The Urban Research Programme supports research collaboration in line with the programme, mainly through annual open calls for research held in the autumn. In addition, the Urban Research Programme directly commissions projects and funds small-scale targeted surveys.
How to apply for research funding from the Urban Research Programme?
When to apply for funding?
Funding is sought annually in the autumn. The application process is carried out in two stages. In 2026, first-round applications must be submitted by 2.00 p.m. on 9 October 2026.
Decisions on the projects to be funded will be made by the end of the year.
What is funding awarded for?
The Urban Research Programme funds research projects focusing on social and spatial change in cities and the possibilities of a city to influence this change alone or together with other actors.
- The Urban Research Programme funds academic research that is expected to generate applicable information relevant to the city’s development, including opportunities to influence its growth and bring about change.
- Research funded by the programme does not necessarily have to involve empirical research on Turku. It can also focus on broader changes related to specific phenomena and their impact on urban development. The research may also focus on other cities if the information gathered is relevant to the development of Turku.
- The choice of research topic, the formulation of research questions, and the scope of the study must be based on the themes of the Turku Urban Research Programme 2026–2029.
- When evaluating applications, we will pay attention to the scientific merit, feasibility, applicability, topicality, and originality of the research plan.
The call for applications is funded by the City of Turku, the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Länsi-Suomen yleishyödyllinen asuntosäätiö, and Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland.
How is the funding distributed?
A maximum of EUR 800,000 in funding will be granted for the projects. The goal is to finance four initiatives, allocating EUR 200,000 to each one. The Urban Research Programme is funded not only by its principal partners – the City of Turku, the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University – but also by external funders, namely Länsi-Suomen yleishyödyllinen asuntosäätiö and Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. In line with the profiles of the external funders, at least one of the funded projects must focus on housing research, and at least one must address Swedish-speaking culture in Finland, either entirely or as part of a comparative study in which Finland-Swedish culture, social life or the Swedish language forms an essential part of the research. In the field of history, studies concerning the period of Swedish rule in Finnish history may also be eligible for funding.
If an applicant is specifically seeking project funding from either of the external funders, the connection to housing research (Länsi-Suomen yleishyödyllinen asuntosäätiö) or to Swedish-speaking culture in Finland (SLS) must be evident in the research problem or research questions. All projects funded under the Turku Urban Research Programme are required to be multidisciplinary.
Projects funded through the 2026 call must commence during 2027 and be completed by the end of 2028. The City of Turku will appoint a steering group for each selected project.
Research groups that include scholars from the University of Turku and/or Åbo Akademi University can apply for the funding. In addition, consortia that feature researchers from additional universities, research institutes or universities of applied sciences in Finland or abroad are also eligible to submit their applications. However, the project must be managed by either the University of Turku or Åbo Akademi University, and their share of the funding applied for from the Urban Research Programme must be at least 50%.
The work of a professor (etc.) leading a project or sub-project is considered a part of the university's (or other implementing body's) self-financing, which is not reimbursed, but for which a work time calculation does not need to be submitted. The expenses of the researchers hired for the project are reimbursed in full, calculated by the employer's actual expenses (30%, not according to the coefficients of the general cost model). A fixed 18% overhead surcharge is accepted for the financed portion of the project. In addition to salary costs, the funding can be used for grants and research material and travel costs.
How to apply for funding
The call for applications for research funding in the Urban Research Programme consists of two application rounds.
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1First round of applications: submit an application
The application consists of a summary page and a research plan of no more than six pages. Submit the application as a single PDF or Word file.
Summary (1 page):
- Title of the research project
- Director responsible for the research group or consortium, the research site, and the email address of the person in charge
- Research director’s personal details (address or date of birth), required for the official registration of the application
- Persons in charge of possible sub-projects and their respective locations
- An abstract (2,000 characters maximum)
- Justification of how the research project aligns with the Turku Urban Research Programme 2026–2029
Research plan (up to 6 pages):
- Background and objectives of the study, along with its connection to previous research
- A description of the project, its materials, and main research methods, with any sub-projects clearly separated
- Expected results, their academic novelty, and their relevance to the development of Turku
- A description of the research team, including added value generated by the potential consortium
- A description of any national or international cooperation
If you are applying specifically for project funding from one of the external funders (Länsi-Suomen yleishyödyllinen asuntosäätiö or/and Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland), please provide a description of how the research relates to housing research (General Housing Foundation of Western Finland) or how the Swedish language and culture in Finland are addressed in the research plan (SLS).
The research plan of the Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland must be linked to the Swedish language and the Swedish cultural heritage in Finland, either entirely or in such a way that it involves comparative research in which Swedish in Finland constitutes an important part of the study. How the research relates to Swedish in Finland must be evident from the problem formulation or the research questions. Studies concerning the Swedish period in Finland’s history may be considered to fall within the scope of Swedish in Finland.
- Total funding requested, broken down by research location and salary costs per person (or by task if no person has been appointed)
- Research schedule
- Bibliography (main sources)
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2Send the application electronically to the City of Turku registry
- turun.kaupunki@turku.fi
- Title your message: Urban Research Programme call for projects
- Only applications received by the deadline of 9 October 2026 at 14:00 will be considered.
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3Second round of applications: complete your application based on the instructions provided by the city
The City of Turku will contact the applicants by email with further instructions on any details that need to be specified or added to the application. The second round of applications is not expected to take significantly longer than the first.
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By submitting an application, the applicant consents to the designated representatives of the principal partners of the Turku Urban Research Programme – the City of Turku, the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University – as well as the external funding partners (Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland and Länsi-Suomen yleishyödyllinen asuntosäätiö) having the right to process the information provided in the application, including personal data.
In the event of any discrepancies between different language versions of the call for applications and the Turku Urban Research Programme 2026–2029, the Finnish-language versions shall take precedence.