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Kordelinin säätiö is the Finnish name of the Alfred Kordelin Foundation, a private foundation based in Helsinki that awards science grants to individual researchers, alongside art and public education grants. Its science grant is a personal working grant of EUR 45,000 for 12 to 18 months of full-time work, open to recent doctoral graduates with a Finnish doctorate. This guide lists, in the foundation’s own terms, who may apply, what to upload, how the three pools work and how applications are judged. It reflects the foundation’s English-language science grant page, checked on 2026-10-29.
What Kordelinin säätiö is
The Alfred Kordelin Foundation (in Finnish, Kordelinin säätiö) is a Finnish grant-making foundation at Yrjönkatu 16 A 3, 00120 Helsinki. It is a research funder, not a registry or identifier service: there is no record to look up or register. Applicants apply to it for money. Its board makes the final funding decisions. The foundation runs an annual August call; the 2026 round ran from 15 to 31 August, with decisions in November 2026. For later years, check the official site for the dates.
Who can apply
The science grant is aimed at recent PhD graduates and early-career postdoctoral researchers (see early-career researcher). The foundation’s conditions are:
- The doctoral degree was completed less than two years ago. A thesis that is nearing completion can also be submitted if permission for the public defence has been granted.
- The applicant is a Finnish citizen or a private individual working in Finland, with a doctoral degree from a Finnish university.
- Applicants are private individuals only. In the foundation’s words, “Science grants are awarded to private individuals only.”
- If the applicant has received an earlier Kordelin grant, the report on that grant must be submitted before a new application.
Who is not eligible
- Doctoral students still doing the research. The foundation states: “Grants are not awarded for doing doctoral research or finishing a doctoral thesis.”
- Organisations, research groups and universities as applicants.
- Medical research: the foundation does not award grants for medical research for the time being.
- Applications that are late or incomplete. The online service will not let you submit until the required items are attached, and the foundation does not accept late applications.
How to apply, step by step
- Sign in to the foundation’s online grant service with personal online banking credentials or mobile ID.
- Complete the form. It is available in Finnish and English. Drafts can only be made during the application period.
- Choose one pool (see below). For interdisciplinary work, choose the pool that best represents it.
- Upload the attachments as separate PDF files of no more than 3 MB each, named descriptively and without special characters.
- Submit before the deadline. In 2026 the call closed at 4 pm Finnish time on 31 August.
Attachment checklist
| Label on the form | Status | Notes from the foundation |
|---|---|---|
| CV | Mandatory | The TENK CV template is recommended where applicable. See also academic CV example and narrative CV for background. |
| Work plan | Mandatory | Maximum five pages. |
| List of publications | Mandatory | No further rule stated. |
| Doctoral diploma or permission for defence | Mandatory | The permission applies when the thesis is not yet defended. |
| Statement | Optional | From a research group leader or partner. |
| Opponent statement | Optional | For recent graduates. |
Pools, grant size and how applications are evaluated
Each applicant picks one of three pools: Pool 1, Humanities; Pool 2, Natural sciences and technical sciences; Pool 3, Social sciences.
The grant is EUR 45,000 for 12 to 18 months of full-time, continuous work. It covers working costs and expenses as well as employment pension, occupational accident and group life insurance. The grant cannot be applied for purely to cover costs and expenses. Recipients may work up to 50 percent part-time alongside it, and work must start in the calendar year after the award.
Evaluation criteria
The foundation asks three questions, which a work plan should answer directly:
- What scientific, societal, educational or commercial development potential does the work have?
- How does the work advance the applicant’s career and chosen career path?
- How will the results, or the skills gained, be used after the grant period?
Evaluation stages
- Experts in the foundation’s science division assess the applications in the three pools.
- Shortlisted applications go to a joint pool meeting, where funding decisions are prepared.
- The foundation’s board makes the final decisions. Applicants are notified by email.
Science grants and public education grants
Kordelinin säätiö also runs a separate public education grant, which is not a research grant. Its individual pool offers a EUR 45,000 working grant for 12 to 18 months of full-time work, and its collective pool is for registered collectives with a Finnish Business ID (EUR 50,000 to 100,000 in total, up to 24 months). Applicants in the science call should use the science grant page and not the public education one.
Common problems
- Applying as a doctoral student. Only recent graduates, or candidates with permission to defend, are eligible. The grant does not fund the thesis itself.
- Applying with a non-Finnish doctorate. The foundation’s conditions refer to a doctorate from a Finnish university.
- Overlooking the earlier-grant report. A report on any previous Kordelin grant is required before a new application.
- Oversized or badly named files. Files over 3 MB, or names with special characters, break the stated upload rules.
- A work plan that ignores the criteria. The plan is limited to five pages, so cover development potential, career path and use of results explicitly.
- Waiting until the last day. The service blocks submission until all mandatory items are attached, and late applications are not accepted.
Publication records in your application
The foundation asks for a list of publications and a CV. Finnish researchers can find their publication records in the national publication data service described in VIRTA, Finland’s publication information service. For how private foundations differ from state funders more broadly, see private foundation research funding.
FAQ
What is Kordelinin säätiö?
It is the Finnish name of the Alfred Kordelin Foundation in Helsinki, which awards grants for science, art and public education.
How much is the Kordelin science grant?
EUR 45,000 as a working grant for 12 to 18 months of full-time work, as stated by the foundation for the 2026 round.
Can I apply for a Kordelin science grant while still writing my doctoral thesis?
Only if the thesis is nearing completion and permission for the defence has been granted. Grants are not awarded for doing doctoral research or finishing a thesis.
Can a university or research group apply?
No. Science grants are awarded to private individuals only.
Does the foundation fund medical research?
Not for the time being, according to the science grants page.
When is the deadline?
The 2026 call ran from 15 to 31 August and closed at 4 pm Finnish time. Check the official site for the current year’s dates.
Sources
- Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Science grants (English): kordelin.fi/en/grants/science, checked 2026-10-29.
- Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Public education grants (English): kordelin.fi/en/grants/public-education, checked 2026-10-29.
