Finland wins recognition for supporting researchers fleeing crisis areas

The Scholar Rescue Fund Beacon Award was given to Finland in recognition of the country’s efforts to support threatened and displaced scholars. The award justification highlighted the support of relevant ministries, the key role of Finnish higher education institutions, the Finnish National Agency for Education's long-term commitment to the activities and the uncompromising and innovative work carried out in Finland to support researchers. 

“One of the most important aspects of these efforts has been the expertise sharing taking place in the context of the Scholar Rescue Fund partnership, which has allowed the Finnish National Agency for Education and the host higher education institutions to develop sustainable and responsible practices to support the researchers,” says Counsellor of Education Maija Airas.

The Finnish research community benefits from international expertise

The Finnish National Agency for Education supports researchers arriving from crisis areas and their opportunities to continue their academic careers at Finnish universities. So far, Finland has received 11 researchers from Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. The supported researchers represent a wide range of disciplines, such as medicine, chemical technology, data processing, dentistry, electrical engineering and information technology. The researchers have been hosted in Finland by Aalto University and the universities of Helsinki, Tampere and Turku.

The support has significant impacts not only on the researchers themselves but also on the host universities and, more broadly, on the Finnish research community. The researchers are all proven talents in their respective fields who are bringing their scientific knowledge to Finland. Supporting the continuation of their research careers can also contribute to strengthening the academic capacity of their countries of origin, particularly in anticipation of future reconstruction efforts.

The Finnish National Agency for Education is carrying out long-term work to support researchers

The Finnish National Agency for Education has long been involved in developing opportunities for researchers fleeing crisis areas to continue their research work. This long-term work has been carried out in cooperation projects that have involved strengthening the integration of researchers and students with refugee backgrounds and focused on the employment needs and experiences of threatened researchers, among other things.
As of September 2024, the Finnish National Agency for Education has also been an associated partner in the three-year EU-funded Supporting At-risk researchers with Fellowships in Europe (SAFE) project. The purpose of the project is to develop and pilot a fellowship scheme for threatened researchers at higher education institutions and research institutes in the EU area. The aim is to enable doctoral students and post doc researchers at-risk to continue their research. The project's call for applications will be published on 18 November 2024.