17 researchers were granted travel grants for 6-12 month research periods in the Researchers Abroad program in the spring of 2023. The total amount of funding awarded was 443,907 euros. There were 74 applicants this year, of which 23 percent received a grant.
“The number of applications for the program increased after the years affected by the pandemic, and the quality of the applications remained high. The amount of funding awarded increased slightly compared to previous years due to the Nokia Foundation joining the program,” says Tuomas Olkku, the Executive Director of the KAUTE Foundation.
Six grants were awarded to business researchers (total of 181,307 euros) and eleven grants to researchers in technical sciences (total of 262,600 euros). In their research visits, the funded researchers will focus on topics such as data utilization in various fields, AI companies and robotics, as well as sustainable development in areas such as financial management, consumer brands, and product development.
“The grant recipients will attend reputable universities in their respective fields. Based on surveys conducted with previous grant recipients, we can be confident that a well-planned research period abroad will benefit not only the applicant’s own research but also the wider Finnish research community through the strengthening of networks,” Olkku continues.
The Researchers Abroad program is funded by the KAUTE Foundation, the Foundation for Economic Education, the Walter Ahlström Foundation, and the Nokia Foundation.