Grant call opens 6.12.2023

Bringing international research excellence to Finland – one researcher at a time

Discover the programme

The Brain Gain programme brings internationally acclaimed top Finnish medical researchers back to Finland.

In cooperation with:

Tietoa Aivotuonti-ohjelmasta

The mission of the Brain Gain programme is to attract experienced medical researchers back to Finland. The programme is a concrete step towards strengthening research excellence in Finland: it has been designed to support Finnish research and to promote research excellence in Finland.

Read more the Brain Gain programme -page.

The grant available under the Brain Gain programme is €2.5 million for a period of five years in Finland. The grant includes all the researcher’s personal salary costs and partly also the research group’s salary costs and research costs.

Read more For applicants -page.

You are eligible to apply if you have publicly defended your doctoral thesis in Finland or are a Finnish citizen who has publicly defended their doctoral thesis abroad and after your post-doc period have continued a research career outside of Finland. The grant is awarded to an independent medical researcher who does not have their own researcher post or employment relationship in Finland.

We require active research work and strong evidence of significant, original research results achieved outside of Finland over the past 10 years. Besides this, we require a plan to launch a new project in the field of medical research in Finland.

Read more For applicants -page.

Stories from medical researchers who have returned to Finland

Dr. Minna-Liisa Änkö

When a long-term researcher moves country, not only families but also research teams move with them. That’s why even the return migration is not always straightforward.

“This place is just for you.” It was true, Minna-Liisa Änkö herself acknowledged her husband’s remark.

“At that point, I had been working abroad for almost 20 years, my entire post-doctoral career. I could just as easily have moved elsewhere. I was just interested in a good place to do research and teach.”

Read the full story →