Grants for Research on Baltic Sea Ecosystems
Walter and Andrée de Nottbeck Foundation sr funds marine research carried out at the Tvärminne Zoological Station on the southern coast of Finland, supporting environmental research with about 700 000 € every year. The main support is in the form of grants for postdoctoral scientists, postgraduate students and M. Sc. thesis work as well as for research projects. The foundation also supports a senior researcher program.
The Tvärminne Zoological Station is a part of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. It serves as a centre for a large variety of high quality biological research, carries out environmental monitoring, and offers facilities for visiting scientists, field courses, symposia and seminars. The area is characterized by high variation in biotopes and species richness. The station was founded in 1902 and provides good background data for studying long-term environmental changes. The station also serves as the national hub for the recently established Centre for Coastal Ecosystem and Climate Research (CoastClim), which evaluates the links between coastal biodiversity, carbon cycling, and climate feedback (see www.coastclim.org).
Grants and application times
The application period for next year’s scholarships is annually from September 1st to October 7th, until 23.59. Grants for MSc thesis can even applied in spring from March 15th to April 15th, until 23.59.
Tvärminne-based research is prioritized, e.g. post docs are expected to spend the majority of their research time at the station. Research funding categories available include:
Pro gradu (MSc thesis) scholarships, max. 2 200 € for a personal grant and max. 400 € for research costs (not travel or lodging)
PhD scholarships, approximately 2 200 €/ month, of which 62 % as a scholarship and 38 % as salary. The support is applied for on a yearly basis, and it can be granted for a maximum of four years.
Post doctoral support is salary based on and determined by the salary levels at the University of Helsinki, approximately 3 500 €/ month. The support can be granted for maximum of three years.
Research project funding
Senior researcher. See more specifications on application and salary below.
Applications are made using an electronic form with a link below. Only applications using the electronic from will be evaluated for funding! Guidelines for the application can be found associated with the electronic form, and specific instructions emerge when clicking the questions marks on the right hand side.
The obligatory appendices include 1) a research plan of max. 5 pages, 2) CV of max. 3 pages and 3) a budget (cost estimate).
Senior researcher
The Walter and Andrée de Nottbeck Foundation sr hosts a Tvärminne senior researcher program for which applications are invited from senior scientists at the adjunct/ full professor level. The wage is based on the salary levels at the University of Helsinki, with a starting salary of 4 000 - 5 000 €/ month. Besides the researcher’s salary, it is possible to apply for project funding. The maximum period for a senior researcher grant is five years.
The applications are evaluated by the scientific board of the Foundation. In the evaluation, emphasis is placed on how the applicant will contribute to the research at the Station, collaboration with active research groups and on scientific excellence.
Successful fellows are expected to be residents at the Station for the period of the fellowship. There is a possibility for family accommodation.
The position will be announced separately from the application time of the other grants.
Further information: Alf Norkko, professor (alf.norkko@helsinki.fi
Funding of research in 2024
The Walter and Andrée de Nottbeck Foundation has in 1.11.2023 decided to grant 600 000 € for the year 2024 to marine research at the Tvärminne Zoological Station in Helsinki University. Financing is allocated as salaries, personal grants and other research costs.
The Foundation received fourteen grant applications for the year 2024 in autumn 2023, and decided to finance eight of these.
The foundation pays half of the professor’s salary at Tvärminne Zoological Station and the whole annual salaries of a senior researcher and a post doc. Besides these, ten PhD students were granted a combined salary/grant for the whole year and one PhD student for half a year, and in addition, a total of 57 640 € were granted for other research costs (table).
