Introduction
Orion Research Foundation is an independent Finnish foundation that provides research grants for medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and related natural sciences, including chemistry and physics.
The Foundation concentrates particularly on early-career researchers, including doctoral researchers, recently graduated postdoctoral researchers and scientists establishing independent research careers. It annually distributes approximately €1 million to more than 100 researchers.
History and Background
Orion Research Foundation was established in 1957 as the Orion Scientific Research Fund. Its name and organisational structure have evolved through several stages:
- In 1972, it became the Orion Group Research Foundation.
- In 2006, it merged with the Farmos Research and Science Foundation to form the Orion-Farmos Research Foundation.
- In 2015, it adopted the name Orion Research Foundation.
- In 2016, following reforms to the Finnish Foundations Act, its official name became Orion Research Foundation sr.
Although the Foundation is associated historically and administratively with Orion Corporation, it operates as an independent foundation. Its grant decisions are made independently and without influence from the Orion Group.
Over the decades, the Foundation has helped researchers undertake doctoral work, continue postdoctoral research, gain international research experience and establish independent research groups.
Mission and Purpose
The purpose of Orion Research Foundation is to promote and support research conducted in Finland in medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and related natural sciences.
Its principal objectives are to:
- Support promising researchers at the beginning of their academic careers.
- Advance doctoral and postdoctoral research.
- Strengthen Finnish expertise in medicine, pharmacy and veterinary science.
- Support relevant research in chemistry, physics and other connected natural sciences.
- Encourage international postdoctoral research experience.
- Help researchers return to Finland after working abroad.
- Assist researchers in establishing independent research groups.
- Recognise exceptional scientific work and contributions to research.
The Foundation supports both fundamental and applied research within its eligible disciplines. Grants can be used as personal working grants or to cover other approved research expenses.
Governance and Structure
Orion Research Foundation is governed by an 11-member Board comprising representatives of scientific organisations, Finland’s five medical faculties and Orion Corporation.
Board appointments emphasise scientific expertise, academic standing and visibility within the supported research fields. The Board manages the Foundation’s assets, evaluates applications and makes grant decisions independently.
Its members represent areas such as medicine, biomedical research, pharmacology, toxicology, public health, pharmaceutical chemistry and veterinary medicine.
The Foundation includes three funds:
- The Oriola Fund.
- The Panfarma Fund.
- The Maritza and Reino Salonen Dedicated Fund.
The Oriola and Panfarma funds support research in medicine, chemistry, pharmacy and nutritional physiology.
The Maritza and Reino Salonen Dedicated Fund focuses on research, prevention and treatment relating to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and childhood illnesses.
The Foundation’s administrative office is located at Orion Corporation’s premises in Espoo, Finland. A director and supporting administration manage grant applications, communications, payments and other operational matters.
Funding and Grants
The Foundation’s capacity to award grants is based largely on returns generated through its investment activities.
Orion Corporation also provides an annual contribution approved by the company’s Annual General Meeting as part of its profit-distribution proposal. This financial arrangement supports the Foundation’s long-term ability to finance independent scientific research.
The annual grant programme has two primary categories.
The larger postdoctoral grant provides up to €50,000 to researchers who completed their doctorate within the specified eligibility period. It supports the continuation of postdoctoral research.
Preference may be given to projects involving a postdoctoral period abroad, an extension of an overseas research period, a researcher’s return from abroad or the establishment of an independent research group.
An individual may receive the larger grant only once.
The smaller doctoral research grant provides €6,000 to early-career researchers who have not yet completed their doctorate. It supports work on a doctoral thesis and may be awarded to the same applicant no more than twice.
Both grant categories may be awarded as personal working grants or as expense grants for other research costs.
The Foundation does not award separate travel grants for purposes such as attending scientific congresses.
Major Programs and Initiatives
The annual research grant call is the Foundation’s principal funding programme. Applications usually open in August and close in early September.
Applications are evaluated by the Foundation’s Board, with decisions generally communicated in November and published near the end of the year. Awarded grants are normally paid in January.
For the 2027 funding cycle, applications are open from 10 August to 10 September 2026. The larger grant offers up to €50,000, while the doctoral research grant provides €6,000.
Applicants may complete the online application in Finnish, Swedish or English. Additional attachments and recommendation letters are not considered unless specifically required.
Researchers applying for a larger grant involving work abroad must provide a commitment from the relevant foreign university or research institute.
The Foundation also occasionally awards recognition grants for outstanding scientific achievements. Examples include two €100,000 awards presented in 2022 to Tiina Sikanen and Jukka Westermarck, two €100,000 awards presented during Orion’s centenary year in 2017, and a €75,000 Orion-Farmos Award presented to Hannes Lohi in 2012.
It has also participated in the Finnish Foundations’ Professor Pool, an initiative supporting professors’ research periods.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
Orion Research Foundation’s impact is reflected in the number of early-career researchers it supports and the range of scientific topics funded across Finland.
For the 2026 grant year, the Foundation awarded €1,108,000 to 106 researchers.
Eighteen recently graduated doctoral researchers received postdoctoral grants of up to €50,000, while 88 doctoral researchers received grants of €6,000 for dissertation work.
The Foundation received 734 applications for that funding cycle. These included 603 applications for doctoral research and 131 for postdoctoral support. Biomedicine, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and oncology attracted particularly high numbers of applications.
Examples of supported research topics include:
- Cancer biology and immunotherapy resistance.
- Cardiovascular diseases and metabolic health.
- Central nervous system disorders.
- Pharmaceutical development and targeted drug delivery.
- Public health and healthcare access.
- Veterinary medicine.
- Medical genetics and inherited disease risks.
- Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
- Biochemistry and molecular biology.
- Environmental effects of pharmaceutical compounds.
The Foundation’s support can give researchers time to complete doctoral work, gain experience at international laboratories, develop independent research programmes and build expertise in scientifically significant fields.
Recipients must use their grants according to the approved research plans. If funded research leads to publications, recipients are expected to acknowledge Orion Research Foundation. Grants are generally intended for use within two years of the funding decision, although additional time may be approved for justified reasons.
Conclusion
Orion Research Foundation has supported Finnish medical and scientific research since 1957, with particular attention to researchers in the early stages of their academic careers.
Its independent governance, investment-based funding model and annual contribution from Orion Corporation enable it to distribute approximately €1 million in research support each year.
Through doctoral grants, postdoctoral funding, international research support, assistance for new research groups and occasional recognition awards, the Foundation strengthens Finland’s research capacity in medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, physics and related sciences.
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