Universities outside Finland can apply for financial support from EDUFI for teaching Finnish language and culture. The support can be used to cover a part of the salary and employer expenses of a teacher recruited by the university itself.

We can grant up to EUR 20,000/academic year to a single applicant.

The support can cover up to 50% of the local salary and employer expenses of a teacher. EDUFI will pay the support to the university, which will then pay it to the teacher named in the application.

EDUFI will pay the support in euros. If you use a currency other than the euro, please calculate the euro amount that you are applying for according to the European Central Bank’s exchange rate on 27 November 2025.

We may not be able to grant the total amount applied for.

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The application period begins on 28 November 2025 and ends on 17 December 2025 at 16:00 Finnish time (UTC +2). We will not process applications that arrive late.

Please send the application form to kirjaamo [at] oph.fi (kirjaamo[at]oph[dot]fi). Please use ”Financial support for teaching Finnish language and culture OPH-7349-2025” as the subject line of the email.

The application form must be either electronically signed or manually signed and scanned. If this is not possible for whatever reason, please submit the application by email with the person authorised to sign on behalf of the university as the sender or second recipient.

We may request further clarifications on applications after the application period. We will announce the decisions by 31 January 2026.

Application form
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Our primary objective is to ensure that university-level Finnish language and culture teaching in different countries is of high quality and continuous. In particular, we want to ensure the availability of language experts. 

With this support, we pursue our primary objective through these sub-objectives:  

  • facilitating of the availability of teachers
  • supporting the launching of new educational programmes.

We strive for both qualitative and quantitative effectiveness, cooperation between universities and the sharing of teaching resources across university and national borders.

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Eligible candidates

The support can be awarded to a university outside Finland providing teaching in Finnish language and culture 

  1. that has a linguistic or philological degree programme AND
  2. in the above-mentioned degree programme, Finnish language and culture is the major subject or specialisation, etc.

The support can also be applied for by a university that is starting teaching in Finnish language and culture with the aim of developing a more extensive study module of Finnish language and culture.

The teacher for whom the support is applied for must have:

  • a relevant university degree in language or culture
  • good Finnish language proficiency AND
  • good knowledge of Finnish culture and society.

If the recruitment of the teacher is still in progress when the application is submitted, EDUFI may award the support as a conditional grant. The final decision will be made only after the university has submitted the details of the recruited teacher. 

Ineligible candidates

The support cannot be awarded to universities with a visiting lecturer sent by EDUFI.

The support cannot be awarded to Russian or Belarusian universities or to parties designated as subject to sanctions by the UN or the EU.

If it later emerges that incorrect information has been reported when applying for the grant, EDUFI has the right to recover the awarded grant.

Purposes for which the grant can be awarded

The support can be used to cover the local salary and employer expenses of a teacher.

Purposes for which the grant cannot be awarded

The support cannot be used to top up a salary to exceed the normal salary for a local teacher or to cover the administrative expenses of universities. 

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EDUFI may use its discretion and take into account the geographical distribution in the selections.

Applicant details

  • The number of Finnish language and culture students at the university. OR
    University starting Finnish language and culture teaching: The number of students interested in Finnish language and culture studies at the university.
  • The education and experience of the teacher who is to be financially supported. A degree in Finnish language or in a field related to Finnish culture as well as teaching experience in the field are considered an advantage.

Objectives and impact

  • Development of teaching (e.g., the studies are expanded from BA level to MA level). An active and innovative development approach is considered an advantage.
  • The contribution and role of the teacher who is to be financially supported in relation to the teaching of the entire subject.
  • The support is aimed at promoting cooperation between universities and the sharing of teaching resources across university and national borders (with the help of digital tools, for example).
  • The future prospects of the educational programme in Finnish language and culture. 

Implementation of supported activities

  • The teacher's curriculum supports the achievement of the objectives of the educational programme.

Cost estimate and financing

  • The university's own contribution of over 50% is considered an advantage.
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The period of use of the grant is one year between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2027. The supported terms do not need to be consecutive.

If the university has already been granted support for teaching until 31 August 2026, the new grant can be used as of 1 September 2026.

Any surplus must be returned to EDUFI.

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The university will report on the use of the support to EDUFI. Activity and financial reports for the preceding calendar year must be submitted no later than three months after the end of the grant period.

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Contact person Leena Kärnä

Contact us: skk [at] oph.fi

 

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Autumn 2025

Czech Republic, Brno, Masarykova univerzita

Germany, Berliini, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Poland, Poznan, Uniwersytet im. A. Mickiewicza

Autumn 2024

China, Tianjin, Tianjin Foreign Studies University

Czech Republic, Brno, Masarykova univerzita

Italy, Naples, Università degli Studi di Napoli - L'Orientale

USA, Bloomington, Indiana University

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Updated