Fair practices in funded projects

Role of the person responsible for the project for working groups and organisations

If the grantee is an organisation or a working group, the payment requests must be submitted by the person responsible for the project. This person also decides which bank account to use for funding for other expenses. If there are changes to the project’s content, the composition of the working group, or any other key element changes, the person responsible for the project must submit a change request on the online service. The responsible person is also in charge of submitting the final report and, for multi-year projects, the progress report.

The person responsible for the project must inform the other members about where to find information on grant taxation and MYEL insurance coverage for grantees (e.g., on Kone Foundation’s website or through MELA and/or the Finnish Tax Administration). Additionally, they should guide working group members in notifying MELA of any changes regarding their grant payments.

The person responsible ensures that the funding is used for the purpose for which it has been awarded. They may also create contracts with working group members. A cooperation agreement, for example, is well-suited as a contract between members of a working group in grant-funded work. “Access rider” documents can also be used in collaboratively conducted grant-funded work. An access rider is a document in which an individual can outline their needs, preferences, and boundaries, helping to establish suitable working methods for everyone. Kone Foundation does not require creating such contracts, however.

The grant is paid on the basis of a payment request submitted by the 10th day of the month preceding the month of payment. Payment requests for organisations and working groups must be submitted by the person responsible for the project. Please create a payment schedule for the entire duration of the project at once, if possible. Should any changes regarding your payment schedule occur, you can edit a request that has already been confirmed.

Fill in the payment schedule for monthly grants and possible other expenses. Funding for other expenses are primarily paid in one instalment per year, in which case they can be used throughout the year. Other costs are preferably paid into a bank account of a legal entity with a business ID. Funding for expenses paid to a university account can be disbursed in full at once, for example, in the case of multi-year projects. 

If any salary or remuneration is issued from other expenses, the person responsible for the project must remember that it is their own responsibility to comply with all employer obligations, statutory payments and tax requirements. Kone Foundation only covers the other expenses and cannot assist with practical administrative matters. For more information about the payment of salaries and related matters, please visit Palkka.fi (in Finnish and Swedish).

Do you need help filling in the payment request? Please see an instructional video here.

Please note that any changes to personal grant payment schedule may affect the grantee’s MYEL insurance coverage. Grantees are obligated to immediately inform MELA about any changes regarding grant payments.

Please be aware that each year, Kone Foundation office is closed in July and new payment requests will not be processed. All instalments confirmed to be paid will be issued as agreed.

Agreements, changes, and ending collaboration

Please note that Kone Foundation grant recipients or those receiving salary funding from the project are not in an employment relationship with the Foundation. 

We encourage collaboration agreements in group projects, covering such topics as who is responsible for what tasks and for how long. Agreements should ideally address potential disputes and how to handle possible disagreements during the project. 

In addition to basic information, agreements may include sections on responsibilities, intellectual property rights, confidentiality, and individual work-related needs or limitations. 

In case of changes, the person responsible for the project is required to inform all parties involved and discuss any changes within the group. If collaboration is to be terminated with someone working on the project, this must be agreed upon and communicated fairly and respectfully. 

Handling challenging situations within the project

If you experience difficulties in your project, don’t hesitate to contact Kone Foundation for assistance. Please review the instructions below.  

If you are the person responsible for a project:  

• What is the situation of concern in your project?  
• Remember your role and responsibilities. 
• Foster constructive collaboration and communication. Keep group members informed about project plans, funding, insurance, taxation, and other official matters.  
• Ensure that all members receive the Kone Foundation newsletter and Grants+ updates.  
• Familiarise yourself with services available to grant recipients.
• Consider how you can promote respectful dialogue in the group. 
• Would work counselling or mediation help resolve the issue?  
• Contact us if you’d like to use expense funding to support collaboration.  
• What support do you expect from the Foundation?
• Do you have other networks (e.g., university administration, associations) you can rely on for support?  
• Contact our team. We will help assess the situation.  

If you are a grant recipient in a project:

• What is the current situation in the project?
• How can you foster constructive communication and culture?
• What do you hope will happen next?  
• Explore the Grants+ services.  
• What support do you expect from the Foundation?
• Do you have access to other networks or support structures?  (Note: The Foundation does not take a stance on credit distribution.)  
• Contact our team for further discussion. 

Research funding: ethical considerations, reuse of research materials and open access

Academic researchers should follow the guidelines for responsible conduct of research issued by the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity and the codes of conduct of the organisation in which the research takes place.

We recommend that data collected during research funded by Kone Foundation be archived for possible future use. More information on how to do this can be obtained from the Finnish Social Science Data Archive or from the Language Bank of Finland.

We recommend that Kone Foundation research grant recipients make their research results freely available to all. Researchers can make their scholarly publications openly accessible by posting them on the internet in, for example, the open-access repository of the research institute or thourgh a world-wide provider such as Researchgate.net or Academia.edu.

Research results can also be published in scholarly journals, most of which make their articles openly accessible. When it funds projects, the Foundation can also cover the processing fees of open-access journals. However, if this is the case, the processing fees should be paid to journals that make all articles freely accessible rather than to journals that collect subscription fees.

How to act if you experience harassment?

If you experience or witness harassment, inappropriate behaviour, or if you feel uncomfortable in a situation, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will listen and ask the person affected how they wish us to respond. The harassment contact person at Kone Foundation is Marianne Parvinen (marianne.parvinen@koneensaatio.fi) and at the Saari Residence Iiris Lahti (iiris.lahti@koneensaatio.fi).

We have also put together a document for grant recipients on what to do if you or someone in your community is being harassed online.

Download our Online harassment guide (pdf)

A researcher may face harassment during their career. The Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (FUURT) has an information page for researchers who face harrassment in working life, social media or private life. Zero tolerance to harassment!

Click here to see the instructions for researchers experiencing harassment

The Foundation offers Someturva-service for the grantees. From Someturva, you can get anonymous help if you face harassment, hate speech, defamation or targeting. The help is provided by Someturva’s team of experts, including lawyers, psychologists and social psychologists. If you would like to use the service, please contact us, koneensaatio@koneensaatio.fi.