Nessling Foundation - Doctoral Thesis Funding (Environmental)

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Enriched Nordic · Found: 2026-03-10 15:32

Funding for doctoral thesis projects in environmental research up to EUR 30K/year for max 4 years. Covers climate change, biodiversity, natural resources, water risks, pollution. Applicants need Masters degree minimum.

Source: https://nessling.fi/en/instructions-doctoral-thesis

Funding Details

Funder: Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation
Funding Goal: Funding for doctoral thesis research projects that enable or support sustainability transformation protecting natural systems, covering climate change, biodiversity loss, biogeochemical flows, freshwater, land use change, chemical pollution, and ocean acidification.
Funding Amount: EUR 30,000/year personal grant (EUR 2,500/month), max 4 years (EUR 120,000 total). Research costs may be applied in addition. Total pool: EUR 3,250,000 for general call 2026 (shared across all grant types). (up to 120.000 €)
Deadline: 2026-08-28 (periodic)
How to Apply: Applications submitted via Nesslink system (nesslink.fi). Application form available from 17 August 2026 (open 17-28 August). Mandatory attachments: research plan, communications and interaction plan, CV and publications list, signed commitment form from implementation site. Supervisor statement (mandatory, deadline 2 weeks after application period closes). Applications accepted in Finnish or English.
Target Region: Finland and Nordic region; research can be conducted at non-Finnish institutes but applicant typically affiliated with Finnish institution
Contact: Nessling Foundation, nessling.fi/en/administration-and-contact/. Application system: nesslink.fi
Last Checked: 2026-03-15 14:09

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Applicant must be the doctoral researcher (thesis author), not a supervisor or institution
Undergraduate degree completed and doctoral programme admission confirmed (or pending at application time)

Project Scope

Project must address a planetary boundary — including ocean acidification, water systems, biodiversity loss
Minimum 2 years duration, maximum 4 years; no funding for finalisation-only theses

Required Documents

Mandatory: research plan, communications plan, CV with publications, signed commitment form, supervisor statement
Project title and summary required in both Finnish and English on application form

Constraints

Only one application per person per call; no new application if existing Nessling grant ongoing
Application window: 17–28 August (annual; 2026 dates confirmed)
Daily commuting costs, standard laptop, and office space not eligible

Summary

The Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, a major Finnish environmental research funder, offers doctoral thesis grants to individual researchers conducting sustainability science that protects natural systems. This is one of three grant types within the annual general call alongside postdoc and science-based action project grants. Thematic scope is defined through planetary boundaries: climate change, loss of biosphere integrity, nitrogen and phosphorus flows to oceans, freshwater consumption, land system change, atmospheric aerosol loading, stratospheric ozone depletion, chemical pollution and novel entities, and ocean acidification. Baltic Sea, water bodies, marine ecosystems, and aquatic systems are explicitly mentioned as relevant keywords for projects. Eligible activities include doctoral thesis research across all academic disciplines (natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, sustainability science, multidisciplinary, and others) as long as projects enable or support sustainability transformation. Research costs for travel, analytical services, equipment, and communications may be requested alongside the personal grant. Geographic scope is primarily Finland and the Nordic region, though research may be conducted at non-Finnish research institutes. The foundation is Finnish and typically supports researchers in the Finnish research system. Eligible applicants are doctoral researchers who are the thesis authors. The applicant must be admitted to a doctoral programme (admission may be pending at time of application). Individuals only — no organisational applicants for this grant type. Maximum one active Nessling grant per person. Personal grant: EUR 30,000/year (EUR 2,500/month), for 2-4 years, maximum EUR 120,000. Research costs are additional. Total 2026 general call pool: EUR 3.25M. Application window: 17–28 August annually. Nesslink online system required.

Historical Context

Annual general grant call held in autumn. Application form available via Nesslink system. The 2026 call offers EUR 3.25M total across all grant types (doctoral, postdoc, science-based action). 2025 grant rate was EUR 30,000/year for doctoral researchers.

Why it was added

Dedicated doctoral funding stream for environmental research including water/marine topics relevant to Baltic Sea

Sources

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