CIMO Fellowships
The CIMO Fellowships programme is open to young Doctoral level students and researchers from all countries and from all academic fields. Master’s level studies or post-doctoral studies/research are not supported in the programme.
The primary target group in the CIMO Fellowship programme are such Doctoral level students who will be doing their Doctorate (or Double Doctorate) at a Finnish university . Visiting Doctoral-level students and researchers who are doing their Doctorate degree at some foreign university can also be considered eligible, provided that the motivation letter of the hosting Finnish university department presents exceptionally good grounds for such an application.
The programme is open for applicants from all countries. However, when decisions on scholarship are made, emphasis is given to applicants from Russia, China, India, Chile, Brazil and North America.
The scholarship period may vary from 3 to 12 months. The monthly allowance is 1500 euros. The scholarship is intended to cover living expenses in Finland for a single person. No additional allowance for housing is paid. Expenses due to international travel to and from Finland are not covered by CIMO.
NB: the CIMO Fellowship is a “start-up” grant rather than a full degree scholarship, so if you for example receive a CIMO Fellowship for 12 months, after that period you should seek other sources of funding for the remaining period of your studies/research.
If you are already residing in Finland, please note that the Doctoral students/researchers for whom the Finnish universities can apply for a CIMO Fellowshipshould not have resided in Finland for more than one (1) year prior to submitting a CIMO Fellowship application. If you have resided in Finland longer than that, please refer to the section Other sources of funding.
How to apply
The prerequisite for applying is that the visiting researcher must have established contacts with a Finnish host university – please see the section Doctoral Admissions for further information (you’ll find links to the universities’ Doctoral Admissions pagesthere). You are also advised to visit the Finnish universities’ own websites for info on Doctoral level study and research options.
If a Finnish university is willing to host you, then the Finnish university department wishing to host you can apply to CIMO for the grant on your behalf. In other words,only the hosting Finnish university can act as an “applicant” in the CIMO Fellowship programme.
The application form for the CIMO Fellowship can be downloaded below. Additionally, the following attachments are required for a CIMO Fellowship application:
- A motivation letter from the applicant (the hosting university), max 1 page
- Complete CV of the scholarship candidate
- Research plan (3-5 pages)
Two printed and signed copies of the application with required attachments should be submitted to the following address: CIMO, PO Box 343, 00531 Helsinki. Please mark the envelope with “CIMO Fellowships”.
When to apply
There are no annual application deadlines in the CIMO Fellowship programme. Applications may be considered at all times. However, please note that applications should be submitted at least 5 months before the intended scholarship period. Decisions will be made within approximately 3 months after receipt of application.
Application form and detailed instructions
A detailed set of guidelines for a CIMO Fellowship application is provided (in English) at the end of the downloadable application form, see the link below.