Finnish Government Scholarship Pool - academic year
2017/2018
The Finnish Government offers scholarships of 3-9 months for Doctoral level studies and research at
Finnish universities or state research institutes. The Finnish Government Scholarship Pool programme is
open to young researchers from all academic fields. The scholarship cannot be applied for Master's level
studies or post-Doctoral studies/research.
Very important
The Finnish Government Scholarship Pool programme application form is not an application for a
study/research placement. It is merely an application for funding.
In order to be an eligible applicant for this scholarship, you must first successfully apply for a
study/research placement at a Finnish university/public research institute - in other words, you must
be at least provisionally accepted either as a visiting Doctoral-level student/researcher, or as a full-time
Doctoral degree student. Please see section Doctoral Admissions for information on how to apply for a
Doctoral-level study or research placement in Finland.
Who can apply?
The scholarships are based mainly on cultural agreements or similar arrangements between Finland and
the following countries:
Australia
China
Cuba
Egypt
Israel
Japan
Mexico
Mongolia
Namibia
Peru
Republic of Korea
Turkey
Ukraine
USA (please see the section Fulbright-CIMO grants on the Fulbright Online website)
Only the nationals of the above-mentioned countries can be considered eligible applicants in this
scholarship programme. (If you are not a national of any of the above countries, you cannot apply for
this particular scholarship - however, please see the other scholarship options in the section 'Tuition and
scholarships')
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, the applicant must:
have established contact with the Finnish receiving institution before applying (see section
'Doctoral Admissions')
have a letter of invitation from the academic supervisor in Finland; the invitation should also
explain the commitment of the host institution to the project
have earned a Master’s-level degree before applying
intend to pursue post-Master's level studies as a visiting student, participate in a research
project or teach at a university or public research institute in Finland; priority will be given to
doctoral studies
not have spent already more than one year at a Finnish higher education institution immediately
before the intended scholarship period in Finland
be able to give proof of sufficient skills in speaking and writing the language needed in
study/research*
be a national of one of the eligible countries listed above
*) this means that the application must include some proof of the applicant's language skills - CIMO does
not require you to take an IELTS or TOEFL test, but if you have such official proof of your English skills
that can of course be enclosed in the application. Usually however it is enough if, for example, the letter
of invitation from the hosting Finnish university states that your language skills have been deemed
sufficient by the Finnish university.
What does the scholarship cover?
The scholarship includes:
a monthly allowance of EUR 1500. The allowance is sufficient for one person only.
Expenses due to travel, international or in Finland, are not covered by CIMO. Scholarship recipients are
recommended to make arrangements for sufficient insurance coverage for their stay in Finland. Please
see the section 'Before your arrival' for information on the practicalities of coming to Finland as an
international student/researcher.
Scholarship period
The Finnish Government Scholarship Pool programme can be applied for a study/research period of 3-9
months, 9 months being the maximum time for an individual applicant.
You may wish to keep in mind that the Finnish academic year starts in late August/early September and
ends in late May (check the exact dates with the Finnish university you're interested in). However, in
your application you may also specify your scholarship period to start later than September - as long as
your scholarship period begins within the academic year that you've applied the scholarship for.
This scholarship programme can not be applied to cover a whole Doctoral degree programme - if you
are granted this scholarship, after the initial CIMO scholarship period you will need to look for other
sources of funding for the remainder of your studies/research in Finland.
How and when to apply
Applications for the Finnish Government Scholarship Pool funding should be made to the appropriate
authority in the applicant's country. The scholarship authorities in each country are invited to present
applications for up to 10 candidates for the Finnish Government Scholarship Pool. For information on
the appropriate authority in your country, please see the listing of countries and authorities to contact.
The announcements for the opening of the annual application round are usually sent out from CIMO at
the end of September annually. The applicants may then contact the scholarship authorities in their
home country for information on the national deadline for submitting the application documents.
The annual deadline set by CIMO for the nomination of scholarship candidates by the national
authorities is in mid-February (in 2017: 15
th February)
NB: You should check the application deadline set by the authorities in your country since it may be
earlier.
Scholarship decisions announced by June annually
CIMO will inform both successful and unsuccessful candidates of the results by June annually.
If you are among the scholarship candidates selected by the appropriate contact authorities in your
home country (in other words, if your scholarship application has been forwarded to CIMO) but you
have not for some reason received a decision letter from CIMO by mid-June, please contact us.
Application form & the required documents
Applicants from USA: please refer to the instructions & application form on the Fulbright Online
website!
Applicants from other participating countries: you can download the 2017-2018 application form using
the below link.
Finnish Government Scholarship Pool application form 2017-2018
Please save the application form on your own computer before completing it. The form should be typed
throughout. To move between different fields, use the “Tab” key. Relevant boxes can be ticked by using
the “Space” key or the left-hand mouse button. After completing the form, please print and sign it.
If needed, the application form can also be obtained from the national scholarship authorities or directly
from CIMO.
Documents required for an application:
a completed and signed application form
curriculum vitae
copies of latest diplomas*
two letters of recommendation
study/research plan (2-5 pages, including a statement of motivation, goals, work plan, work
method, expected results)
invitation/expression of interest and motivation for cooperation from the hosting academic
supervisor in Finland
language certificate (Finnish, Swedish or English) or other indication of sufficient language skills -
please see above, in the section 'Eligibility criteria'
*) copies of original diplomas accompanied with translations into English, Finnish or Swedish - if
the original certificates are not in these languages. Preferably official translations. Please do not
send in any originals as CIMO will not return any application documents.
See also...
Please also carefully read the general information section regarding CIMO scholarships.
List of selected candidates 2016-2017
You can find the list of selected candidates for 2016-2017 in this pdf file. Congratulations to all new
scholarship holders!
