SPECIAL FUNDS
Application period 1 June – 15 August 2026
In the special fund application call, it is possible for the applicant to target his/her application for a special fund or pooled funds. Special funds are funds from which grants are allocated to areas of research and education or groups of applicants that meet criteria set by donors. The pooled funds thematically bring together several targeted purposes, and they correspond with the selected JEL categories on the application form. The majority of grants are allocated to special funds as part of the general grant preparation process. The application may be addressed to one of the following:
Forest Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, and Clean Transition Value Chains
Pooled Funds
Forest bioeconomy and the circular economy offer new business opportunities based on the sustainable use of natural resources and material flows. To advance carbon neutrality and the clean transition, innovative methods, products and services across value chains, as well as life‑cycle‑based concepts, can deliver significant benefits for the environment, people and the economy.
Business research in this field also focuses on the strategic use of sustainability reporting, the development of low‑carbon value chains, and the study of foresight and investment processes.
Keywords: resource efficiency, circular economy, value creation, bio‑based materials, wood, paper processing, pulp and fibre products, net zero, reuse of materials and components, digital solutions, recycling technologies, P2X, CCUS
JEL-classes (Journal of Economic Literature)
🏭 L – Industrial Organization
- Forest-sector products and bio-based materials: forest- and fibre-based value chains, and industrial solutions linked to biotechnology and chemicals
♻️ O – Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change
- Economic development connected to natural resources, energy, and the environment; industrialisation and technology choices; innovation processes, R&D management, and the diffusion of technological change
🌱 Q –Environmental and Ecological Economics
- Clean-transition solutions (e.g., alternative energy sources), recycling and material flows, climate- and net-zero-related questions, sustainability and environmental accounting/reporting; perspectives from ecological economics and industrial ecology
All applications will also be evaluated according to the common application criteria.
Special Funds
In accordance with the rules of the special funds and the Foundation for Economic Education rules, grants may also be awarded to special groups of applicants, or for narrower purposes. In the grant round application system, the applicant can submit his / her application to one of the following special funds:
- Liiketalouden liiton rahasto supports Skilla ry registered association’s educational activity and education of its members.
- Lyydia ja Heikki Rautiaisen rahasto supports the studies and other projects aimed at commercial subjects and business economics studies, primarily by the students and staff of the Oulu University of Applied Sciences.
- SKO ry:n juhlarahasto promotes business cultivation and entrepreneurship in Finland by awarding grants for training and research, for the professional development of teachers in business and culture as well as for international interaction.
- Taloustoimittajien 50-vuotisjuhlarahasto accepts grant applications from the Taloustoimittajat registered association’s members for the purposes of educational, research, and publishing projects in their respective fields.
- Teknisen Kaupan Liiton 100-vuotisjuhlarahasto provides support for technical research and training to promote commerce while taking into account the views eventually presented by the Teknisen Kaupan Liitto registered association (the Association of Finnish Technical Traders) on the subject or on the research topic to be financed.