Sustainable Entrepreneurship Grant
Funding opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded students of TAMK and TAU. This grant will be awarded again in spring 2025!
Towards your entrepreneurial dreams
The foundations of the Tampere Universities community annually distribute sustainable entrepreneurship grants. With the grant, we aim to encourage and inspire our students to take the next steps toward their own entrepreneurial dreams and support their progress in their studies.
Test and develop!
The grant is ideal for developing one’s own business, such as purchasing necessary tools or software for the business, covering costs for agile experiments, or starting marketing activities.
The grant is applied for using an electronic form, so please invest in your application by convincing us of your genuine desire to develop your business. We want to support you on your journey towards utilizing your own potential! Grant practices vary depending on the field or campus you are studying at. Check below for the applicable criteria and schedules!
The decisions regarding the recipients of the grant are made within a month after the application deadline.
There are no active application rounds currently.
The Sustainable Entrepreneurship Grant is designed to support studies and entrepreneurial activities focused on sustainability during your academic journey. Eligible applicants include TAMK students and student teams who have developed a business idea during their studies and wish to conduct practical experiments and development work to further refine the idea. A student team may also include university students, students from other universities of applied sciences, or company representatives, but the Support Foundation can only grant funds to the TAMK students in the group, in accordance with foundation law.
The grant amounts range from €2,000 to €5,000 and are paid to individuals, not to companies or cooperatives. The grant can be used for purchases already made, as long as the purchase was made within one year prior to the application. The foundation’s board has allocated €105,000 annually for these grants.
The grant application period occurs twice a year, in March-April and August-September.
Grant criteria
- The grant can only be awarded to those who hold a valid student status. If the grant is requested after the end of the student’s rights, it cannot be paid out.
- The team must have a business plan aimed at sustainable growth.
- Annual turnover must not exceed €30,000.
- The entrepreneurial activities must also support the applicants’ studies and the completion of their degree.
- The team should have diverse expertise and skills in leveraging networks.
- The team commits to sharing the lessons learned from their experiments and development work with the higher education community.
- The team must have been established no more than a year before applying for the grant.
- Additionally, to qualify for funding, a publication must be made on our internal platform via TAMK’s communication services. We also hope for your support in increasing the visibility of the Support Foundation across various channels. If you give newspaper interviews and/or participate in media and/or events, please highlight the Support Foundation.
- After receiving the grant, the team must submit a comprehensive final report to the Support Foundation. The report should detail how the grant was used or what was achieved with it. The final report must include receipts to verify the use of the grant.
- If the Support Foundation grants the maximum amount of €5,000, it will be paid out in installments. In such cases, an interim report with receipts must be submitted detailing the use of the grant so far. The next installment will only be paid after the foundation’s board has approved the interim report.
- The grant must be used for the purposes stated in the grant application.
Additional bonus
If the grant recipient(s) secure an equivalent amount of their own funds, the Support Foundation may award an additional bonus. These personal funds must come from external financiers, excluding bank loans, personal loans, or ELY Center supports. Proof of this additional funding must be provided via bank transfer receipts. A separate report must be submitted to the Support Foundation regarding the source of the additional funding, especially if it comes from a close associate of the recipient(s). The report should also explain how the additional support from the financier was used.
- The additional bonus can only be applied for after the original grant has been used and reported to the Support Foundation. The bonus can only be disbursed to those who hold a valid student status. If the bonus is requested after the end of the student’s rights, it cannot be paid out.
- The additional funding must be secured after the grant is awarded. Previously acquired funding is not eligible.
- To apply for the additional bonus, please contact the foundation’s representative, Johanna Niemonen.
Tampere University support foundations distribute an annual grant to support studies and sustainable entrepreneurial activities practiced during studies. The grant distributed by the Industrial Research Fund at Tampere University of Technology (TTY support foundation) is intended for students studying towards a master’s degree in engineering or architecture, as well as doctoral students in the field. For other study fields, see TAU support foundation below.
The grant amount is between 1000-5000€. The grant can also be awarded in a smaller amount than applied for.
Grant criteria
- You have/ your team has a business plan with sustainable growth targets.
- The planned entrepreneurial actions support your studies and graduation.
- You may have a businessID, but it is not necessary.
- The turnover must not exceed 30,000 €/year.
- You / your team commits to sharing the lessons of the experiments and development work with the higher education community.
- The grant recipient/team produces a story that is published in the appropriate communication channels of Tampere Universities.
- The person/team that received the grant will produce a final report once the planned experiment has been completed.
- We value entrepreneurial skills acquired through studies or hands-on experience in similar activities.
The Tampere University Foundations distribute an annual grant to support studies and sustainable entrepreneurship practices during studies. The grant provided by the Tampere University Foundations is intended for students pursuing a degree or postgraduate studies in the following fields within the scope of the foundation’s activities:
- Social sciences
- Health sciences
- Humanities
- Natural sciences
- Social research
- Business and management
- Education
- Art and design
Excluding students studying towards a master’s degree in engineering or architecture, which are included in TTY support foundation (see above).
The grant amount is between 1000-5000€. The grant may also be awarded in a smaller amount than applied for.
Grant criteria
- You have/ your team has a business plan with sustainable growth targets.
- The planned entrepreneurial actions support your studies and graduation.
- You may have a businessID, but it is not necessary.
- The turnover must not exceed 30,000 €/year.
- You / your team commits to sharing the lessons of the experiments and development work with the higher education community.
- The grant recipient/team produces a story that is published in the appropriate communication channels of Tampere Universities.
- The person/team that received the grant will produce a final report once the planned experiment has been completed.
- We value entrepreneurial skills acquired through studies or hands-on experience in similar activities.
How to apply
First, make sure that you are applying for the appropriate grant, either the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Grant from either TAMK or Tampere University’s two different support foundations. Read the criteria for the grant carefully and prepare the necessary materials. You can familiarize yourself with the grant application form in advance and prepare your application accordingly.
The team must include at least one current student from Tampere Universities Community. The other members of the team can be graduates or currently studying at another university, for example.
In the evaluation of grant recipients, two HUBS staff members and a representative from Tampere Startup Hub Oy are involved. However, the final decision on awarding the grant is made by the supporting foundations.
While there’s no active application period, keep an eye on the news in Tampere’s higher education community intranet and on HUBS’s communication (on our website and social media) for grant application deadlines.
Grant & taxation
If you receive a grant, you must report it to the tax authorities (in the annual tax return). A grant or scholarship received for the purpose of studying, scientific research, or artistic work may be tax-free income.
For more detailed instructions regarding grants and taxation, you can refer to the Tax Administration’s website.
Any questions?
Have you read the instructions and criteria carefully? We have tried to make the guidelines as clear and comprehensive as possible.
If you can’t find the information you are looking for, please contact HUBS’ Maria and we will solve the matter!
Contact person
Maria Ruokonen
Team coaching Specialist