National research funding * is competition-based funding for the implementation of a high-level research and development project led by a researcher with a doctoral degree working in a research and development institution, university or evaluated professional higher education institution.

There are three categories of grants corresponding to the different levels of a research career:

• A postdoctoral grant (PUTJD) is a grant aimed at supporting a person who has obtained a doctoral degree in Estonia in order to gain research and development experience at a foreign research institution, an international research organisation, or a research-intensive undertaking in order to contribute to the start of their independent research career.
• A starting grant (PSG) is a grant aimed at supporting a researcher who has started an independent research career in carrying out a research and development project, creating their own research team and promoting the next generation of researchers at a research and development institution, university or an evaluated professional higher education institution.
• A team grant (PRG) is a grant aimed at supporting the researcher and the research team led by them in implementing a high-level research and development project and promoting the next generation of researchers in a research and development institution, university or an evaluated professional higher education institution.

* The abbreviation PUT has remained in use in the Estonian research community for national research grants, deriving from the former Estonian term personaalne uurimistoetus.

Grant reporting for ongoing national research grant projects

• The decision to continue funding the project will be based on the grant contract which will be prepared (via ETIS) in the end of the calendar year. 
• For four-and five-year PSG and PRG projects it will be necessary to submit (via ETIS) an interim report during the third year. The submission due date in 2026 was March 9 (generally it is 28 February) at 5PM Estonian time. For PUTJD projects there’s no obligation to submit interim reports.
• The final report has to be submitted (via ETIS) within the time limit established by the Council (in 2026 the submission due date is 15 September at 5PM, Estonian time). The deadline for final reports of PUTJD projects is generally two months after the end of the project.
• Based on the directive of the Management of the Estonian Research Council, the conditions established in 2025 apply to the reporting, continuation of grant allocation and research data management of the grants awarded before 1 March 2025.

Template form for PSG and PRG interim reports

Template form for PSG and PRG final reports

NB! The Principal Investigators will be notified by the Council when the report form has beed made accessable in ETIS.

Conditions for Extending the Grant Period

An acknowledgement of the research grant

Reference to the research funding project is mandatory in category 1–3 publications according to the ETIS classification, unless it’s limited by publishing restrictions, copyright, or intellectual property laws. Only the publications which include an acknowledgement will be taken into account when assessing the interim and final reports. Acknowledgement must contain the grant number, which consists of the grant type acronym and a combination of numbers (without a space, e.g. PUTJD123, PRG456).

Correct form of acknowledgment of the research grant in English:
This work was supported by the Estonian Research Council grant (PXX number).

Correct form of acknowledgment of the research grant in Estonian:
Uurimistööd on finantseerinud Eesti Teadusagentuur (PXX number).

Support for Including Ukrainian War Refugees in Grant Projects /ENDED/