open space for diversity. For plurality of voices. For empathy. It can help us see that identities are not fixed and immutable.
In border regions especially, this is often understood in very concrete terms.
North Karelia is, in this sense, a distinctive place.
The border here is not an abstract concept.
People here know that borders can simultaneously divide and unite.
Border regions are living laboratories in which national narratives are in constant dialogue with the realities of everyday life.
Here, people know that the world never divides quite so neatly into inside and outside.
In border regions, people often inhabit several realities at once.
That is precisely why border regions can teach us something essential about the future of security.
Security does not arise only from closing borders. Security also arises from the capacity to live alongside different people, experiences, and perspectives.
In border studies, a profound shift has taken place in recent years.
Formerly, borders were understood primarily as geopolitical and administrative structures.
Now we understand ever more clearly that borders are also cultural and psychological phenomena.
Borders do not only exist on maps.
They exist in people’s minds, in narratives, and in everyday practices.
That is why art and culture are not peripheral to the study of borders.
They are central.
Artistic and cultural practices show us how communities imagine themselves. How they construct understandings of belonging, identity, and security.
And that is precisely why culture is an indispensable part of social change as well.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine illustrates this with particular clarity.
The war is not only about territorial integrity or military conflict.
At its core lie also history, language, memory, identity, and culture.
The question of who gets to tell history. Who belongs to the people. Whose language and culture is recognized.
That is why the post-war peace will be more than the silencing of weapons.
It will also be a cultural process.
Esteemed audience,
at the closing event of the Cultural Tour held last month at the House of the Estates in Helsinki, a theme that emerged with particular prominence was young people’s faith in the future.
The CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Susanna Pettersson, drew special attention to the weakening of young people’s belief in the future and to culture’s role in rebuilding it.
The erosion of young people’s faith in the future is a question for society as a whole, and art and culture have a decisive role in strengthening the sense of inclusion and belonging. This is perhaps the single most important long-term security question.
If young people lose their faith in the future, society’s resilience begins to erode from within.
Culture gives people the possibility of seeing themselves as part of something larger.
The possibility of imagining futures. The possibility of being seen and heard.
That is why culture is not an expenditure – it is an investment in the durability of society.
And that is precisely why the accessibility of culture matters so deeply.
The opportunity to engage with art and culture must not depend on postal code, wealth, or ability.
Culture belongs to everyone. Not only to large centers. Not only to those who already have a voice.
In the age of digitalization, this takes on a new dimension as well.
In the discussion I mentioned earlier, arts student Björn Teir observed astutely that what is not digitized will not be transmitted to future generations – nor will it enter the worldview being shaped by artificial intelligence.
This is an enormously important insight.
Cultural heritage is not only the past.
It is also the intellectual capital of the future.
If we do not tend to languages, memory, and cultural narratives, others will begin to define them on our behalf.
That is precisely why cultural resilience is also a defense of democracy.
Dear friends,
perhaps the future of security will ultimately be decided not only by how strong the borders we build are – but by what kind of societies we build within those borders.
Do we build societies in which people feel they belong together?
Societies in which difference does not automatically appear as a threat, but as an opportunity to understand the world more fully?
Societies in which culture is seen as an investment in a shared future – not an expenditure to be cut in hard times?
A resilient society is not a closed society.
It is a society capable of changing without losing its ability to trust, to listen, and to imagine a shared tomorrow.
And it is here that the significance of culture is irreplaceable.
Culture sustains memory when the world changes rapidly. It builds connection when society threatens to fragment. It creates meaning in an era marked by uncertainty, accelerating polarization, and restlessness.
Perhaps that is why culture is not the opposite of security.
Culture is one of security’s deepest foundations.
And perhaps, in the end, a society’s strongest borders are not the ones that separate us from one another – but those shared values, civic culture, trust, and humanity that hold us together even in uncertain times.
On those foundations, faith in the future is also built.
And without faith in the future, there is no sustainable security.
Since 2022, the Finnish Cultural Foundation has been providing publishers with this grant to publish high-quality literature in translation. Priority is given to literature translated from languages other than English, as there is already a significant amount of literature translated from English available in Finland.
Over the course of ten years, the aim is to facilitate the translation into Finnish and publication of 100 pieces of contemporary literature from around the world. We are already over halfway there, with grants having been awarded for 60 works, of which 32 have already reached bookshops and libraries.
So far, the grants have been predominantly for literature from Europe, including some from less widely spoken European languages. Grants have also been awarded for works from South America and Asia. This round of applications sees the range of source languages grow to 19, with grants awarded for literature from Turkish, Norwegian and Slovakian for the first time.
Hertta Kustannus Oy received a grant from Kopiosto to translate and publish the novel Carcoma by Spanish author Layla Martínez. Translated by Emmi Ketonen.
“With this grant, our aim is to lower publishers’ threshold for publishing this kind of translated literature, the profitability of which is not guaranteed in today’s book markets. The grant can serve as that last push needed to get a work across the publication threshold,” explains Senior Advisor Eriika Johansson, who is responsible for the translation grant at the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Books due for publication in Finnish in the next few years include Palestinian Author Karim Kattan’s queer love story Eden at Dawn (in Finnish: Eedenin aamunkoitto, Finnish publisher: Kosmos). This fictional novel by Palestinian author Kattan tells the love story of two men amidst Israeli settlements on occupied land. It not only opens a window into the reality of life for Palestinians today, it also shows the rich cultural tradition being lost with the Palestinian people. The novel, originally published in French, is being translated into Finnish by Lotta Toivanen.
Särötär is set to publish Slovakian Author Nicol Hochholczerová’s partially autobiographical debut novel Táto izba sa nedá zjest (Finnish: ‘Tätä huonetta ei voi syödä’, English: This Room Is Impossible to Eat). Set over the course of six years, it follows the relationship between teenage Tereza and her 50-year-old teacher. The relationship is one of abuse, but also of love, passion and longing for acceptance. The book is being translated by Eero Balk.
Gummerus is set to publish La Malacarneby Italian Author Beatrice Salvioni, who is already known to Finnish readers. The book is being translated by Leena Taavitsainen-Petäjä and is a follow-up to Salvioni’s debut, La Malnata (Finnish: En pelkää mitään, English: The Cursed Friend), following two girls growing up in Monza amidst the oppression of rising fascism in the 1930s. La Malacarne follows the girls’ lives further through World War Two and the 1940s.
Broad support for reading
In the future, translated works will be available from authors such as Per Petterson (photo by Baard Henriksen, left), Thomas Schlesser (photo by Pascal Ito), Olga Tokarczuk (photo by Karpati & Zarewicz ZAiKS), and Timothée de Fombelle (photo by Francesca Mantovani).
Encouraging Finns to read has long been a focus area of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and over the years it has granted millions of euros to support reading and literature. In recent years it has, for example, encouraged reading out loud in families with small children, expanded the range of books available in school libraries, and made plain-language and easy-reading books available to secondary school students. Translating World Literature into Finnish – A Grant for Publishers in turn makes interesting translated literature available to Finnish readers from languages that are not widely spoken in Finland.
On 14th April 2026 the Säätiöiden post doc -pooli foundations awarded some 980,000 euro to 20 post-doctoral scholars. A record number of 196 post-doctoral scholars from around Finland took part in the spring application round. In two years time, the number of applicants has increased by 70%. In this round, grants could be awarded to 10% of the applicants.
Each year, the foundations involved in the Pool allocate altogether 3.2 million euro to post- doctoral scholars. The research periods abroad vary from 6 months up to 24 months. The Pool’s next application round will take place from 15 August until 15 September 2026, when some 1.6 million euro will be given in grants. The results of this round will be published in December 2026.
One of the grants awarded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation was received by PhD Krista Juurikka, who is moving to Canada to work on research into chronic inflammation of the central nervous system.
PhD Krista Juurikka. Photo: University of Oulu
“Neuroinflammation, or chronic inflammation of the central nervous system, is harmful to the brain and has been linked to chronic diseases such as dementia. At the same time, vaccines targeting viral infections have been shown to protect against dementia, suggesting that viral infections play a role in the development of central nervous system disorders. Immune cells of the central nervous system, known as microglia, are known to protect the CNS from infections, but their mechanisms of action during viral infection are not yet well understood. This research investigates the function of microglial cells during viral infection of the central nervous system at the cellular and molecular level,” Juurikka explains.
What is the Säätiöiden post doc -pooli?
The Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool was founded in 2009 to support researchers and Finnish research in becoming more international. During this time, the Pool’s foundations have granted over 40 million euros to post-doctoral researchers heading abroad from Finland. After 33 application rounds, already over 850 scholars have received funding through the Pool. Over one third of the grants have been awarded for two-year periods.
Säätiöiden post doc -pooli has proven to be an important instrument of research funding which has enabled young scholars with families to finance research periods at top universities abroad. The grants awarded by the Pool are determined flexibly in accordance with the applicant’s needs and they often include their family’s moving expenses and children’s day care or school fees.
During the current three-year-period 2025-2027 there are thirteen foundations involved in the pool. They are Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, Emil Aaltonen’s Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the Foundation for Economic Education, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish Medical Foundation, Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and the Ulla Tuominen’s Foundation.
Grants from the Finnish Cultural Foundation in spring 2026
PhD Ashwini Kedari
This spring, the Finnish Cultural Foundation awarded seven postdoctoral research grants. One of the recipients, PhD Ashwini Kedari, will travel to Denmark to conduct research on the AI-assisted design of connexin channels and connexin-binding proteins.
Connexins mediate communication between cells, and dysfunctions in these channels are associated with several diseases, including impaired wound healing, cardiac arrhythmias, and neurophysiological disorders. Research in this field is challenged by the dynamic structure of the channels and the lack of suitable molecular tools. Kedari’s goal is to develop the first generation of AI-assisted de novo protein binders.
PhD Aylin Rosberg. Photo: Daniel Carlsson
PhD Aylin Rosberg will travel to the United Kingdom to study individual differences in cognitive functioning and susceptibility to depression using large population-level brain imaging datasets.
The research is based on connectome harmonics, a mathematical method used to describe connections between brain regions and to examine brain function at the network level. So far, the method has been applied mainly in small datasets, and its potential in population-scale research has not yet been widely utilized. The aim of the study is to increase understanding of how brain connections are organized and to identify new biomarkers for cognitive and mental health research.
In June 2027, Turku is set to welcome lovers of singing and competitions from Finland and all around the world. Much like sports events, singing competitions attract audiences keen to feel the buzz of the competition and celebrate their favourites.
“Not only will the audience witness tomorrow’s stars getting their big break, they will also get to enjoy the thrill of young singers reaching new heights. The amount of talent, emotion and brilliance we will be seeing in Turku cannot be overstated; the audience will get to be part of some larger-than-life moments,” says Competition Director of the Mirjam Helin Competition Päivi Loponen-Kyrönseppä.
A singer aiming to reach a high international level must commit to years of intensive training and practice. While skill is undeniably a key factor, personality, interpretation, and artistic vision are just as, if not even more important.
Soprano Camilla Nylund. Photo: Shirley Suarez
The competition’s international jury will comprise top classical singers and influential figures from the world of music. Camilla Nylund, one of Finland’s most sought-after international star singers, has been named chair of the jury. The award-winning soprano performs regularly at some of the world’s top opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Bavaria, New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, La Scala in Milan, the Opéra Bastille in Paris, Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, and the Hamburg State Opera.
“The Mirjam Helin Competition offers young singers the opportunity to perform before an audience and take the next step towards an international career. Preparing for the competition encourages singers to expand their repertoire, practise performing on stage, and refine their technique. Competing requires months of dedicated work, with the jury and the audience fortunate enough to enjoy the fruits of this labour,” says Camilla Nylund.
The Mirjam Helin Competition is one of the most important singing competitions in the world. The competition has been held in Helsinki since 1984, but 2027 will see it move to Turku and Music Centre Fuuga, which is currently under construction. In Turku, the competition is being expanded into a two-week city-wide festival of song, offering plenty of free-of-charge events too, from opera karaoke to masterclasses. The main partner for the event will be the City of Turku. Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Chief Conductor John Storgårds, will perform at the final of the competition at Music Centre Fuuga.
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo: Jussi Virkkumaa
The Mirjam Helin Competition makes dreams come true
Many of the talented young musicians who have found success at the Mirjam Helin Competition have later become international stars in the world of singing, including Olaf Bär, Elīna Garanča, RenéPape, Kateryna Kasper, Nadine Sierra, Andrea Rost and Julia Lezhneva.
The prizes for the competition are the biggest of any international classical singing competition in the world. The main prize is €60,000, while the other finalists will take home prizes in the range of €10,000–40,000. The total prize money amounts to over €200,000, and in addition to the monetary prizes, the finalists will also be provided with performance contracts and career coaching.
The competition organisers are expecting to receive around 500 applicants from at least 40 countries, with 36 young talented singers selected to compete. The competition rules, repertoire requirements, schedules for applications and the competition, and prizes, have now been published.
The Mirjam Helin Competition is funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Mirjam and Hans Helin Fund. Professor Mirjam Helin (1911–2006), a vocal artist and esteemed singing teacher, made a major donation to the Finnish Cultural Foundation with the aim of establishing a world-class classical singing competition in Finland. The Mirjam Helin Competition was held for the first time in 1984.
The X International Mirjam Helin Singing Competition and Festival 5–17 June 2027
Preliminary round: 7–9 June 2027 at Sigyn Hall
Semifinals: 11–12 June 2027 at Music Centre Fuuga
Final: 17 June 2027 at Music Centre Fuuga, with Turku Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Chief Conductor John Storgårds
Early bird ticket packages will be available from 16 April 2026, and individual tickets released in October 2026.
The Finnish Cultural Foundation is a private foundation operating throughout Finland, building a pluralistic and sustainable society; promoting science, research, art and culture; and encouraging future talents towards breakthroughs. The foundation’s assets originate from decades of private donations and income from investments. In 1938, schoolchildren across the nation carried out a door-to-door fundraising campaign, collecting the foundation’s initial capital. More than 170,000 Finns donated.
The Finnish Cultural Foundation provides over €50 million in funding to science, research, art and culture each year in the form of grants, as well as promoting culture through its activities, dialogue, and advocacy work. In addition to the central fund, the foundation also has a network of 17 regional funds that support and strengthen the operating conditions for art, science and culture throughout Finland. The foundation’s organisational structure ensures its presence in every part of the country.
As of October 2026, applicants will be able to apply for grants from the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s regional funds and central fund during just one joint application round. As before, the experts responsible for peer evaluating applications will come from throughout Finland and will rotate regularly. The total amount of funding the foundation awards for science, research, art and culture will remain the same.
This reform will see the October and January application round and the smaller application rounds in March and August combined, while a more flexible application round will be introduced for arts mobility grants. At the same time, the foundation is also harmonising the processing and evaluation of applications.
This reform supports the foundation’s goals of promoting the vitality of science, research, art and culture; supporting talent in making breakthroughs; and influencing the role of science and art in society.
“One of our key objectives is ensuring that science, research and art can be carried out, created and experienced throughout Finland,” states Regional Director Mika Virkkala of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. “This is why we are boosting our resources to carry out long-term and strategic development that spans the whole country through the regional funds.”
See below for grants awarded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation by region in 2021–2025
The Finnish Cultural Foundation operates throughout Finland. The map below shows the amount of grants that were awarded in each region. The map includes grants awarded by the central fund and the regional funds, based on the grantee’s place of residence. Select a region from the drop-down menu or tap directly on the map. You can also filter the data by field.
In recent years the foundation has been receiving just over 20,000 applications a year, and this number has grown year on year. According to estimates, up to 4,000 applicants each year apply in several application rounds, meaning that the same application has been peer evaluated multiple times.
“We believe that this reform will make the grant application process smoother for applicants, referees, peer evaluators and those processing the applications. Finland is home to many gifted, creative individuals unafraid to take a bold look into the future in their work, and we encourage them to submit their applications during the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s next joint application period,” says Deputy CEO Juhana Lassila.
The reform will allow the Finnish Cultural Foundation to target its resources better, for example with faster reactions to regional needs and to other work to benefit science, research, art and culture.
Mobility grants, residency programme and the Mirjam Helin Academy
Some of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s activities will retain their own separate application processes.
Artists and art critics can apply for a mobility grant to cover expenses from international activities. Going forward, it will be possible to apply for mobility grants on a more flexible basis all year round. Decisions on mobility grants will be made three times a year.
The residency programme will retain its own application round in August, while applications for the Mirjam Helin Academy can be submitted in spring.
Key details for applicants
From October 2026, the Finnish Cultural Foundation will be holding one grant application round a year in October. The 2026 application round will be 15–30 October. We will inform applicants of the decisions made in February 2027.
Going forward, applications for grants from the regional funds must also be submitted in October. The last separate application round for the regional funds was January–February 2026.
The March and August application rounds will remain in force in 2026. After that, the grants available through the March and August rounds will be transferred to the joint national application round.
Exceptions to this are instrumental loans, which will be transferred directly to the foundation’s joint application round in 2026, and the residency programme, which will for the time being retain its own application round in August.
Going forward, it will be possible to apply for mobility grants all year round. Decisions will be made three times a year.
There will be no major changes to the application system and application form.
When will more information be published?
The new grant guidelines will be published in August–September 2026. At this point we will also provide more details on applying for grants and how applications are processed. Applicants will be able to familiarise themselves with an example form before the start of the application round.
The first grant webinar will be held in September 2026. We will provide details about the webinar on the skr.fi website, in the grants newsletter, and via our social media channels.
In line with the three award themes, the winners are people who are building a sustainable, pluralistic and multi-voiced Finland; strengthening the role of science, research and art in society; or are top future talents in driving change in the fields of art, science and research. The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s 2026 Grand Awards go to Sámi culture researcher Veli-Pekka Lehtola, author and theatre director Juha Hurme and physicist Nanna Myllys.
“Science, research and art are the foundation on which the future is built. We need bold people with a distinctive voice – researchers and artists who have the courage to reach for new heights, ask difficult questions and get us to see new perspectives. Their work strengthens the whole country and keeps our culture alive,” says Susanna Pettersson, CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
All of Finland: Veli-Pekka Lehtola
Photo: Harri Tarvainen
Veli-Pekka Lehtola (born 1959) is Professor Emeritus of Sámi culture and a non-fiction writer. Lehtola, a Northern Sámi, has had an international and diverse academic career and an impressive number of scientific publications.
Lehtola has written several award-winning books on the relationship between the Sámi and Finns and the history of their relations. Published in 2025, Kenen maa, kenen ääni? Saamelaisten ja suomalaisten suhteet esihistoriasta nykypäivään (Whose Land, Whose Voice? Relations between the Sámi and Finns from Prehistory to the Present Day; no English translation)is a comprehensive reference book on Sámi history, the relations between the Sámi and Finns and their development over time. The book is a companion piece to his 2022 book on the Sámi people’s view of their own history, Entiset elävät meissä (The Past Lives On In Us; no English translation). Lehtola has also written several other non-fiction books and biographies.
As a member of Sámi Museum Siida’s working group, Lehtola was responsible for writing the script for the museum’s current main exhibition called Enâmeh láá mii párnááh – These lands are our children. Opened in 2022 at the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida, the exhibition has been a great success. Siida was the winner of the Finnish Museum of the Year and the European Museum of the Year Awards in 2024 and has broken its visitor records for several years running.
All of Finland
Veli-Pekka Lehtola is awarded the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Grand Award for his work in making Sámi history visible.
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Juha Hurme (born 1959) studied natural sciences and visual arts education. The combination has influenced his thinking and made him one of Finland’s most distinctive and versatile authors, playwrights and theatre directors.
Juha Hurme has written novels, plays and essays, translated literature and worked as a theatre director and performer. His works are often characterised by humour and a deep understanding of Finnish cultural heritage, and his best-known books offer unique perspectives on Finnish history. Niemi (2017) examines the history of the land we call Finland today, starting from the Big Bang, while Suomi (2020) focuses on the last 200 years of the country’s history.
Hurme has been involved in founding several theatre groups and has served as the artistic director of Rauma City Theatre and Telakka Theatre, among others. He is currently writing and directing a comedy about the poet and writer Eino Leino’s prolific year in 1905 for the Kajaani City Theatre. Hurme’s own career has also seen some prolific years, as any list of his scripts and the plays he has directed shows. He has also boldly tackled personal topics: his novel Hullu (2012) and the play of the same name deal with psychosis, a mental state he has suffered from. Hurme’s latest work, Suomen nuijituin nainen (2025), tells the story of Anni Polva, a prolific and popular Finnish authorspurned in her time by literary circles.
Strong science, research and art
Juha Hurme is awarded the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Grand Award for his artistic power and courage.
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Nanna Myllys (born 1991) obtained her PhD in physics in 2018. She received funding from the Research Council of Finland as an Academy Research Fellow for the period 2022–2028, and in 2024 she was awarded the highly competitive Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) for the period 2025–2029. Myllys currently heads her own Molecular Level Atmospheric Science research group at the University of Helsinki’s Department of Chemistry.
Nanna Myllys’s research explores what is at the heart of climate change. Her ERC project focuses on developing new computational and spectroscopic methods to find out how organic compounds in the atmosphere form aerosol particles.These particle formation mechanisms are some of the greatest uncertainty factors in current climate models. Myllys’s fundamental research provides crucial information to improve the accuracy of climate models and thus directly supports environmental policymaking.
Her long-term goal is to develop a comprehensive theory linking the molecular properties of condensing vapours to global-scale climate impacts.
The best of the future
Nanna Myllys is awarded the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Grand Award for producing new knowledge based on research and solutions for the future.
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The foundation awarded the largest grant of this application round, €800,000, for the National Museum of Finland’s reopening exhibition. The museum, located in Töölö, Helsinki, will be reopening to the public in spring 2027, following an expansion and renovations. The iconic and overhauled main building; the monumental extension, designed by JKMM Architects and situated largely underground; and the more open courtyard will ensure the museum is a unique cultural destination.
The first major exhibition to take place in the new premises will be based on the museum’s extensive cultural history collections sourced from Finland and other countries. The underlying perspective of the as-yet unannounced theme exhibition will be the link between cultures and people. The exhibition will be realised in a way that ambitiously brings together original items and new technology for showcasing them. The foundation’s support is focused in particular on new technological opportunities that can be used to enrich the content of the exhibition and incorporate its stories into the visitor experience in a memorable way.
“We feel particularly fortunate to have the Finnish Cultural Foundation by our side at this point in our history, with this national institution more important now than ever before in an unstable world.”
Elina Anttila
Director General of the National Museum of Finland
“The facilities in the new part of the museum will allow us to create the kinds of impressive exhibitions we are keen to offer. The support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation will allow us to fully make use of the latest technology in unparalleled ways, to convey both content and meaning in the space,” explains Director General of the National Museum of Finland Elina Anttila. “We feel particularly fortunate to have the Finnish Cultural Foundation by our side at this point in our history, with this national institution more important now than ever before in an unstable world.”
“The opening of the extension to the National Museum of Finland will be a historic event. The museum is elevating how it showcases cultural heritage to a level that is sure to draw interest both within Finland and beyond its borders. This is exciting not only from the perspective of new audiences, but also from a professional standpoint. I believe that this reopening will seal the museum’s position as a pioneer in the museums sector,” states CEO Susanna Pettersson of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Application numbers continue to grow
Over the last four years, the number of applications received by the Finnish Cultural Foundation in its October round of applications has reached new heights every year. October 2025 saw 11,425 applications, of which 784 were awarded grants. The proportions of applications that were successful fell from last year: 8.2% of research and science applications and 5.9% of art applications were ultimately awarded grants. Artistic work and doctoral dissertation work received the most funding.
“In recent years we have seen application volumes grow in both science and research and in art. From a longer-term perspective, the number of applications for artistic work in particular has grown, increasing by over 50% in the last 10 years. The tough situation in terms of funding explains the increase in application numbers, but it also attests to the status of the Finnish Cultural Foundation as one of Finland’s biggest financiers of science, research and art,” states Deputy CEO Juhana Lassila of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Applications in the October round are peer-reviewed by nearly sixty panels of experts from different research, scientific and artistic disciplines.
Number of applications: 2017–2026
Development of the number of applications in the October application round from 2017 to 2026.
Covering all of Finland
One of the foundation’s key objectives is to ensure that science, research and art can be carried out and experienced throughout Finland.
“Science, research and art help growing urban municipalities and sparsely populated areas alike to thrive and the grants we have awarded span 83 different municipalities. We also support cultural equality, inclusion, communality, and dialogue in society,” states Susanna Pettersson.
Grants by intended use: 2017–2026
Development of grants in euros in the October application round from 2017 to 2026.
Publishing house Tammi will be using funding of €70,000 to pilot an operating model for books in Easy Finnish. There is a significant need for Easy Finnish literature, with up to 800,000 people requiring Easy Finnish. There are a number of structural and financial challenges when it comes to publishing books in Easy Finnish, and so production is dependent on state support. Tammi’s goals are to find a permanent way of making Easy Finnish books part of normal business operations, to transform the whole sector in Finland, and to offer tools for literacy work.
With the support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Silva Belghiti is translating and adapting song lyrics into Finnish Sign Language. Petra Portaala and the Diabolos working group are producing a touring puppet theatre piece that explores themes to do with unemployment. Baraka Paul Issabu and the MUDA-Finland working group are organising rhythm and dance workshops for young people from the African diaspora in Helsinki. Joensuu will be hosting Parafest, an annual cultural event for a wide variety of people with disabilities.
Supporting young talent is also a key focus point of the foundation.
The Finnish National Opera and Ballet. Photo: Roosa Oksaharju
The Finnish National Opera and Ballet will be using a grant of €180,000 to implement a summer academy for young Finnish dancers with potential to make it on the international ballet scene. The dancers will be taught by experts from leading ballet companies and schools.
“Talented young dancers will get the chance to expand and deepen their skills in a professional context. They will also have the chance to form the strong network of contacts required to succeed amidst international competition in today’s world,” says Susanna Pettersson.
Minority languages and cultures receive funding
The Finnish Cultural Foundation has a sustained approach to supporting art, science and research focusing on endangered cultural capital.
For example, Ilia Moshnikov and his working group have received a grant of €200,000 to create an online dictionary of modern Karelian and to develop and research language technology tools to support the revitalisation of the Karelian language. Anna Brück and her working group will be realising a series of events and artworks exploring transnationalism, belonging, loss and new connections through Karelian identity.
The foundation is also providing funding for the Ihajis Idja festival focusing on indigenous music (Anára Sámisearvi) and the development and pre-production phases of a dance film that draws on the Sámi storytelling tradition (Laura-Maria Feodoroff). Support from the foundation will also help with researching the societal impact of a full-year education programme on North Sámi language and culture (Sari Valkonen), the impacts of the militarisation of Sápmi on the Sámi people and their relationship with the defence administration (Sara Vanhanen) and the interaction of Sámi people’s use of land and forest fires in Lapland since the year 450 (Niina Ryzhkova).
Helsinki Summer University is organising education on Romani language and culture, while Kanta-Hämeen romaniyhdistys seeks to strengthen the vitality of the spoken Romani language in Romani families.
Funding for the natural resources sector, sharing one’s life’s works, and popularised non-fiction
In addition to general grants for research, science and art, the Finnish Cultural Foundation allocates funding for some specific themes. In the October round of applications these included research that addresses carbon dynamics and climate coupling of soil processes or that explores the economic links of ecosystem services in agriculture and forestry.
The foundation has granted a total of €1 million to five projects researching the following topics: social and ecological perspectives on the hunting of moose and white-tailed deer (Jon Brommer and working group, University of Turku), the impacts of restoration burning and other forest restoration methods (Kajar Köster and working group, University of Eastern Finland), key species playing a significant role in carbon regulation (Carlos Alejandro Aguilar Trigueros and working group, University of Jyväskylä), microbial communities in woodlands (Taina Pennanen and working group, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)) and the impacts of climate change on the dynamics of the soil-river system (Anu Kaakinen and working group, University of Helsinki).
Additional €1 million for science
Tracing forest carbon pools
Small soil invertebrates and soil fungi regulate whether carbon is released into the atmosphere or remains in the soil for centuries. Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä are seeking species with the greatest influence on carbon sequestration. Carlos Alejandro Aguilar Trigueros and working group, from the University of Jyväskylä, are researching the key species that play a significant role in carbon regulation. Photo: Emmi Virtanen
The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Eminentia grant is intended for sharing in written form a person’s research-related, scientific or artistic life’s work. These grants have been awarded to Romani music collector and performer and Academic Hilja Grönfors; former secretary general of the Finnish Literature Society, Professor Tuomas Lehtonen; Emeritus Professor of Sociology Anssi Peräkylä; and Emeritus Professor of Geriatric Medicine Timo Strandberg.
The foundation awards numerous grants each year for non-fiction and popularisation of science, research and art. Non-fiction books coming out in the next few years include those on the following topics: mental crisis resilience in an era of polycrisis (Pasi Mäenpää), Author and Visual Artist Hannu Väisänen (Ida Pimenoff), Author Maria Jotuni (Helena Ruuska), Conductor Jorma Panula (Jari Sinkkonen), archaeological research on Turku Cathedral (Liisa Seppänen), the key fights for equality in the USA (Iida Tikka) and how Finns have become the third heaviest people in Europe (Iida Ylinen).
Long-term grants help grantees dedicate themselves to their work
The Finnish Cultural Foundation seeks to promote opportunities for long-term research and scientific and artistic work. Longer-term grants support grantees in their work for a period of 1–4 years. A total of 160 multi-year grants were awarded, of which six cover four years. One-year grants accounted for just under half of all the grants awarded.
Recipients of multi-year arts grants include: Dance Artist Auri Ahola, Visual Artist Baran Caginli, Kantele Artist Senni Eskelinen, Composer Sebastian Hilli, Sculptor Laura Könönen, Author Taina Latvala, Live Action Roleplay Artist Pihla Lehtinen, Author and Musician Tommi Liimatta, Film Director and Screenwriter Mikko Mäkelä, Circus Artist Jani Nuutinen, Musician Mikko Perkola, Composer and Musician Lauri Porra, Author Jukka Viikilä, and Visual Artist Yujie Zhou.
Multi-year research grants were awarded to projects on themes such as: expanding random walk approximation in several dimensions (Irfan Durmić), comprehensive ecosocial safety (Raisa Foster), consumer decision-making (Lauri Hietanen), the origin of neutron stars’ electromagnetic radiation (Olavi Kiuru), the history of research into and study of the Finnish language from the 1960s to the 1990s (Teemu Palkki), the desertion of rural and industrial locations (Noora Perälä), identifying interactions between cancer medications using biomarkers and artificial intelligence (Negar Pourjamal), and the impact of changes in technology on reindeer management traditions and heritage (Ningning Sun).
Grants of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in 2026
Science, research and art help growing urban municipalities and sparsely populated areas alike to thrive. In year 2026 we awarded grants to 83 different municipalities.
Launched in August 2025, the Mirjam Helin Academy offers further training for ambitious singers. Students are offered an individual study plan that includes performance, repertoire building, singing technique and practical skills in the music industry. The Finnish Cultural Foundation covers all student expenses. The academy’s teachers are recruited from the top of their field and include opera singers, conductors, directors and music experts.
The supplementary application process is aimed at talented and ambitious singers pursuing an international career who are looking for high-quality teaching, personalised guidance and extensive professional networks to advance their careers. Applicants are expected to have an excellent singing voice and musicality, as well as strong motivation and a goal-oriented approach to studying.
One to two new students will be selected through the supplementary application process in spring 2026.
The Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni (left) and a student of the Mirjam Helin Academy, Faraja Mwamalumbili.
Application schedule
The application period begins: Thursday 12 February 2026 at 09:00 (Finnish time, UTC+2).
The application period ends: Thursday 5 March 2026 at 16:00 (Finnish time, UTC+2).
Those accepted to the live auditions will be notified by email by 26 March 2026.
The live auditions will be held in Helsinki from 16 to 19 April 2026.
The results will be announced on 28 April 2026.
The Mirjam Helin Academy is a two-year programme. For students selected this spring, it will run from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2028. During the first year of the programme, an assessment will be made as to whether the student will progress to the second year of the academy.
The Finnish Cultural Foundation awards grants for international artists’ residency programme each year. The Residency program supports international mobility and networking among artists.
This year, a record 481 applications were received, and 18 artists were awarded residencies. For the first time, applications were accepted for the G.A.S. residency in Nigeria, run by the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, and ACME in London.
Multidisciplinary collaboration in Lagos, Nigeria
Guest Artists Space Foundation (G.A.S.) delivers residencies and public programmes across two sites in Nigeria; one in the heart of the dynamic city of Lagos and the second on a rural working farm in Ijebu in Ogun State. The G.A.S. residency programme embraces interdisciplinary collaboration and welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds and career stages. The Cultural Foundation’s residency grant for the G.A.S. residency was awarded to two artists who will primarily be based in Lagos, but who may also spend a shorter period of time at the farm.
Kush Badhwar is an artist and filmmaker, who has spent over fifteen years working at the intersection of moving image, artistic, social and spatial research. Budhwar studied in the Film and Television Institute of India, after which he graduated with a Master’s degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts.
“During the residency, I want to learn the city through experience while developing new sound or moving-image work. I’m especially interested in Lagos’s riparian zones, the in-between areas that are neither fully land nor fully water, where waterways, everyday life, and speculative real estate meet. These spaces connect closely to my ongoing questions about how deltas shape the relationship between capital, ecology, and daily experience. I’m looking forward to the G.A.S / Yinka Shonibare Foundation residency and the chance to spend time working in Lagos,” Bashwar says.
Alexandra Mitiku is a multidisciplinary artist based in Helsinki who uses organic materials such as clay and indigo in her work. She is interested in the interplay between materiality and memory – during her residency, she plans to continue her artistic research by delving into texts on African and Afro-diaspora philosophy, history, and intersectional feminist thinking. Mitiku is also interested in engaging with local forms of craft and knowledge and developing her painting series ‘our xenogenesis’.
“I’m over the moon and looking forward to developing my practice within this promising environment.”
Photo: Johanna Naukkarinen
Kolme kuukautta paloasemalla Itä-Lontoossa
London-based Acme has hosted international artists in residence at the Fire Station for almost thirty years. Built in 1910, the upper four floors were originally designed as twelve firemen’s flats and have been converted into artists’ work/live studios.
This year, Acme selected its first artist-in-residence from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Alejandra Alarcón is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of food, ecology, and art. In her work, she explores relationships between cultures and social structures through the raw materials, eating habits, and flavors as she has encountered in Mexico and Finland.
”I’m thrilled about the opportunity of a residency at Acme in London, which will provide the space to make new connections and hopefully foster collaborations with the food and art scene, as well as with Latin American communities. During my time there, I will continue my foraging and walking practice within a new urban context, as well as my artistic research on cakes, and begin working on a new publication.”
Photo: Skaiste Venckevi
All recipients of the Cultural Foundation’s residency grant for 2025:
ACME, Lontoo Alarcón Alejandra
Arts Initiative Tokyo Suoyrjö Elina
G. A. S., Lagos Badhwar Kush Mitiku Alexandra
Fabrikken, Kööpenhamina Azariah Nikolai Lehtomaa Tuomas
Kanuti Gildi SAAL, Tallinna Ala-Ruona Teo and working group Nsambu Alen and working group
MJF, Lofootit Auer Camille Kaisa Lindroos Teemu
MORPHO, Antwerpen Ruck Kathryn NART, Narva Kozieł-Kalliomäki Natalia Oikari Elina Sím, Reykjavik Hsu Ching Jo Rönkkö Nastja Säde Tokyo Arts and Space Caginli Baran Triangle, New York Ala-Ruona Teo Hyrri Juliana
