Grant researcher at JYU

Grant researcher at JYU

Grant researchers are an important part of our work and researcher community. As a grant researcher, you are conducting research on your personal grant received, for example, from a foundation, a fund or the University. On this page, we have compiled the key facts about working as a grant researcher at the Ģ��ֱ��.

The content of the grant researcher agreement

With the grant researcher agreement, you agree on using the facilities and equipment of the Ģ��ֱ�� for your research. The agreement is based on personal grant you have received for conducting gratuitous research at the University. The agreement defines the rights and obligations between you and the Ģ��ֱ�� related to conducting your research.

As a rule, grant researchers are not employees of the University, so their rights and obligations differ in some respects from those of researchers, who are employees and are subject to labor laws. However, we want to offer you as far as possible the same tools and services to support your work as we do for employed researchers, within the limits set by legislation and funders.

The grant researcher agreement defines the parties to the agreement (the Ģ��ֱ�� representative and the grant researcher), the duration of the agreement, the research and funding details, the equipment, premises and services covered by the agreement and the general terms and conditions of the agreement.

By signing a grant researcher agreement with the Ģ��ֱ��, you commit to:

the principles of responsible conduct of research and research ethics of the Ģ��ֱ��
publish the grant research results under the affiliation of the Ģ��ֱ�� and to follow the principles and guidelines for research and innovation activities
act according to the Ģ��ֱ��'s information systems usage policy, including compliance with data privacy and information security guidelines and the completion of related training courses
comply with the Ģ��ֱ��'s safety and occupational safety regulations and guidelines
recording scientific activities in the Ģ��ֱ��'s research information system according to the instructions given
comply with the obligation of professional secrecy

As a grant researcher, you are responsible for taking out the necessary insurance, such as pension insurance (compulsory), travel insurance, professional liability insurance and leisure time accident insurance.  If you are a postgraduate student at our university, you are covered by the statutory accident insurance for students during practical teaching and training.

Part-time employment relationship

The grant researcher agreement does not constitute an employment relationship between you and the University. In certain conditions and according to the University’s discretion, it is possible to sign a part-time employment contract with a grant researcher in addition to the grant. You must discuss part-time employment with the University already before applying for a grant. If you are writing a dissertation on a grant and part-time employment is established with you, you undertake to familiarise yourself with the University’s instructions on part-time employment alongside the grant researcher agreement. Part-time employment may impact your obligation to transfer rights to results created in your research to the University.

Privacy notices related to the grant researcher agreement: 

Privacy notice for partners without an employment relationship

Privacy notice for registry office and archive

Benefits of grant reseacher

Our services to maintain personal mental and physical wellbeing and skills are also available to grant researchers. You can choose from a wide range of services, from self-study materials and online courses to expert-led training and lectures. For example, our diverse , , the Staff Compass - a well-being and life skills programme for self-study, and the Auntie service for mental well-being.

As a grant researcher, you also get the same benefits as employees from our community partners, such as staff lunch at a reduced price, discounted tickets to cultural events for university work community members, etc.

Grant researchers are not covered by occupational health care. However, as a grant researcher, you can get healthcare insurance paid by the Ģ��ֱ��.

Healthcare insurance

You have an opportunity to get healthcare insurance paid by the University if you fulfill the conditions and are committed to the voluntary healthcare insurance. You can receive the healthcare insurance under the following conditions:

You have a research grant for at least one year and a grant researcher agreement with the University.
You live and work in Finland.
You do not have an employment relationship or occupational healthcare elsewhere.

The healthcare insurance is voluntary to you and there is no excess.

The healthcare insurance covers treatment costs of general medical care and medical examinations given or prescribed by a general practitioner.

How to apply to work as a grant researcher

To apply to work with us as a grant researcher and ensure your smooth work at the Ģ��ֱ��, do the following:

Contact the faculty and/or department that interests you. Discuss and make an initial agreement to conduct research for the Ģ��ֱ��.
As a non-university applicant, you must have a contact person from the Ģ��ֱ�� staff in order to obtain temporary access to JYU's research information system Converis and apply for supplementary funding. The contact person will submit the access request to the system administrator, after which you will be contacted by Converis support with instructions on how to activate your account.
Once you have the rights in place, you can submit your project proposal to Converis. In the project proposal, you describe your project, which you plan to implement under the affiliation of JYU, for approval by the faculty/department management.
By accepting your project proposal in Converis, the management of the unit makes a preliminary commitment to a possible positive funding decision on the project proposal and prepares for the resources needed to implement the project.
After a positive funding decision, submit the funding decision document to Converis as soon as possible to accompany your project proposal.
The initial commitment of the unit's management and the conduct of your research with us is confirmed when you sign a grant researcher agreement with the Ģ��ֱ��. This agreement is initiated by the contact person mentioned above or another key person in the unit. In practice, the agreement is made in the Mepco system.

An assistant in your department/unit will help you get started. His/her tasks include assisting in making arrangements for all new work community members to start their work and, in your case, ensuring that you have access to the facilities, equipment and services as specified in your agreement with the University.

Your Head of Unit and members of your researcher community will guide you in matters relating to your researcher's work. If you are a postdoctoral researcher on a grant, your dissertation supervisor will be your primary guide to the day-to-day work of a researcher. You can turn to him or her on any matter. 