Post-graduate and research scholarships for kindred peoples

The intended use of the scholarship during the state of emergency coursed by the Russian attack on Ukraine is as follows:

The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) awards scholarships for Finno-Ugric post-graduate students and researchers whose native tongue is one of the Finno-Ugric languages spoken in Russia or who has a command similar to a native speaker and has a Finno-Ugric family background.

They must not have any affiliation with Russian or Belarussian universities or research institutions.

These scholarships can be applied also by Finno-Ugric post-graduate students and researchers who have affiliation with other than Russian or Belarussian universities.

The scholarships for kindred peoples for post-graduate studies or research in a Finnish university or a research centre can be applied for a period of 1 to 12 months. Scholarships are also available for visits of 1 to 4 weeks.

Who are scholarships for kindred peoples for?

The scholarships for kindred peoples are intended for post-graduate students and researchers

who have a Finno-Ugric family background and speaks one of the Finno-Ugric languages spoken in Russia as a native tongue or who has a command similar to a native speaker.
would carry out research on Finno-Ugric languages and/or cultures in Finnish universities or who carry out research on Finno-Ugric languages and/or culture universities outside Finland (not in Russia or Belarus) and would come to a Finnish university for a period of 1 - 12 months
do not have an affiliation with Russian or Belarussian universities

The receiving university will have to justify and convince based on earlier cooperation or other information that the person in question fulfils the criteria and is applicable for post-graduate studies/research work.

Scholarships of 1 to 12 months

Scholarships are awarded for post-graduate studies or research in a Finnish university, museum or language research centre. The field of research can be Finno-Ugric languages and/or cultures of Russia.

The maximum length of the scholarship is 12 months, which can be split into several shorter periods.

The scholarship amount is € 1,900/month. (This applies to applications that are submitted on 1.1.2023 at the earliest.)

There is no separate grant for travel or other costs.

The receiving department in Finland will host the scholarship holder and provide them with working facilities and equipment and supervise their research. The host will also take care of all practical arrangements, such as entry into the country, welcome and reservations for accommodation.

How to apply for the scholarship?

The host university or research centre in Finland will apply for the scholarship.

Post-graduate student or researcher

Contact the host department in Finland in good time before submitting the application and find out how you can verify that you speak one of the Finno-Ugric languages spoken in Russia as a native tongue or that you have a command similar to a native speaker.

Send all documents to the host department in Finnish or in English. You will need at least:

research plan (2-3 pages: introduction, goals, work plan, methods, expected results)
recommendation by research supervisor (from home university in case you carry out post-graduate studies or research at a university outside Finland, excluding Russian and Belarussian universities)
CV, including, among other things, information about previous studies, publications, previous visits to Finland, and
a copy of your degree certificate.

We need your personal information for the scholarship selection process only. It will not be given to anybody else.

Finnish host department

A host department in Finland can also initiate cooperation and a scholarship application.

Send the above annexes and the application together with a justification for the scholarship. The justification should include

a description about the significance of the cooperation to the department
a description about the background for the cooperation
an explanation of how the department is committed to the project
information about any possible financial commitment by the host department to the project.

Please send the application form with required annexes to hakemukset_skk [at] oph.fi. Write ”Kindred peoples scholarships for post-graduate students and researchers"

Application deadline

The application period is ongoing. The host department should apply at least two months prior to the scholarship period.

Selection process and payment of the scholarship

The Advisory Group for Finnish Studies at Universities Abroad will provide their comments on applications. The selection decision will be sent to the applicant host department and a copy to the post-graduate student or researcher.

The scholarship is awarded to the host department that will pay it to the scholarship holder and invoice EDUFI afterwards. The invoice should be sent at the latest one month after the end of the scholarship period. If the scholarship period extends over the end of a year, the department should send separate invoices for each year.

Scholarships of 1 to 4 weeks

You can apply for a grant for post-graduate study or research visits of 1 to 4 weeks. The amount of the grant is € 475/week.

The scholarship can be used, for example, to

visit archives
attend seminars
conduct interviews
meet with supervisors.

The grant cannot be awarded to just attend a conference or a seminar. The visit must include other work relating to post-graduate studies or research, too.

How to apply?

The post-graduate student or researcher should apply for the grant themselves at least a month before the planned visit.

It is important to explain the purpose of the visit is and its significance for your studies or research and detail the contents of a seminar attended if applicable.

Send together with your application (in Finnish or English):

a justification for the visit
a research plan
a recommendation by your research supervisor, and
CV, including information about previous degrees/qualification, possible prior scholarships/grants to Finland and previous visits to Finland.

If you cannot get a confirmation for participation in, for example, a seminar on time, you can send the application conditionally: explain in your application that you are yet to receive the confirmation and when you get it, you should send it to the contact person of the scholarship programme without delay.

Please remember to cancel your application if you do not get the confirmation.

Please send your application form with required annexes to hakemukset_skk [at] oph.fi. Write ” Sukukansa-apuraha 1–4 viikoksi” (in Finnish. Translation: Kindred peoples scholarship of 1 to 4 weeks) in the subject field.

Selection result and payment

Decision about the scholarship will be sent to the post-graduate student or researcher. The grant will be paid directly to their bank account.

Reporting

At the end of a scholarship period of 1 to 12 months, both the scholarship holder and the host department should send the contact person at EDUFI a free-form report, including the main results from the scholarship period.

At the end of a scholarship visit of 1 to 4 weeks, the scholarship holder should send the contact person at EDUFI a free-form report, including the main results from the scholarship period.