TURNS Funding Call 2025
TURNS Research Platform aims to catalyze transdisciplinary, innovative and impactful action for urban sustainability. To support new research initiatives in this field, TURNS offers a) seed funding and b) mobility funding for researchers to be used in 2025. Additionally, a separate c) research enrichment funding call will be launched in spring 2025.
Please, find here the detailed instructions on how to apply for the TURNS seed and mobility funding.
TURNS Funding Call 2025
- Application period: 2.12.2024- 24.01.2025
- Funding period: 17.3.-31.12.2025
- Total funding: approx. EUR 100,000
- Amounts funded: EUR 4,000 to 15,000 (seed funding); EUR 2,000 to 6,000 (mobility funding)
- Decisions on funding will be made by 10.3.2025.
Funding criteria
The aim of the funding is to support impactful research and activities related to urban sustainability. Thus, there are several criteria of how the applications will be evaluated.
- The project/visits must be related to urban studies and support the strategy of Tampere University and the themes and objectives of TURNS.
- The main applicant must be a member of the Tampere University research community (career stage 1-4)
- Issues to be assessed separately in the proposal: multidisciplinarity, innovation and scientific courage (seed funding); scientific quality and significance of the visit (mobility funding)
- The project/visit should support the applicant’s long-term goals within academia.
Note that TURNS funding may complement the services already provided by Tampere University, but it must not overlap with these (such as other internal funding from the preaward team or other research platforms). Please, do not send the same or similar proposal to other simultaneous calls at Tampere University, such as DigiSus Funding Call 2025, but choose a call that suits your application best.
Those receiving funding are expected to either produce a post about their project/visit on the Tampere Urban Research Perspectives blog; produce a TURNS Seed Event as part of their project; or make a presentation at one of the TURNS events. This will be agreed separately with each recipient.
Seed funding
Seed funding is granted for the purposes of applying significant external funding; for formation and establishment of multidisciplinary partnerships or consortia; or for other ambitious and high-quality scientific initiatives.
Seed funding can be used to cover:
- The salary costs of the staff of Tampere University (as working time allocations)
- The fees of persons outside Tampere University (see instructions on fees on the intranet)
- Travel costs (see travel guidelines on the intranet)
- Billable domestic and foreign services and purchases
- Reimbursement of expenses in cases where invoicing is not possible.
The amount of seed funding is EUR 4,000-15,000 per initiative.
The main applicant must be a member of the Tampere University research community. A part of the funding can be used to pay the fees of researchers at other universities / abroad, but only for justified reasons explained in the application.
The funding can be used for the salaries or hiring of people at Tampere University (please, confirm this from your supervisor/unit/faculty). Please, read through the procedures in intranet already before submitting the application: employment relationships. Any contracts are made at your own unit and the costs are allocated to TURNS.
Mobility funding: Travel allowance and grants
Mobility funding is granted to the members of the Tampere University research community. The funding is primarily meant for short-term visits (2-8 weeks) to foreign universities and research institutes.
The applicant for the travel allowance must be employed at Tampere University. Note that if the visit lasts for more than 30 days, then rules for working abroad apply.
If the applicant is not employed at Tampere University (e.g. people with resource agreements), they can apply for a travel grant. Note that the employees at Tampere University cannot receive the travel grant.
Mobility funding can be used to cover:
- Travel costs
- Accommodation costs
- Other costs (workspace costs, conference fees, and other direct costs)
- Employees only: per diem allowances based on Tax Administrator’s instructions. For visits longer than 30 days, see working abroad on intranet.
- Travel grant applicants only: other daily living expenses (max. 50 euros/day)
The amount of the travel allowance / travel grant is EUR 2,000-6,000 per applicant.
Payment details are agreed with TUNI financial administration on a case-by-case basis. Employees at Tampere University must comply with the university’s travel guidelines (see intranet). For others (that is, the applicants of a travel grant), funding is based on the budget presented in the application.
How to apply
Send a short, free-form application, maximum two pages (no attachments), by email to TURNS Project Manager Riina Lundman (riina.lundman@tuni.fi). The language of the application can be either English or Finnish. The application period closes on 24 January 2025 at 23:59 (EEST).
The application should include:
- Title in both English and Finnish
- The name of the main applicant, contact information and position at Tampere University
- Purpose of funding (seed funding, travel allowance, or travel grant) and a short work plan
- Public description of the initiative / visit for communications purposes (in English or Finnish, max. 300 characters including spaces)
- What are the short- and long-term objectives of the initiative/visit and why is the initiative important? What results can be expected?
- Potential collaborators and research environment / network / team
- A clear budget and timetable describing what the funding will be used for. If funding is planned for the salaries or hiring of employees at Tampere University, indirect personnel costs and overhead costs should not be included in the budget.
When planning the application, remember that the funding must be used by the end of 2025.
Decisions
The applications are evaluated by the members of the TURNS Management Group and, if necessary, by external evaluators, with grades 1-5. The TURNS Management Group make funding decisions on 4 March 2025 among the applications with the best grades. Any conflicts of interest are taken into account in the evaluation and decision process. The applied sums may be cut if necessary. The applicants will be notified of the decisions by 10 March 2025.
We inform about accepted applications on the TURNS website, LinkedIn, and other TUNI channels.
More information
- Riina Lundman, TURNS Project Manager
- riina.lundman@tuni.fi, +358 50 435 3702