Submissions open for Major Grants in Finland
Section
The Cancer Foundation is requesting applications for Major Grants to support senior-level researchers conducting cancer-related research in Finland.
Aims: The strategy is aimed at promoting a good quality of life for patients and their loved ones despite cancer, strengthening fairness and effectiveness in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and strengthening cancer research and expertise. The scientific quality and feasibility of the research protocol, the applicant’s scientific merits and the project’s relevance to cancer research, with a clear connection to cancer or cancer prevention, detection, treatment or rehabilitation.
Applications for Major Grants are submitted through the Cancer Foundation Finland’s electronic system between 2 June and 20 August 2025, and late or non-compliant submissions will be rejected.
Only one application per applicant is allowed, and researchers may hold only one Cancer Foundation Finland grant at a time. Grants support research conducted in Finland and are intended for senior-level researchers, and funding is not available for research and product development projects at companies. Researchers or teams funded by the tobacco industry are ineligible.
Applicants must submit a research protocol limited to five pages, including references, using a minimum font size of 12 pt. The protocol should follow the indicative structure: background, research objective, research implementation and methods, schedule, division of labour among research team members, basis for cost estimate, ethical considerations, and impact of research. A list of the principal researcher’s publications from 2015–2025 must be appended; only five key publications are entered on the application form, while a complete list is included in the appendix. For clinical interventional studies or trials, applicants must provide a study protocol or, if unavailable, a synopsis of the planned trial.
Applicants are also asked to include a public, Finnish-language summary (up to 500 characters) describing the project’s rationale, methods, expected results and benefits, and societal impact—and this may be in English if the researcher’s native language is not Finnish.
Applications are processed with careful attention to the scientific quality and feasibility of the protocol, the applicant’s merits, and the project’s cancer relevance. The Board of the Cancer Foundation Finland decides on grants in November 2025 based on proposals from the Grants Committee.
If awarded, major grants of €450,000 each are paid in six instalments every six months, beginning in January 2026. The site of research may receive up to 15 % of the grant as overhead reimbursement. Grantees must report results annually, notify relevant authorities such as Mela and the Finnish Tax Administration, provide financial accounts, and may request changes to grant use or extensions if justified. Throughout, grantees are encouraged to acknowledge the Cancer Foundation Finland in communications and inform their Communications Department of significant research findings.
