Strategic Research Program – Mental Health (MIND)

Strategic Research Program – Mental Health (MIND) is sponsored by Academy of Finland. The Academy of Finland's Strategic Research Program funds long-term, multidisciplinary research to strengthen mental wellbeing and prevent mental health problems across the population. It supports solution-oriented research that can inform policy and services in Finland.

2026 SRC programme (invit - Research Council of Finland 6 May 2026 at 16. 15 Finnish time approx. €24m for first 3-year period (distributed between the two SRC programmes open for application) 1 Oct 2026–30 Sep 2029 (period 1), 1 Oct 2029–30 Sep 2032 (period 2) The call for invited applicants (the second call stage) is open only to the consortia selected by the SRC.

Funding for multi- and interdisciplinary projects that seek solutions to the challenges presented in the programme; eligible consortia must include at least three organisations and at least three research fields Funding budget for first funding period 2.

75–3 million euros, total project duration 3 + 3 years Solving societal challenges requires not only relevant research but also interaction aimed at societal impact between researchers and knowledge users throughout the project’s lifecycle. The funded projects shall participate in joint SRC programme activities.

The Finnish Government decided the 2026 themes and priority for strategic research in its plenary session on 9 October 2025. The cross-cutting priority is Finland as a global pioneer. Research under this programme will focus on building and promoting good mental health in Finnish society.

The aim is to develop a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships in mental health, particularly from the perspective of improved wellbeing. The programme seeks innovative, cost-effective, people-centred and preventive solutions in which Finland can take a pioneering role in promoting good mental health.

The Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland provides funding for long-term, solution-oriented research of a high scientific standard that is aimed at finding solutions to major societal problems and challenges. SRC funding has the following characteristics: The funding is only granted to consortia. The consortia must follow the consortium structure required by the SRC.

The funded consortia form a thematic programme led by a part-time programme director separately funded by the SRC. The main task of the programme director is to promote the societal impact of the programme. The activities of the projects and their effects will also be monitored regularly.

Certain parts of the monitoring data are public and can be used by the Research Council of Finland in its communications. The funded projects shall commit to following the principles of responsible science . Funding can be used to cover the salary of the consortium PI for the duration of the funding period.

The SRC requires that consortium PIs commit themselves with a sufficient level of input to heading the consortium. The consortia should work towards a balanced gender composition. The funding follows the full cost model, and the SRC’s funding contribution comes to 100%.

Funded consortia and the programme director shall actively participate in programme activities and cross-programme activities for social impact . The programme directors are responsible for programme-level development of interaction and cross-programme cooperation, and for the promotion of the societal impact of strategic research.

The funding for programme directors is granted through a separate call for applications , which is open concurrently with the programme call. A programme director may not act as consortium PI, subproject PI or work package leader in the programme they manage. The programme director must be a researcher at the professor or docent level.

The present SRC call has two stages. The first stage is open to all eligible applicants. SRC consortia shortlisted in the first call stage will be invited to submit full applications.

The SRC decides which consortia are invited. SRC consortium PIs must have a doctoral degree and hold the title of docent or have research experience at the docent level. To be eligible, a consortium must include at least three organisations and at least three research fields .

An SRC consortium must also have an interaction coordinator qualified in their own field. Before you fill in your application in the online services (SARA) , carefully read the call text, the RCF's standard terms for funding and the SRC’s funding principles . Also read the section on responsible science available on the Research Council of Finland’s website.

If the call text is in conflict with the standard terms, the terms should always be considered primary. If the translated English or Swedish version of the call text is in conflict with the Finnish call text, the Finnish version should always be considered primary. Any changes in the call guidelines between the first and the second call stage will be notified on this page.

Read the full call text on this page. Background and objectives Research under this programme will focus on building and promoting good mental health in Finnish society. The aim is to improve mental health and prevent mental health problems in the population.

Mental health is a life-long process; it is with us everywhere, and it affects each and every one of us. Good mental health is important for individuals, local communities and society at large. It also has significant economic importance.

The individualistic nature of society, uncertainty, the strain caused by technological change, and growing demands in different areas of life create significant challenges for mental wellbeing. On the other hand, digitalisation can also offer new solutions and new forms of support. The programme seeks innovative solutions in which Finland can take a pioneering role in promoting good mental health.

How can we allocate society’s resources wisely? How do we choose which actions to take to best facilitate impactful and long-ranging support for mental wellbeing? Research under this programme will develop a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships in mental health, particularly from the perspective of improved wellbeing.

From a public health perspective, it is essential to understand the biological, psychological, social and societal root causes of mental health. Individual research projects can examine, for example, differences between population groups, generations, cultures and social norms, or intergenerational effects.

Possible research topics include the effects of work, living and growth environment and digitalisation on mental health, as well as maintaining mental health in crisis situations. In addition, the research can focus on the importance of community, inclusion and lifestyles in building good mental health.

To support strategic choices in society, information is needed on the costs and effects of mental health in the social and healthcare service system and on the availability of care and services in both the public and private sectors. Research under this programme should focus on supportive, preventive, cost-effective and people-centred solutions.

Co-creating services with users and producers can help create more effective societal structures and operating methods as well as new business opportunities. In their research designs, projects under this theme should also take into account the perspectives of groups that are difficult to reach. International benchmarking can provide valuable perspectives for analysing the issues involved.

The cross-cutting priority for the 2026 strategic research programmes is Finland as a global pioneer. It is essential that the research aims to find new, scalable solutions and practices that contribute to building internationally influential expertise, skills and competence. Individual projects should approach the pioneering solutions from the perspective of the chosen topic.

A. On what challenges defined in the programme will the project be focused, and what kind of combination will they form? B.

How will the proposed research and interaction contribute to new cross-disciplinary understanding of public mental health? C. How will the proposed research and interaction create concrete conditions to solve the challenges related to the programme?

D. How does the proposed combination of research fields and the network of interaction partners support the achievement of the solutions pursued by the programme? E.

What concrete societal impact is the project aiming for, and which societal actors are seen as the main beneficiaries of the research? Strategic research funding may only be applied for by consortia. The consortia funded by the Strategic Research Council – SRC consortia – are structurally different from consortia funded by the Research Council of Finland under the Academy Project and Academy Programme funding schemes.

The consortium’s research and interaction activities are distributed appropriately between work packages (WPs). Each consortium must have a PI, WP leaders and an interaction coordinator. In the full application, each subproject must have a named subproject PI at the site of research, who is responsible for the subproject’s use of funding and for submitting the application.

PIs and WP leaders of SRC consortia must have a doctoral degree and a title of docent, or research experience at the docent level. The interaction coordinator must be qualified in their own field, but they are not required to have a doctoral degree. An example of a possible structure for an SRC consortium: SRC consortia must be based on multidisciplinary collaboration.

The research work must not rely too heavily on a single site of research, research team or scientific discipline. This will require sufficient resources for managing and coordinating the consortium and for carrying out the consortium's interaction activities. The consortia should work towards a balanced gender composition.

A subproject PI must be competent to lead the subproject. As a rule, they also should hold a doctoral degree. An exception to this doctoral degree requirement is a subproject led by an interaction coordinator.

The SRC’s funding for strategic research benefits the scientific community in Finland as well as Finnish society at large. The site of research of the subproject is a Finnish organisation (usually a university or research institute) via which the funding is paid. Typically, strategic research themes are topical and important also outside Finland.

The SRC encourages applicants to plan international cooperation to promote understanding and societal solutions based on the best scientific knowledge in Finland. Under new SRC programmes, funding will no longer be granted for projects to be carried at foreign sites of research.

However, Finnish sites can apply for funding for international cooperation and mobility in SRC projects in accordance with the Research Council of Finland’s standard terms for funding. According to the RCF’s terms and guidelines, the funding cannot be used for economic activity .

Economic activity is defined as all activity where goods or services are offered on an open market regardless of whether profits are pursued or generated.

If the funding is applied for by an organisation other than a university, a university of applied sciences or a research institute, the applicant must confirm their eligibility and the funding conditions from the programme’s contact person in good time before submitting the application. Failure to do so will jeopardise the processing of the entire consortium application.

The consortium PI is responsible for ensuring that the consortium parties are eligible to apply for and receive funding. The principal investigator (PI) of the application cannot be changed while the application is being processed (after the call has closed but before the decision). The only exception to this is if the PI dies.

Special terms and restrictions PIs of SRC consortia can act as PIs only in one consortium funded by the SRC. Consortium PIs of the SRC programmes ending in 2026 (CLIMATE and LITERACY) are eligible to apply in this call, since the funding periods would not overlap or the overlaps would only be minor. The same person may be a consortium PI and/or subproject PI and/or WP leader in only one application in the same SRC programme call.

Consortium PIs must check the eligibility of these persons. If a person holds one of the roles mentioned above in more than one application, we will only consider (process) the first application submitted in the online services. As the SRC consortia are expansive, leading one requires a considerable amount of work.

The SRC requires that consortium PIs commit themselves with a sufficient level of input to heading the consortium. Directors of the Research Council of Finland’s Centres of Excellence cannot therefore act as PIs for SRC consortia. SRC consortium PIs or WP leaders named in the letter of intent may be changed only for very compelling reasons.

The contents of the research and interaction plan must remain essentially unchanged. Consortium parties cannot be removed. Any changes to consortium compositions made for the above reasons must be justified in the research and interaction plan of the full application.

In addition, in such cases, applicants must get in touch with the programme’s contact person before they submit their full application . Other conditions for and obstacles to the granting of funding We will not consider (process) your application if you have participated in the planning of the call to an extent likely to give you a comparative advantage over other applicants.

We will not consider (process) your application if you are a member of the RCF Board or scientific councils or the Strategic Research Council. An application will also not be processed if a member of the above-mentioned body is a work package leader in an SRC consortium. We will not consider (process) your application if you have been found guilty of a serious violation of research integrity in the previous three years.

RCF funding will not be granted to a recipient located in Russia or Belarus. In RCF-funded projects, cooperation with individual Russian or Belarusian researchers and research teams can only be carried out if the instructions of the site of research, the sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the export control provisions, the travel recommendations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or other guidelines by authorities do not prevent it.

Funding shall be granted and used in a way that respects the equal treatment of researchers, regardless of nationality. If you have failed to submit a final report on a completed or ongoing RCF-funded project (incl. SRC-funded project) by the set deadline, we will not consider (process) your application.

A positive funding decision can only be made if the conditions set by the RCF for funding are met. In addition to the eligibility criteria, another condition that must be met in order for the funding to be awarded is that you have in your application identified and assessed the risks related to research security and, where necessary, presented an adequate risk management plan.

You must also describe in the research plan how good scientific practice will be followed in the implementation of the project, how gender equality and nondiscrimination will be promoted in the implementation of the project, and how the RCF’s guidelines on open access to research results and on the responsible management of research data will be followed in the project.

The RCF Board decides the principles for RCF funding decisions . The SRC decides its own funding principles . You must immediately notify the RCF if you receive funding from other sources for the same SRC-funded purpose after you have submitted your application.

Funding to be applied for and funding period The project duration in the programme is six years . The research and interaction plan included in the application must be drafted to cover the entire six-year period. However, the funding will be granted in two parts (3 + 3 years).

The funding is granted to a Finnish site of research (usually a university or research institute) through which the funding is paid. The consortium PI must have a close connection with Finland to support the implementation of a multi-year project. The funded researchers may, however, spend time working abroad during their funding period.

In the two programmes open for application (ARCTIC and MIND), the SRC is prepared to fund 8–9 projects with 2. 75–3 million euros each during the first funding period . The total funding budget for the first three years has been set at 24 million euros.

The cost estimates of the projects must be realistic. The funding to be distributed through this call depends on the Finnish Parliament’s decision to allocate the necessary funds in the 2026 state budget. The first funding decision will cover the period 1 October 2026–30 September 2029.

The progress of the projects will be reviewed at the end of the first funding period, and a possible second period will be granted for 1 October 2029–30 September 2032. It is not possible to transfer funding from one funding period to another. The cost estimate for an SRC consortium’s six-year term must be drafted so that the funding for the second funding period comes to no more than 100% of the funding for the first period.

The SRC requires that consortium PIs commit themselves with a sufficient level of input to heading the consortium. Funding granted by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) can be used to cover the salary of consortium PIs for the duration of the funding period. However, the salary funding must not overlap with salary paid from funding by the Research Council of Finland.

Staff to be hired with SRC funding must have an employment relationship with their site of research. With regard to research personnel, the funding is primarily intended for the salaries of researchers with doctoral degrees . As a rule, staff hired with SRC funding must be in an employment relationship to their site of research.

We recommend that they be hired for a period of employment no shorter than the funding period, unless a shorter contract is necessary for special reasons dictated by the implementation of the research project. Short-term research, studies or other assignments (max. duration six months) may also be carried out in the form of outsourced services.

SRC funding is granted for research and related interaction activities. In SRC calls, funding can be applied for to cover the salary and other costs arising from the implementation of the research and interaction plans.

Other eligible costs include the following: costs of implementing the interaction plan costs of collaboration and mobility in Finland and abroad (of key significance to the goals of the project) costs of preparing international projects SRC funding cannot be used to pay for acquisition of significant infrastructures. All acquisitions must be made in accordance with the Finnish Act on Public Contracts.

Where necessary, the acquisitions must be put out to tender in compliance with the practices stipulated in the Act. Only for compelling reasons can government grants be awarded to cover salary costs in cases where the applicant has obstacles related to illegal employment, as referred to in section 7(2) of the Finnish Act on Discretionary Government Grants.

In the letter of intent , the consortium PI shall present the cost estimate for the first funding period as estimated total costs (all subprojects combined) per year . The estimate is entered in the online services on the tab ‘Funding for the project’ under ‘Other costs’. Thus, the types of expenditure should not be itemised (salaries, indirect costs, overheads, travel, etc.).

The cost estimate must be realistic. In the full application , each subproject will draft its own cost estimate, itemised by type of expenditure . The full application must include (under the tab ‘Funding for the project’ ) a cost estimate for the first funding period , showing an estimate of the annual amount of funding needed by the SRC consortium.

The cost estimate must be realistic. Changes in the funding plan’s total costs between the letter of intent stage and the full application stage will only be approved in exceptional cases. The cost estimate must be justified in the full application’s research and interaction plan , which also includes a cost estimate for the entire duration of the project (first and second funding period) .

The cost estimate for the entire project is drawn up so that the costs of the second funding period may come to no more than 100% of the cost estimate for the first period. In the full application, all research costs must be justified in the free-text field in the online services on the tab ‘Funding for the project’.

Account of salary when PI does not have an employment relationship If the PI does not have an employment relationship with, for example, a university or research institute for the duration of the funding period, they must explain in the free-text fields (the tab ‘Funding for the project’) how their salary will be covered during the funding period.

Retired researchers can be granted funding on the same grounds as other researchers. Mobility aid in research projects The researcher mobility carried out in SRC-funded projects must be goal-oriented. It should support project implementation, reinforce the international networks of the researchers involved, and create new knowledge and know-how.

Mobility plans are not necessary in the letters of intent. In the full application, the applicant must enter their subproject’s mobility plan on the application form in the online services. Mobility aid is applied for as research costs related to the implementation of the research plan.

The aid is applied for in accordance with the practices of the site of research. In order to obtain further information, you should contact the personnel and financial administration of the site of research. What is required from the site of research?

The site of research is a Finnish research organisation such as a university or a research institute. We require that the site of research provides the research project with all necessary basic facilities . These are determined based on the nature of the research and are the same as those available to other research staff at the site: office and laboratory premises, equipment (incl.

computer equipment), and telecommunications, telephone, mailing, copying and library services. The costs of ensuring immediate open access to peer-reviewed articles are included in the overheads of the site of research. The costs associated with storing and sharing research data are regarded as overheads for the project’s site of research.

Only exceptionally and for justified reasons can they be accepted as research costs to be covered by RCF research funding. The site of research also commits to ensuring that the data management plan can be implemented at the site of research, and that the measures to be taken comply with good data management practice. After a positive funding decision, the site of research will also approve the data management plan of the project.

When accepting the funding, the site of research is responsible for ensuring that necessary statements and permits from ethics committees have been obtained before the start of the project. The site of research shall also make sure that the applicant has not been found guilty of any serious violation of research integrity during the previous three years.

The application must also include the overheads percentage, indirect employee costs and coefficient for effective working hours of the site of research. The site of research maintains these percentages in the online services under the site’s details. The information is provided as percentages.

How applications are submitted and become pending, publicity of applications How to submit and supplement the application The deadline is non-negotiable. We will not consider (process) an application that has not been submitted by deadline. The first call stage (letters of intent) closes on 21 January 2026 at 16.

15 Finnish time. The second call stage (full applications) closes on 6 May 2026 at 16. 15 Finnish time.

Make sure to submit the application in good time before the deadline. The system will only accept applications that contain all obligatory information. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the content of the application appendices is correct.

The joint letter of intent for the SRC consortium is submitted only by the PI. The joint full application for the SRC consortium is submitted by the consortium PI. They can submit the consortium application only after all subprojects have tagged their applications as complete.

You can edit and supplement the application until the deadline. You can make changes to a submitted application (e.g. change appendices), but you must make them before the deadline. If you notice that your application lacks important information after the deadline, immediately get in touch with us via our helpdesk , so that the application can be reopened for supplementation.

Make sure to re-submit the application after you have supplemented it. We will consider the supplemented information if it is possible in view of the review and decision-making process. We may ask you to supplement the application.

The request for supplementation will be sent to you by email. If you do not supplement the application by the given deadline, or if the application is substantially incomplete even after a request for supplementary information, we may decide to dismiss it (i.e. it will not be processed). You must make sure that your contact details (email address) are up to date.

How the application becomes pending According to section 17 of the Finnish Administrative Procedure Act and section 8 of the Act on Electronic Services and Communication in the Public Sector, the sender is responsible for the application arriving by the set deadline. An application becomes pending when the online application and the obligatory appendices have been submitted in the online services.

The system will confirm a successful submission by sending an email to the address you have provided. Publicity and data protection Except for the research and interaction plan, plan of intent and abstract, which are primarily subject to professional secrecy, the application and its appendices are public documents. For example, the CV is a public document and as such must not include any secret information.

This publicity is based on the Finnish Act on the Openness of Government Activities. We are committed to following regulations on data protection. The applicant is responsible for the disclosure of the personal data contained in the application and, where appropriate, for requesting the consent of the parties concerned.

The GDPR-compliant privacy statement concerning the research funding process is available on the Research Council of Finland’s website under Data protection (Privacy notice for strategic research). Letter of intent parts and guidelines (first call stage) The letter of intent submitted at the first call stage consists of forms completed in the online services as well as PDF appendices.

As an applicant, you have the right to submit your application in Finnish or Swedish, but we ask that you to submit it in English to facilitate the international review. The consortium PI is responsible for drafting and submitting the letter of intent in the online services. To minimise the administrative burden on the process, the letter of intent is drafted as an individual application .

Consortium PIs must check the eligibility of each WP leader and that they are participating in only one application per SRC programme. The WP leaders and interaction coordinators must be named in the application. Please note that only consortia invited to the second call stage are required to include a research security assessment with their application.

Funding can only be granted if the applicant has identified and assessed the risks related to research security and, if necessary, presented an appropriate risk management plan. See the template and learn more about research security . Most of the links below take you to the A–Z index of application guidelines .

The letter of intent contains the following parts Degrees (most recent one first); parental leaves etc. may be filled in under ‘Additional information’ Titles of docent and professorships CV and list of publications Maximum length three pages (CV 2 pages, list of publications 1 page) The list of publications contains the ten most project-relevant publications by the applicant.

Details on the site of research Title of research project in English and Finnish/Swedish Research fields (at least three, no more than five). See the research field classification.

Keywords in English and Finnish/Swedish Maximum length 2,500 characters including spaces Brief overview of scientific and societal objectives, research methods and data as well as expected research results and impact SRC consortium composition Information on the WP leaders and interaction coordinator (name, email, organisation and country) Choose the person’s role from the drop-down menu.

In the case of WP leaders, add the WP number in the accompanying text field. A WP may have only one leader. Submit the plan as a PDF appendix on a separate tab in the online services.

Use the template to draft the plan of intent. You must follow the given structure. Do not edit the headings.

The application cannot be submitted if the system detects an error in the page configuration or the structure. Most relevant publications and other key outputs The consortium PI enters a total of up to ten jointly agreed most project-relevant publications by the consortium members (incl. consortium PI) and a total of up to ten of the consortium members’ most relevant own research outputs, with justifications.

Search for publications in the VIRTA publication information service. Also see the How-to guides for the online services . There are separate fields for selected publications and other research outputs.

If the desired output type is not listed, select ‘Other, what? ’ and enter the name of the output. Details on publications may also be entered manually.

Obligatory information: author(s), title, year of publication, name of series/journal, type of publication (the type will not show in the PDF version of the application) The information is used to assess the competence of the applicant or consortium to carry out the project. Preliminary ethical review for project and/or animal testing permit (yes/no) Found guilty of research misconduct (yes/no).

We will not consider (process) your application if you have been found guilty of a serious violation of research integrity in the previous three years. Guilty of illegal employment within the meaning referred to in section 7(2) of the Act on Discretionary Government Grants (yes/no) The research-ethical issues are described in the research plan as part of the implementation. The project’s funding follows the full cost model .

The Research Council of Finland’s funding contribution to the research costs comes to 100%. Enter the funding period as it is given in the call text (1 Oct 2026–30 Sep 2029). In the first call stage, the estimated total costs of the project are entered only as an annual total (incl.

all costs of all subprojects, incl. salaries) under ‘Other costs’. The estimate must be realistic and based on the implementation of the research and interaction plan.

Changes in the cost estimate between the letter