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Cultural Foundation survey finds that doctoral studies are useful even outside of an academic career

The Finnish Cultural Foundation (SKR) began an enquiry into the perceived impact of its thesis funding in late 2018. Between 2005 and 2007, the Cultural Foundation gave out a total of EUR 24.5 million in doctoral thesis grants. The enquiry was carried out as a survey of the individuals who had applied for a doctoral thesis grant from the Foundation’s Central Fund in the aforementioned period.

The online survey was sent to 3,570 grant applicants, of whom 961 responded. Of the respondents, 251 had never received a grant from SKR. The survey was conducted by Optifluence Oy, with Petro Poutanen, Doctor of Social Sciences, as the head researcher. The results of the survey apply to the survey’s respondents and are not generalizable to the whole of Finland.

Doctoral studies are perceived as useful

Of the recipients of an SKR grant between 2005 and 2007, 69% said that their career progress was in line with their objectives, regardless of whether the thesis they were working on at the time of the grant had been completed or not. The corresponding figure for the respondents who had never received an SKR grant was 53%.

“Doctoral education provides skills in acquiring and refining information at such a high level that it is useful in practically any expert position.” – Respondent with doctoral degree

Of all the respondents to the survey, 18% had not completed their doctoral degrees. For male respondents the most typical reason for non-completion of their thesis was that they had obtained a more interesting job (33% of male respondents), whereas this was the reason for 21% of female respondents. Meanwhile, a significant proportion of women (22%) said that they were still working on their thesis (compared to 12% of men). The reason for non-completion of the thesis for 8% of these respondents was that their funding had run out.

According to the survey, applicants for thesis grants from SKR most typically end up holding research positions. Out of those who had received grants in 2005–2007, 69% were working as researchers, compared to 51% of those who had received no grants at all from SKR. Around one third of those who were working as researchers said that they were post-doc researchers, while another third had the seniority as researchers of adjunct professor or higher. The category of “other research tasks” applied to a few more women (16%) than men (10%), whereas more of the men (12% versus 6% of women) had achieved the level of professor.

According to the survey, even those who had not ended up in academia found their doctoral studies and thesis to have been useful. Especially those employed in project and administrative work found their doctoral studies to be significant in terms of their career, even if they had not completed their theses. The respondents considered the impact of their doctoral studies to lie especially in developing their competence and opening new job opportunities, as well as more generally in producing new scientific knowledge and know-how.

“I have obtained interesting job positions that support my research on the side [of my doctoral studies]. In this way I have been able to put my competence to use in the society.” – Respondent without doctoral degree

Perceived impact of doctoral thesis research. Scale: 1–5 (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). The figures are averages.

Perceived impact of doctoral thesis research. Scale: 1–5 (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). The figures are averages.

Completing a thesis improves income levels

Most of those who were not working as researchers were senior clerical personnel or managers. Of those working outside of research, 21% of men and 13% of women held management positions. More women (33%) than men (23%) worked for municipalities or local and regional authorities, while most men (39%) worked in private enterprises, compared to significantly fewer women (17%).

“The differences between employers is most likely due to the strong gender bias in the various academic fields of the respondents,” explains Olli Vallinheimo from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Completion of the doctoral thesis correlated to an improvement in the respondents’ income level. Based on the responses, the impact on income level was greater among women than men. Of those with a doctoral degree, 74% of men and 63% of women had gross incomes of EUR 3,500 per month or higher. The corresponding proportions for those without doctoral degrees were 59% of men and 40% of women. One third of men and one fifth of women with a doctoral degree reached the EUR 5,000+ income bracket.

There were also significant differences between academic fields. In the humanities, only one in ten respondents with thesis studies made over EUR 5,000 per month, compared to one in three for science and medicine.

Income distribution (%) across the four income brackets (gross income) for female and male respondents with and without doctoral degrees.

Income distribution (%) across the 4 income brackets (gross) for female and male respondents with and without doctoral degrees.

Thesis funding is fragmented

The funding for the doctoral studies of the respondents had almost invariably come from diverse sources. The responses indicate that most doctoral students would wish for a longer-term, more permanent funding model, preferably based on a salary and an employment contract, in which the thesis researcher could remain close to or a part of the academic community. However, most respondents agreed that a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation represented a significant merit for a researcher.

“I feel that working in academia is still better done on the university’s payroll, in terms of both integration into the university and the researcher’s working conditions. […] For my part, the funding from SKR allowed for research periods without being tied to administrative duties.” – Respondent

“This survey confirms previous impressions of the fragmentary nature of thesis funding, and for its part it backs the Cultural Foundation’s decision to focus on grants with a longer duration in the future,” says SKR’s Secretary General Antti Arjava.

The reference group for the responses consists of persons who worked on their theses in projects funded by the Academy of Finland, with an employment contract lasting six months or longer, in the same period of time. There were only slight differences in the standards of the publications made by the researchers financed by the Cultural Foundation and the Academy.

Using a comparative method to examine the impact of the researchers’ publications on a field-specific basis, no significant differences could be found between the publications of the researchers financed by the Cultural Foundation and the Academy. However, based on the comparative data and measured by the number or publications and the number of references, SKR can be said to have funded more successful researchers than the Academy in medicine, technology and natural science, while the opposite is true in the fields of social science, education and humanities.

The full research report is available on request from Olli Vallinheimo, coordinator.

From Natural Gas to Renewable Energy Sources

The sun shines when it shines, and the wind blows when it blows. Natural gas, on the other hand, can be turned into electricity at any time: all you have to do is to switch on the gas turbines.

As the world strives for eco-friendliness, one aim is to increasingly replace natural gas with renewable energy. This is an admirable intention, but what does it actually mean technically and judicially?

”Muuttuvilla energiamarkkinoilla eri toimijat pystyvät tekemään rationaalisia päätöksiä, kunhan niillä on selkeä ymmärrys hinnoista ja hyödyistä”, Tulanen yliopistossa vieraileva oikeustieteen tutkija Tade Oyewumni sanoo.

law researcher Tade Oyewunmi is a visiting scholar at Tulane University.

– The increase in renewables is diversifying the system, which means that fewer customers can completely trust the electrical network, explains Tade Oyewunmi, a legal researcher at the University of Eastern Finland.

– Expensive batteries and other energy storage systems, as well as increasingly accurate measurement devices are required in order for a financially viable balance to be found between supply and demand.

Oyewunmi is now on his second year as a visiting researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans, USA. His project looks at the benefits and costs of increasing the proportion of renewables in energy production using public funding, at the expense of natural gas.

New Orleans is an excellent location for this research. The state of Louisiana is the United States’ fifth-largest natural gas producer, and the shore of the Gulf of Mexico is home to important terminals that supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to other areas, particularly Europe and Asia.

– USA is the world’s leading natural gas producer. Since 2017 it has been a net exporter of gas thanks to the shale gas business and an increase in demand.

There is high demand for gas because it is the least polluting fossil fuel, and also simply because total energy demand is growing around the world. At the same time there is high political pressure to switch to renewables.

Oyewunmi intends to create a kind of highly complex “road map” of the legal aspects that operators in the sector should keep in mind amid these changes. 

– I don’t mean to question the replacement of gas with renewables in itself, but to figure out how it can be done. The various operators in the changing energy market can only make rational decisions if they have a clear understanding of the pros and cons.

Oyewunmi was born in Nigeria and obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree there. After completing a Master’s degree in Scotland, he defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Eastern Finland in 2017. His entire career thus far has focused on energy law, and he would be happy to stick to the subject for the rest of his life.

He is accompanied in New Orleans by his wife and two children. The grant he received also covers some of the costs of childcare, schooling and family insurance.

Tade Oyewunmi, LLD, received a 70,000 euro grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s post doc pool for his post-doctoral research on the role of law and institutions in the changing energy market, which he is carrying out in the United States. Applications for the post doc pool are accepted twice a year, in autumn and spring.

Text: Antti Kivimäki
Pic: Tade Oyewunmi and Tulane University

Finnish Cultural Foundation’s residency programme expands to South America

Four new residencies around the world

In 2020 the programme will expand to a new continent: South America. New residencies will open in Buenos Aires (for writers, in collaboration with Fundación Filba) and in Rio de Janeiro (for visual artists and curators, at the Capacete residency). Two three-month working grants will be awarded for each of these residencies.

A new place for visual artists and curators will open at the AIT (Arts Initiative Tokyo) residency in Tokyo. Similarly, a new venue for working groups in the fields of dance, performing arts and theatre will become available in Santarcangelo di Romagna in Italy.

In addition to these, the former residencies in SeMA Nanji (Seoul), Tokyo Arts and Space Residency (Tokyo), Artspace (Sydney), Institute for Provocation (Beijing) and Triangle (New York) will also be available. 

The Cultural Foundation wants to observe the environmental impact of its growing residency programme

“Working in residencies facilitates international interaction and collaboration between artists, so travel for this purpose is still justified – often even essential – for artists working in the global field. However, we want to encourage our grantees to choose more environmentally friendly travel options whenever possible,” explains Senior Advisor Johanna Ruohonen.

Artists who are granted a place in residencies that can be reached by rail or sea will receive additional travel funding if they commit to refraining from flying to the destination. In this case, the grant for Asian residencies will be EUR 5,000, which helps to make up for the higher ticket price and for the use of potential work time for travelling (two weeks in each direction). The travel grant for those going to Italy by rail will be EUR 1,500 per person, which covers an estimated one week’s worth of working hours.

“Work done on board the train could also optimally enhance the residency experience and deepen the benefits obtained from it,” Ruohonen says.

Rail traveling as a part of the residency programme

In February 2019, the Cultural Foundation awarded a grant totalling EUR 70,000 to a project led by Miina Hujala and Arttu Merimaa, which is related to building an eastward travel channel for artists and exploring the possibilities for rail travel in bringing together and upholding the work of artists, for example through residencies.

“Artists’ residencies can act as a platform for opening and forming new connections, as part of which travelling long distances by train or by sea highlights and reinforces the importance of practical action in the use of sustainable forms and channels of transport,” explain Hujala and Merimaa.

Those travelling to the Cultural Foundation’s Asian residencies can receive not only concrete advice for making travel arrangements, but also opportunities for travelling together with others heading in the same direction, from the Hujala-Merimaa project. The Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP) is one of the project’s partners and also an advisor for the Cultural Foundation’s residency programme.

The working grant for the Cultural Foundation’s residencies is EUR 7,000 per three-month period, or EUR 650 per person per week for working groups in Santarcangelo. Further information on each residency and the applicable grants can be found on the Cultural Foundation’s website.

The August application round will be open between 12 and 30 August 2019. The application period will close at 4 pm Finnish time on the final application day.

An information session on the residencies will be held on Wednesday 14 August from 4 pm in the Seminar Room of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (Mannerheiminaukio 2, Helsinki). Language of the event is English.

The event will be live-streamed and can be followed at the time or later on the Cultural Foundation’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Extra 1 million euros open for applications to the future energy market or the technology revolution

“In 2017 the Cultural Foundation established the practice of encouraging larger-than-usual grant applications related to a specific field each year. The additional funding has until now pertained to the fields of agriculture and medicine,” explains Jari Sokka, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

“In research related to technical sciences and economics it is beneficial if the research team comprises a diverse group of people from the worlds of academia, research institutions and business. Traditionally, Finland has been strong in collaborations between universities and business, but now special support is needed to ensure that different perspectives will meet and knowledge transfers can take place,” Sokka says.

The additional grant funding, totalling up to EUR 1 million, will be awarded to between one and five research projects. Applications may be made in the name of teams of several researchers, but not entire universities or research institutions. A research proposal in Finnish or English may be appended to the application, but the abstract on the application form must be in Finnish.

The Cultural Foundation’s October round of applications will be open between 1 and 31 October 2019. All in all, there will be approximately EUR 25 million in grants open for application.

For further information go to skr.fi/million2020

Mobility grants totalling EUR 150,000 awarded to 36 applicants

The purpose of the Cultural Foundation’s mobility grant is to enable artists or teams to spend time abroad to discover new tools and networks that support their artistic practice. Applicants must spend a minimum of two weeks at the destination to qualify for the grant. Grants may be sought for expenses ranging from EUR 3,000 to 10,000, and acceptable uses of the grant include residency costs, festival participations, exhibition projects and travel related to international collaborations.

“As part of our March round of applications, we received 199 mobility grant applications, covering almost all fields of art. We have been pleased to witness the demand for this grant, which was first launched in August 2017. The standard of applications has remained high throughout,” says Senior Advisor Johanna Ruohonen from the Cultural Foundation.

In this round, only one EUR 10,000 grant was awarded, and it went to the joint production of the Helsinki-based theatre company Klockriketeatern and the American choir The Crossing, entitled Aniara – fragments of time and space, for its première in Philadelphia and a week-long festival appearance in the Netherlands. In September, Aniara will be shown in the Almi Hall of the Finnish National Opera.

The theatre group Jalostamo2, led by actor-playwright Anna Lipponen and production and lighting designer Petri Tuhkanen, received EUR 8,000 for a residency in Svalbard in July 2019. The working group is creating an episodic story and play entitled Ice Ice Baby, which concerns the Earth’s climate crisis and its effects on humans and wildlife. The work will premiere in Helsinki as part of Viirus theatre’s GUEST programme in November 2019. 

Thanks to the active efforts of the International Romani Writers’ Association, founded in 2002 by Cultural Counsellor Veijo Baltzar, the first-ever Roma Pavilion will take place at Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2019. A mobility grant of EUR 3,500 will help cover related organisation and travel costs.

“Typically the projects or artists who receive our mobility grants have already arranged the funding they need for the work itself, but they still need to cover the costs of transporting artworks, acquiring event technology or travel for large groups of team members, among other things,” Ruohonen explains.

Applications for the Cultural Foundation’s mobility grants are accepted twice a year, in March and August.

For further information, please contact:

Stop shouting! New foundation to promote constructive societal discussion

Constructive societal discussion is a fundamental requirement for democracy and a functioning society, but it has proved difficult to come by in recent years. Therefore, four major societal funders have established a new foundation aimed at moving the discussion culture in Finland in a more constructive direction, reducing the entrenchment of society and increasing people’s participation in society together with other parties interested in dialogue.

“We are concerned about the polarisation of society and the tensions increasing within it. The ability and will to engage in constructive discussion are increasingly important so that we can understand each other in spite of our different backgrounds,”  says Antti Arjava, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Timeout Foundation.

Underlying the foundation is the work carried out by Sitra between 2016 and –2019 to develop and disseminate the Timeout operating model. Timeout emerged from observing that societal discussion had become overheated, the democratic system was in need of reform and there was a growing need for dialogue in a complex world. Timeout is a way of engaging in constructive societal discussion so that people from different backgrounds can be equally involved and those who are often left out of discussions are included.

The new foundation will continue and further develop Sitra’s work and unite organisations already engaged in dialogue in Finland so that expertise in dialogue spreads as far as possible.

– It has been great to see how much demand for Timeout there has been in Finland; already, more than 100 organisations have adopted Timeout, and more than 6,500 people around Finland have taken part in Timeout discussions, says Janne Kareinen, who was head of the Timeout work at Sitra.

– With the new foundation, completely new kinds of opportunities will emerge, and the Timeout work will only become stronger.

Laura Arikka, Erätauko-säätiön toimitusjohtaja

Laura Arikka, the Executive Director of the Timeout Foundation

Laura Arikka will begin in the position of the foundation’s Executive Director on 1 June 2019. Arikka has previously worked as an expert in human rights and co–operation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. She was a member of the Timeout developer team and has continued as a Timeout mentor.

– It is great to be involved in leading Timeout forward! I have seen several times how the method works, and seen that discussion is worthwhile. Joint encounters have touched people who are very different from one another. Finland’s social peace will strengthen through dialogue, says Laura Arikka.

Why did the founding members get involved in establishing the Timeout Foundation?

Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation

“One of the purposes of the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation is to accelerate discussion on current societal topics. By getting involved in establishing the Timeout Foundation, we are assuming a broader point of view and building the foundation for the realisation of the objective – without dialogue skills, after all, there is no discussion or the discussion is not constructive.” (Arto Mäenmaa, Executive Director of the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.)

Sitra

“Sitra is extremely delighted that the leading foundations in Finland are jointly supporting the continuation of the work that got off to a fine start with the Timeout project. Constructive societal discussion has an impact on the democracy, trust and resilience of our society.” (Paula Laine, Director for Foresight, Insight and Strategy at Sitra.)

Finnish Cultural Foundation

“For the Finnish Cultural Foundation, national unity and joint responsibility are values that we want to support. Unity does not mean unanimity; on the contrary, it means the ability to accept differences in opinion and solve them constructively, looking for compromises. It is essential to create events in which people can talk face –to –face and understand the factors underlying their differences of opinion. That is what Timeout aims at. In these events, the aim is not to find immediate solutions to problems, but to create an atmosphere in which it is generally easier to conciliate different points of view. Such an objective is excellently suited to the Finnish Cultural Foundation, representing its hundreds of thousands of donors and avoiding taking a stand on political questions.” (Antti Arjava, Secretary General of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.)

Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland

“One of the most important goals of the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland is to boldly contribute to creating an open and inclusive society in which everyone has the right to be a Finn. We believe that with the help of Timeout, Finland on the whole is taking a step in the right direction. The concept has impressed us, and we are satisfied with being able to contribute to disseminating it across the entire country – in several languages.” (Sören Lillkung, Executive Director of the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland and member of the Board of the Timeout Foundation.)

Contact details:

Paula Laine, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Timeout Foundation; Director, Foresight, Insight and Strategy at Sitra
Tel. +358 (0)29 618 487 paula.laine@sitra.fi

PoDoCo Program Grant Application Round Opens 1.3-15.4.2019

PoDoCo is a matchmaking program supporting long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of companies and employment of young doctors in the private sector. PoDoCo matches newly graduated doctors with companies, and financially supports the collaboration projects between doctors and companies.

PoDoCo program offers research grants of 6-12 months to cover the costs of the first part of the project. Grants awarded by PoDoCo foundation pool are intended for academic research investigating new innovative ideas to boost the strategic renewal of Finnish industry. The aim is that after the grant phase the company hires the doctor for same period of time to deepen the research results and to create company-specific insight. A one-year research grant is EUR 28 000.

All companies operating in Finland and all young doctors who have recently completed or will soon complete their doctorate degree are welcome to join the PoDoCo program.

PoDoCo program opens application round for grants from 1st March 2019 to 15th April 2019. Results of the application round will be published at latest on June 2019.

PoDoCo-logot 2019

PoDoCo program has two application rounds each year and awards some 17 postdoctoral grants in each round. Nine foundations will allocate altogether almost 1 000 000 euros to the program during year 2018. The program’s foundations are Finnish Cultural Foundation, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Svenska Kulturfonden, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, The Foundation for Economic Education, KAUTE Foundation, the Paulo Foundation and Maa- ja Vesitekniikantuki ry. PoDoCo program is operated by DIMECC Ltd.

Further information about the program and the application round is available on PoDoCo website at www.podoco.fi, and from Program Manager Arto Nieminen, arto.nieminen@dimecc.com, +358 40 099 1226

Looking Forward and Back

The work, which appears traditional at first sight, has a particular fascination in the form of a hidden message that will slowly be revealed from beneath the painting’s layers. The effect is by no means immediate, however, because the text – written by Timo Viherkenttä himself – will not become readable for a few decades.

“I made my first hidden-message painting for a retrospective held in 2008 at Helsinki Art Museum,” explains Anne Koskinen. “At an exhibition last year at Galleria Anhava, I also showed portraits that change over time. I had no models sitting for those, they were painted from my imagination.”

Timo Viherkentän muotokuva, tekijänä Anne Koskinen

Viherkenttä’s portrait was completed using old painting techniques, including the use of genuine gold and silver. “They accentuate light and shadows. Gold and silver appeared in fine art already in the Renaissance. They were used in drawing and priming before the invention of the pencil; Leonardo da Vinci’s brown-toned drawings are actually oxidised silver.”

Originally trained as a painter, Koskinen has recently worked mostly on sculpture. In summer 2018 she showed works on the female figure in Kultaranta (the summer residence of the President of Finland). The portrait of Timo Viherkenttä is the first modelled work she has done in a long time. “It is titled Revelation – Timo Viherkenttä, and whether the revelation refers to an apparition or an unveiling will become evident in several years’ time,” Koskinen says, smiling. It may also lead to a whole series of new revelation-themed works. “I have become newly inspired by painting after all the sculpture,” Koskinen says. She is now looking forward to a few months of working in New York on a grant from the Cultural Foundation.     

For Timo Viherkenttä, having his portrait painted was an interesting, and at the same time exciting, journey both forward and back in time. “I think that the idea that the speech bubble hidden in the painting might not be revealed for decades befits the Cultural Foundation’s long-term vision. Not everything is in the here and now: the Foundation also exists for the future,” Viherkenttä explains. As for the content of the message, no amount of inquisitive questioning will get him to reveal it. All we can say is that it is a testament of sorts for future generations. That is also very much in the spirit of the Foundation.   

Text: Marika Aspila
Photograph: Heikki Tuuli

The Finnish Cultural Foundation will award 39 million euros in grants, October round of applications includes more than 440 full-year grants

At its annual gala, the Foundation is awarding full-year working grants to 170 artists. In sciences, the number of full-year grants is 275. Altogether, the Foundation is funding 310 doctoral dissertations and 81 post-doctoral researches, and in total 410 individuals are receiving a grant for artistic work. Science comprises 54% and arts 46% of the awarded grants.

In the October round of applications, the Central Fund received a total of 8 300 applications, 13% out of which were awarded grants. Women accounted for 57% of all science applicants and 58% of grantees. In arts, the respective figures were 60% and 62%. Foreign applicants made up 11% of all applicants and 10% of the grantees.

The number of science applications fell by about 400 in comparison to 2018, and in arts there were 200 fewer applicants than the previous year.

– It is possible that interest in an academic career has declined. On the other hand, it is likely that stricter university demands on postgraduate studies are now becoming more evident to the foundations, states Jari Sokka, the Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

The competition for the Foundation’s grants varies by field in both science and arts. In fields of science, the acceptance rates vary between 11% and 24%, in arts between 7% and 31%. The differences between the different fields result primarily from the donor funds of the Foundation, the majority of which support science. There are also donor funds available to support musical arts, such as classical singing.  

– Although the numbers of applicants have decreased, the competition in most fields is still extremely tough, says Sokka.

Grants spanning the whole of Finland

Current grant recipients come from a total of 94 different municipalities. Large grants are also being awarded to different parts of Finland.

Teatteri 2.0:n perustajat, teatterin toiminnanjohtaja ja UNOn vetäjä Saara Rautavuoma ja teatterin taiteellinen johtaja, UNOn suunnitteluryhmän jäsen Saana Lavaste, yhdessä UNOssakin asiantuntijana toimivan Kati Sirénin kanssa.

Saara Rautavuoma, Saana Lavaste and Kati Sirén. Pic: Jukk

The Finnish Folk Music Institute from Kaustinen is receiving 100 000 euros to submit the Kaustinen fiddling tradition to the Unesco Intangible Heritage list. The Culture and Theatre Association Kaksikko from Tampere is being awarded 90 000 euros for a project to develop Finnish drama. The project will support professional playwrights’ artistic work and cooperation with theatres, and foster the internationalisation of a new wave of Finnish plays and authors.

The Midnight Sun Film Festival of Sodankylä is being granted 60 000 euros to update their festival cinema equipment. Central Finland Regional Opera (Keski-Suomen alueooppera ry) is receiving 55 000 euros to produce Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème opera in international collaboration with the Rijeka opera, a part of the Croatian National Theatre.

EdD Eija Sevón and working group from Jyväskylä are being granted 200 000 euros for their study focusing on conflicts and exercise of power in children’s and young people’s domestic relationships. The aim of the study is to gain better understanding of children’s and young people’s conflicts and exercise of power and find solutions to them. The project combines means of narrative, theatre and social media in new ways.

DSSc Johanna Peltoniemi and docent Hanna Wass from Tampere are being awarded 120 000 euros for a study concentrating on increasing the political participation of Finnish emigrants. Professor Jouni Jaakkola and working group from Oulu are receiving 100 000 euros to research how the Sami people are adjusting to climate change and its effects on the Sami Culture. Professor Baoru Yang and working group from Turku are being granted 60 000 euros for a study focusing on green solutions to extract high-grade fish oil from baltic herring for human consumption. PhD Raul Hakli and working group from Helsinki are receiving 120 000 euros for their research on robots as ethical agents.

An extra million euros to medicine

In October 2018, the Foundation announced special funding of one million euros for applications on clinical studies in genomic and precision medicine, open to all branches of medicine. The funding was directed especially to young clinical researchers in the process of establishing their own research teams. The additional funding attracted a lot of interest, and the number of applicants in clinical medicine increased by 40% while the total grant sum grew six fold.

The extra million euros funds a total of five large-scale research projects. MD, MSc (econ) Emmi Helle and docent Tiina Ojala are receiving 200 000 euros to research the genetics of congenital heart disease. Structural congenital heart diseases are the most common congenital malformations, present in about one out of a hundred new-borns. The aim of the research is to discover new genetic variants and molecular-level mechanisms conducive to the development of congenital heart diseases.

Silmälääkäri Joni Turunen

MD Joni Turunen and the Eye Genetics Group are receiving a 200 000 euro grant. Pic: Anna Bui

MD PhD Anniina Färkkilä is likewise receiving 200 000 euros for research focusing on utilising immunologic response caused by DNA damage in the treatment of ovarian cancer. PhD Matti Kankainen and the HemaVir working group are being awarded a grant of the same size to research the role of viruses and bacteria in leukaemia and rheumatism with viral aetiology. Docent Päivi Lakkisto and working group are receiving 200 000 euros for a study concentrating on individual diagnostics of cardiovascular disease, prognosis assessment, and identifying new pharmacotherapy targets by means of transcriptomics. MD Joni Turunen and the Eye Genetics Group are receiving a 200 000 euro grant to research causal genes of rare eye diseases.

The additional funding to medicine has been made possible by the Foundation’s donor funds that support medicine.

Games – a new field for applications

In the October round of applications, games were for the first time included as a field of their own. A grant could be applied for the artistic design or for the implementation of games, and, for a game to receive funding, it was required to have artistic, cultural, or social aims. There were no fewer than 94 applications received, out of which eight were awarded grants. A full-year working grant was awarded to BA Zuzanna Buchowska to implement an interactive alt+ctrl game-installation work “Go date yourself!” and MFA Mike Pohjola for artistic work in games. BFA Vera Anttila and working group received a 24 000 euro grant to design and implement “VR Stranded”, a virtual reality game dealing with climate change.

For Cultural Equality

The Finnish Cultural Foundation is allocating over 350 000 euros to support projects that aim to promote cultural equality and improve the quality of life of people in need of special support or care by means of art. The overarching idea of these Art for Institutions projects is to carry out the work or the project at a care institution or other similar environment where the inhabitants or users have difficulties in accessing art. The Art for Institutions grant received a total of 247 applications.

The grantees for the Central Fund’s October round of applications can be found here.