Ethics is central to police work, as officers have the legal authority to restrict citizens’ freedom and make autonomous decisions on the job. At the same time, the police aim to build trust with different population groups and to prevent crime and broader social problems. In Finland, however, research on the ethics of police work has so far been limited.

Combining adult education research and the sociology of work, the project gathers perspectives on ethics from police officers, police students, and other stakeholders. Data are collected, among other methods, through interviews and field diaries.

€470,800

Hautamäki argues that, historically, Finnish security thinking has been built more on a German political and administrative cultural legacy than on a liberal rule-of-law tradition. Drawing on this German tradition, the Finnish concept of security has come to include abstract aims such as welfare, happiness, and “success.” As a result, Finnish approaches to security tend to emphasize measures focused on domestic well-being—such as foresight, prevention, and preparedness. The doctoral dissertation draws on German- and Finnish-language primary sources, analysed across a time span from the early modern period to the present.

€68,800

Today, security is a central justification for regulating the movement of people. In a doctoral dissertation, Haara explores security-oriented perspectives on mobility and how they are negotiated by examining the history of the Finnish passport.

For its holder, a Finnish passport is often an everyday object, but also a valuable one, as it enables relatively smooth travel in much of the world. Passports are not granted to everyone, and not all passports open doors equally. Across different historical periods, people’s mobility has been shaped through decisions about passports’ features, the grounds on which they are issued, and how they are used.

At the heart of the study is the idea of a “security paradox”: freedom of movement appears to require tighter surveillance and control, even though surveillance and freedom seem like opposing aims. The research sheds light on current debates about the control of migration and travel.

€66,800 €

The protagonist has bought a mixed-breed dog that turns out to be aggressive, unpredictable, and dangerous. At the same time, she receives a payment reminder for a debt she knows nothing about. In the novel, the dog embodies the acute poverty of a family: just as poverty and a damaged credit record gnaw at the foundations of a secure life, the dog, too, will not leave her in peace or calm down.

€62,100 (includes completing the novel described above and writing a second work)

Freedom of expression is a core element of a democratic society, and Finland’s Constitution guarantees the right to express oneself through art.

International human rights treaties do allow restrictions on freedom of expression on national security grounds, but only under strict conditions. National security can also be misused as a justification for silencing, for example, human rights defenders. Because art often challenges and tests the limits set by society, attempts to restrict freedom of expression frequently target artistic expression.

The project investigates the multifaceted role of artistic freedom of expression in the context of national security and develops recommendations for protecting it.

€30,000

What kind of experiential knowledge of crisis preparedness and community resilience exists among those living close to NATO’s Arctic frontier?

The starting point of the research is that challenging natural conditions and intersecting cultural, social, and political interests in these areas have equipped locals to cope with crises.

During the project, the researchers will compare preparedness cultures among marginalised communities in Eastern Lapland and Finnmark, Northern Norway, with those of their Finnish and Norwegian neighbours.

€330,800

The border city of Narva, on the Estonian–Russian frontier, sits both concretely and symbolically between multiple ideologies, languages, cultures, and historical narratives.

Jensen’s project, partly using methods of collective artistic research, explores how the city’s liminal space—the in-between of ways of being, languages, cultures, and ideologies—is reflected in everyday spatial and communal experiences.

What phenomena and potential can be observed in Narva, where hope, nostalgia, and fear intertwine? By asking this, the research contributes to the discussion not only on Narva but also on the future prospects of other similar post-industrial border towns.

€67,600

This social psychology doctoral study examines tourism as a global industry in Zanzibar, where the legacy of classical mid-20th-century colonialism continues in neo-colonial forms. While tourism is often promoted as a driver of development in emerging economies, the sector is largely controlled by multinational actors, reinforcing colonial power structures and deepening global inequalities.

The research investigates how vulnerable beach vendors in the informal tourism sector navigate, negotiate, maintain, and resist colonial power relations. It also examines how influential tourism stakeholders, responsible for national branding and investment promotion, either reinforce or challenge these hierarchies.

Participatory theatre is also used, allowing the beach vendors as a community to address everyday challenges and explore alternative solutions.

€152,300

This multi-disciplinary association based in Kemi seeks to turn Sea Lapland’s geographical position as a cultural periphery into an asset and to strengthen the region’s cultural life.

The working group explores how remoteness can serve as a starting point, generating distinctive forms of art, culture, and community rooted in the landscapes, language, and cultural heritage of Sea Lapland.

The work is artist-led, but other local communities and actors are also invited to participate. The goal is to create a thriving cultural ecosystem in the region.

€110,000

Ahlholm’s practice is deeply rooted in a specific place. Eno, in North Karelia, is the artist’s home region, where Ahlholm grows flax over the summer, later processing it into fibre and spinning it into linen thread. In the winter, the artist weaves the linen into artworks and produces a zine documenting the entire process.

The project aims to develop a sustainable practice for self-sufficient art that revives culturally valuable skills, and to provide broader insights into sustainable methods of producing textile art in a rural setting.

€34,200