Tiimi työskentelemässä ulkona pöydän ääressä

Grant

Sustainable Entrepreneurship Grant

Funding opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded students of TAMK and TAU. The grant application period for spring 2025 has ended. TAMK students can apply again in fall 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 your own business, for example, such as acquiring essential tools or software, conducting market research, covering the costs of various experiments, or kickstarting marketing efforts.

The grant application is submitted via an online form. Make sure to put effort into your application by convincing us of your genuine desire to develop your business. We want to support your journey toward reaching your full potential! Grant procedures vary depending on your field of study, so check below for the criteria and timelines that apply to you.

Each foundation evaluates grant applications on its own schedule. Updates on grant decisions and payment timelines will be posted on this page as soon as they are available.

The results of the spring grant application will be announced approximately as follows:

Tampere University of Applied Sciences Foundation – middle April
The University of Tampere Foundation – early May
Industrial Research Fund at Tampere University of Technology (“TTY Foundation”) – early June

TAMK students can apply for the grant twice a year. The application period for TAMK students will open again in autumn 2025. The next application period for Tampere University students will be in spring 2026.

Explore the foundations supporting your field and the application criteria here

The application period for Tampere University of Applied Sciences students for spring 2025 has ended. Thank you for your applications!

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.
New criteria! A maximum of 500€ from the grant can be used for equipment and materials.
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 of Applied Sciences Foundation (requires TUNI credentials)

Apply for the grant in TAMK’s Grant System. The grant application period has ended on 30.3.2025.

Application period for this grant is 10.3.-13.4.2025!

The Tampere University Foundations distribute an annual grant to support studies and sustainable entrepreneurship practices during studies. The grant provided by the University of Tampere Foundation is intended for students pursuing a degree or postgraduate studies in the following fields within the scope of the foundation’s activities:

disciplines at the Faculty of Social Sciences: health sciences, history, literary studies, logopedics, philosophy, psychology, social research, public health and epidemiology
computer science, information studies, languages, media and communications, and performing arts
education studies
medicine and life sciences
administrative and business studies, political science
This Foundation does not support the fields of engineering and architecture.

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.

The University of Tampere Foundation (tuni.fi)

Apply for the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Grant (Microsoft Forms)

Practical information

Application

First, make sure you are applying for a grant that matches your field from the correct foundation (TAMK, TTY Foundation, or TAU Foundation). Carefully read the grant criteria and prepare the required materials. You can review the grant application form in advance and use it as a basis to prepare your application.

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.

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.

Explore TAMK’s grant applicant info session slides

Explore Tampere University’s grant applicant info session slides

Team applying for the grant

If you are applying for the grant as a team, please note that the grant will be paid to the applicant who has filled out the application form. The main applicant is responsible for ensuring that the grant is intended for the entire team/company and that it is used entirely for the purpose for which it was granted. The main applicant must be a currently enrolled student at the Tampere higher education community during both the grant application process and the payment period.

Grant evaluation

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.

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.