Finnish Brain Foundation - Scholarship

Benefit

You will receive a personal research grant of 2,000 to 15,000 EUR to enable you to devote yourself full-time to research into the brain and the nervous system. These funds will allow you to take a leave of absence from your other duties. If you are unable to take full leave of absence, you may combine your research with clinical, teaching or other activities, provided the project progresses according to plan. The grant may also be used for research materials or software licences, but not for travel expenses. You must use it within three years of it being awarded. The Finnish Brain Foundation (Aivosaatio), a donation-funded charitable organisation, awards a total of 350,000 EUR in 2026. Funding covers topics such as Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders, child and adolescent psychiatry (including ADHD), developmental disorders, neurology (stroke, brain injuries, MS, Parkinson’s, epilepsy), autism and ALS.

Eligibility

• Who you are: You are at the PhD dissertation stage, a post-doc (a researcher who already has a doctorate), or an independent researcher. The grant is personal, so you cannot pass it to anyone else.
• Field: Your research focuses on diseases of the brain and the nervous system, or conditions closely related to them. The 2026 funding round focuses in particular on clinical research.
• Where you research: You are conducting research at a Finnish university. If you are a Finnish national, you can also apply for a research post at a university abroad.
• Nationality: People of any nationality can apply to undertake a research project at a Finnish university.
• One fund only: Each application may only draw on funds from one of the thematic funds.
• Not a salary: The grant is not remuneration for work. It must not be used as wages within the context of an employment relationship.

How to apply

Registration and applications are made via the Foundation’s online funding system. The application window runs from 1 to 31 August 2026 and closes at 23:59. If you are a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher, your supervisor or project leader must submit a statement within approximately one week of the deadline. You will be notified of the decision by the end of 2026.

Our guide Scholarships in Finland lists further funding options in Finland that may complement your brain research grant.