RIL-Foundation - Scholarship

RIL Foundation scholarships

You get a grant for projects, studies or a study period abroad in the built-environment sector. Grants reach up to 20,000 EUR, and the amount depends on what you apply for:

• Doctoral thesis grant: 2,500 EUR
• Technical book or publication project: 500 to 2,500 EUR
• Teaching-development project: 5,000 to 20,000 EUR
• Industry project with public results: 5,000 to 10,000 EUR
• Travel grant for engineering students going abroad to study or do a work placement
• Grant for an excellent master's thesis (diplomityö) with top marks

The money comes from the RIL Foundation (RIL-Säätiö), the funding foundation of the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers. It hands out up to 100,000 EUR per year across all applicants.

Who can apply

• Field: Your work, study or project is in the KIRA sector: construction, real estate, environmental and urban engineering, or building services.
• Project grants: Companies, communities, projects and individuals can apply. You do not need to be a RIL member.
• Travel and thesis grants: You must be a RIL member with paid-up fees, both when you apply and when the decision is made.
• Thesis grant: You apply within one year of earning your engineering degree. Your thesis must be graded 5, the top mark.
• Travel grant: You apply before or during your time abroad, never afterwards, and only once during your studies. Trips to conferences or research trips abroad are not covered.
• One per year: You do not get a second grant within the same calendar year or in back-to-back rounds.

How to apply

There are two rounds a year. The first runs 1 January to 22 February 2026, with decisions by the end of March. The second runs 1 June to 30 September 2026, with decisions by mid-November. For project grants, send a free-form letter to the RIL Foundation. For personal grants, use the online form. You can only apply for the thesis grant in the second round.

Our guide Scholarships in Finland brings together scholarships and funding across Finland for students and researchers looking beyond this programme.