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Finland Closing soon Closes 1 October 2026

Finland Government Fellowship Scheme

The Finland Government Fellowship is administered by EDUFI (the Finnish National Agency for Education) on behalf of the Finnish Ministry of Education. It pays €1,500/month for 3 to 12 months and funds doctoral candidates and early-career postdoctoral researchers to spend time at a Finnish university or research institute. This is a research mobility scheme — NOT a degree-program scholarship. Awardees remain enrolled in their home institution and use the Finnish stay for research collaboration, data collection, lab work, or fieldwork. Sri Lankan PhD candidates at home universities (or pursuing PhDs elsewhere) can use this to add a Finnish research dimension to their doctoral work. Strong fit for those in STEM, environmental sciences, education research, or Nordic studies.

Two cycles per year — winter call typically opens August with a 1 October deadline; summer call typically opens January with a 1 March deadline

EDUFI (Finnish National Agency for Education)

Government-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

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Monthly Stipend

€1,500/month

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Duration

3-12 Months (Research Stay)

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Eligible Levels

PhD Candidate / Junior Postdoc

info How this award actually works

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This is a separate, highly competitive application

Government awards like this one run their own selection round against applicants from across the world, and success rates are usually in the low single digits. Lanka Scholar does not administer it and cannot submit it for you. Treat it as a bonus on top of a funded study plan — never as the plan itself.

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Who awards it

EDUFI (Finnish National Agency for Education) — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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How you are considered

Through a separate application round run by the funder, with its own forms, deadlines and shortlisting. You submit it yourself — it is not part of a university admission application.

payments

What it covers

€1,500/month for 3-12 Months (Doctoral / Postdoctoral Research Stays). Read the terms carefully: even fully-funded awards rarely cover every cost, and any shortfall is yours to fund.

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Where we come in

We help you judge whether this award is worth your time, and build a realistic admission plan that works whether or not you win it.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Doctoral or Early-Postdoc Candidate

You must be a doctoral candidate (already enrolled in a PhD programme) or a junior postdoctoral researcher (typically within 3-5 years of PhD completion). Master's students are not eligible — there is a separate EDUFI scheme for those.

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Open to All Nationalities

Open to applicants from any country, including Sri Lanka. No country quotas. Selection is competitive based on academic merit and proposal quality.

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Confirmed Finnish Host

You must have a written invitation from a host professor or research group at a Finnish university or research institute (VTT, Finnish Meteorological Institute, etc.). The host must commit to supervision and confirm office/lab access.

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Working Language

Research work in Finland is typically conducted in English — Finland has the highest English proficiency in the EU (EF EPI). No language certificate is required at application; demonstrable English fluency is enough.

account_tree Application Process

Identify your Finnish host

Search the research portals of Finnish universities (Aalto, Helsinki, Turku, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Tampere) to identify researchers in your field. Email your top choices with your CV, research proposal, and proposed dates.

Secure a hosting invitation

Negotiate the visit details with your host — duration, lab/desk access, supervision arrangements, and a written invitation letter on institutional letterhead. This is the most critical part of the application.

Submit the EDUFI application

Apply via the EDUFI online application form (oph.fi/edufi) by the relevant cycle deadline. Required: research plan, CV, doctoral supervisor's recommendation letter, host invitation letter, and (for postdocs) PhD certificate.

Selection + visit start

EDUFI's academic panel reviews applications. Decisions are typically announced 2-3 months after the deadline. Awarded fellows arrange the Finnish residence permit for research (Type D) via the Finnish embassy. The stipend is paid monthly into a Finnish bank account opened on arrival.

Why Finland for Research?

Finland has the highest per-capita R&D investment in Europe and consistently leads global education and innovation indices. Finnish universities are particularly strong in education research, sustainable forestry, ICT, life sciences, and environmental sciences. The country's small size means easy collaboration access — a research stay here can yield co-authored publications and lasting EU network ties.

3%+

Finland R&D Spend as % of GDP

#1 EU

English Proficiency (EF EPI)

2 yrs

Post-Research Job-Search Permit

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

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