Deadline:
September 15, 2024
Location(s)
Finland Worldwide
Overview
Kone Foundation supports research in the humanities, social sciences and environmental sciences, as well as artistic research. We support artistic work in all fields of art, as well as multidisciplinary work combining art and research. Our next annual grant call will be held on 1–15 September, 2024.
Details
The funding decisions are guided by the central values defined in the Foundation’s strategy.
General principles
1. Academic and artistic freedom and the intrinsic value of research and art
We see research and art as valuable in and of themselves and not, for example, as means to generate profit. We rarely fund product development. Academic endeavours and artistic work must be developed freely on one’s own premises.
2. A plurality of voices
We want different voices to be heard, and we encourage collaboration. In our funding decisions, we emphasise disciplines and topics that are multidisciplinary and novel and seek to challenge prevailing views.
A project’s topic can be chosen freely, as long as the discipline is funded by the Foundation.
3. Boldness
One of our central values is boldness, which includes experimentation, incompleteness, indeterminacy and a combination of unexpected approaches.
4. Long term
The Foundation supports work done in peace, and it emphasises multi-year personal grants for academic and artistic work.
5. Crossing borders, both national and disciplinary
We support transnationalism, which can apply to Finnish grantees working abroad or foreign grantees working in Finland. We encourage our applicants to combine research and art in multidisciplinary projects.
6. Environmental sustainability
Additional funds can be awarded for travel that is more ecologically sustainable than, e.g., flying. Keep in mind that the Foundation offers no travel grants, so please include travel expenses in the “Other” section of your budget.
Research funding
We can fund high-quality research in the humanities, social sciences and environmental sciences, artistic research and multidisciplinary work that involves the academic fields mentioned above.
In artistic research or arts-based research, the artistic and academic aspects interact, and the work usually takes place at a university with degree programmes in art. Artistic research often has a connection with the researcher’s own artistic or arts pedagogy work.
The Foundation does not fund research in psychology, theology, law studies or business studies without an interdisciplinary dimension. Medical research is not supported.
In research funding decisions, our emphasis is on post-doctoral studies and more advanced stages of careers.
Art funding
The Foundation supports professional artistic work in all fields of art.
The emphasis is on artistic work, but the Foundation can, in exceptional cases, support cultural initiatives, such as work in museums that does not involve artistic work. However, the proportion of other kinds of cultural work in the Foundation’s funding decisions is marginal.
Programmes and thematic calls
Thematic funding calls will be evaluated separately from the general call. The general call is open and non-thematic, which means that the applications need not have a connection with the programme or the themes of the special calls.
Grant statistics
Most of Kone Foundation funding is awarded as personal grants for academic research, artistic work or work that combines research and art.
In addition, in both research and artistic projects, we can award funding for additional expenses (other than personal grants) necessary for the work.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
An individual, a working group or a legal entity with a Finnish business ID can apply for a grant from Kone Foundation. If the applicant is a working group or legal entity, the group members must choose a project leader from among themselves to be responsible for submitting the application.
To receive funding, projects must have a connection to Finland. In general, Kone Foundation’s grants are intended for:
- Finns, for work carried out in Finland or abroad
- foreigners, for work carried out in Finland
- foreigners, for project work that includes participants based in Finland
The following application processes apply criteria that differ from above:
- Themed calls for applications
- Call for residency applications for Lauttasaari Manor
- Residencies at Saari Residence
A grant from Kone Foundation must be used for the purpose for which it was awarded.
Dates
Deadline: September 15, 2024
Cost/funding for participants
How long can the funding period be?
A grant may be awarded for a maximum of four years at a time (also the combined duration of consecutive funding periods for the same project). You must start using the grant during the year after the decision, at the earliest in January. We encourage long-term work in both research and the arts.
Grants are not awarded retroactively.
The minimum duration of a personal grant for research or artistic work is one month. As a rule, we do not fund working periods of less than six months for individual applicants (excluding funding for finishing doctoral dissertation).
Grant amount
The amount of the personal monthly grant varies depending on the stage of your career. If the applicant applies for the larger monthly grant, such as grant 2 or 3, a description of the applicant’s career stage must be included in the application.
Grant classification from the year 2021 onwards are:
- Grant 1: early career applicants and those working on their doctoral thesis €2,500/month (€30,000/year)
- Grant 2: mid-career applicants (min. 10 years of artistic work) and those working at the post-doctoral level €3,000/month (€36,000/year)
- Grant 3: late career applicants (min. 20 years of artistic work) and experienced researchers (e.g., adjunct professor level, “dosentti” in the Finnish academic system) €3,600/month (€43,200/year).
Grants for individuals are mainly not awarded for work lasting less than 6 months. Working groups or organisations have a minimum of 1 month for each individual working grant.
Smaller grants are available (25%, 50% or 75% of full grant) for part-time work.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
