OP Pohjola Research Foundation - Scholarship

OP Pohjola Research Foundation grant

You will receive a research grant worth up to 25,000 EUR for one year. Please use this sum for economic research or a full-time PhD programme in Finland. Priority will be given to research projects on cooperative banking and the financial sector in the broader sense, which provide new insights into the Finnish economy. A separate Kyösti Haataja scholarship worth 100,000 EUR supports research groups that examine the causes and effects of climate change or the loss of biodiversity from an economic, social science or legal perspective. The foundation is part of the OP Financial Group.

Who can apply

• Degree: You have obtained at least a Master’s degree.
• What you do: You are undertaking a full-time PhD programme, conducting your own research, working as a postdoctoral researcher (research following your PhD) or on research leave as a professor. To be eligible for a postdoctoral fellowship, a university must commit to employing you.
• Field: Economics and business economics. The Kyösti Haataja grant also covers social sciences and law.
• Who may apply: You apply for individual grants as a private individual. Funding for research teams and the Kyösti Haataja Fellowship are awarded to organisations and research groups.
• Nationality: Applicants of any nationality may apply, provided that their research benefits the Finnish economy.

How to apply

You can apply online via the Foundation’s funding portal during the annual call for applications in January. The deadline for applications for the current round is 3 February at 23:59.

How realistic are your chances?

In the year 2026, the foundation awarded 52 grants, providing a total of around 1.5 million euros.