Finnish Brain Foundation
What does Finnish Brain Foundation stand for?
The Finnish Brain Foundation is working towards building a future for Finland, where fewer people have to suffer from disease that affects the brain or the nervous system. We promote research with the help of donations, and together with researchers from different fields we aim to increase the understanding of brain health, brain disease and brain research.
We provide grants for scientific research concerning the function and diseases of the brain and nervous system. The application period for the Finnish Brain Foundation’s grants is each year in August. You can apply by submitting an application in the grant system.
The Brain Foundation was established in 2009 by the Finnish Alzheimer Foundation, The Research Foundation for child psychiatry, The Neurology Foundation and Rinnekoti’s Foundation for developmental disability. In addition, Terttu Arajärvi, Professor Emerita in Child Psychiatry, was part of founding the foundation. The Research Foundation for muscle dystrophy was in 2014 merged with the Finnish Brain Foundation.*
Our operations are on all levels directed by our values: responsibility, professionalism and mutual respect.
Briefly about the subjects for our funding
Instructions for applying for a grant
Funding is intended for phd studies and post-docs and to individual researchers, the grant amounts in the past years have varied between 1500 EUR and 15 000 EUR. Grants are personal and they cannot be transferred to a third party.
Personal grants are intended to allow full-time research leave for the recipient. However, the grant is not a salary for work done in an employment or service relationship. If the grant recipient does not have the opportunity for full research leave, the recipient can use 35% of the total weekly working time for clinical or similar work during the grant payment period. However, at least 65% of working time should be spent on research.
Finnish Brain Foundation does not award grants for travel costs. The grant should be used within three years from the date that it is awarded. You can only apply for a grant from one fund.
Applications cannot be completed after the application deadline. Late applications will not be processed. Applications prepared in a way that deviates from the instructions will not be considered.
Read more about grants, reporting on their use, taxation, social security, and communication related to the Brain Foundation grant research here (in Finnish).
The application period for the Finnish Brain Foundation’s grants is in August. You can apply by submitting an application in the grant system. Only applications submitted through the grant system by the deadline will be considered.
Short checklist of the grant applicant
1. Please check that your application contains all material before submitting the final application.
2. Fill out the application form. Follow the instructions in the various sections of the form.
3. Write a structured and concise summary of the ongoing research and its progress.
4. Ask your supervisor of the dissertation or research to add his / her statement to your application under the scholarship scheme within one week from the application deadline (ie. by 7 September 2022).
5. Related parties and the Foundation’s conflict of interest principles
Make a donation for brain research
Why does the Brain Foundation finance research of the brain and nervous system?
The brain is our most valuable asset. The brain cannot be replaced, and there are no available spare parts either.
Half of all women and every third man over 45 years will at some point during the remaining years of their life suffer from a severe brain disease. This concerns indirectly even more people – family members, friends and colleagues.
Brain disease is also our most expensive national disease. The annual price tag they cause for the Finnish taxpayer is around 11 billion euro. Brain diseases cause 4 times as many costs to society as heart and cancer diseases. **
Better brain health means an increase in work capacity and general performance, as well as lower risk of falling ill. An understanding of what mechanisms cause brain disease increase knowledge of how each one of us can take care of our brain health and how our national health care can identify brain diseases at an earlier stage than at the present.
Care that is based on scientific research in brain diseases increases our performance and ability to work, and it minimizes human suffering and the risk of falling ill. Cures can only be found with the help of scientific research.
*Free translation of all the foundations.
** Figures are estimates as there is no information of exact costs.
The BABA (Baby Brain Activity) centre, which operates in connection with the HUS New Children’s Hospital, is developing smart clothing to help measure a child’s brain waves and facilitate early diagnosis. The multidisciplinary research is partially funded by the Finnish Brain Foundation, and is internationally unique.
Professor Sampsa Vanhatalo and his team explore and develop smart clothing to study early functional brain development in child’s own environment at home. Smart clothing helps in the early identification and treatment of diseases.