|
Interviewing Academy Research Fellow Tiina Mattila
Tiina Mattila was awarded an Academy Research Fellowship by the Research Council of Finland (RCF). She applied for funding in the winter call of 2024 and received news of the
positive decision in June. She said that her feelings and the week after the decision had been “euphoric”.
Mattila is a plant population geneticist, and she studies simultaneous adaptation to northern conditions using eastern long bean as a model system. Thanks to the RCF’s funding, Mattila
will be able to continue to focus on research work and collaboration with an international network.
Why did you apply for the RCF’s funding?
Because this is a dream, to have your own research group and to be able to continue and implement your own scientific vision. I looked at possible funding opportunities and the options
were either RCF or ERC. I decided to focus on applying for RCF’s Fellowship this time because I felt it best suited my current situation. In the Academy Researcher Fellowship project I can, in addition to research work, develop my project management skills
and integrate into an international research network.
You talked about this being a dream for you. What does it mean for you in practical terms or as a kind of recognition to receive funding from RCF?
It is confirmation for me that I am on the right path and this is the way to continue. It has been nice to read feedback, although perhaps traditional Finnish modesty rears its head when
it starts to feel a bit embarrassing reading praise about my own work. But it sure is uplifting, and the last week has been quite euphoric. I am very grateful to everyone who has supported this process along the way, especially my dissertation supervisor Outi
Savolainen.
But it also worries me that many other applications remain unfunded. The researcher’s life is constant competition. A colleague once said that it’s like competitive sports. You have to
be the best.
And when you think about it ideologically, and this is how I think, it’s still teamwork. And I have been on the other side not getting the funding. Sometimes it feels like you’re working
like crazy and nothing visible comes out of it. However, I hope that as many as possible will be able to carry out their scientific visions and dreams.
Have you previously applied for RCF’s funding?
Yes. This was the third time I applied. The first time my topic was the same, but the focus was quite different. This year the focus was more on computational biology. The second time
was something in between. There has been a certain evolution here.
What kind of feeling did you have applying for this funding for the third time?
The first time the reviews were not very good. But they were okay. There were a lot of development suggestions that helped me to modify the application for the second time.
The second time around the reviews were really good. It felt like the funding was not so far out of reach, so this year I felt like I definitely wanted to apply again.
The RCF has time limits on how far along in your career you can be and still apply, and I am at the end of that period. It was a “last chance” feeling for me, and I put a lot of effort
into it. I felt really good applying because last time the reviews were so positive.
Then, when the funding came it felt like, well, that’s how it was supposed to go. But when I looked at the statistics afterwards, I came to understand that securing the funding was actually
hanging in the balance. I even had thoughts that someone could still take this away from me because, after all, my application was not perfect.
Getting the funding is a big deal for me, and I have been waiting for this moment. I had a good feeling when I submitted the application. I was confident and I was happy with the application.
The network that I have been able to build is great, too.
How did you feel about the application phase and writing of the proposal? Was it arduous?
It takes a lot of work, more than I thought. Some people probably do it faster, but for me it took a long time. And even though I had an application ready from the previous call, it had
to be modified, and the modifications affected everything else.
Even though the applying and proposal writing takes a lot of work, I see the reasoning behind it. And ultimately the work is beneficial. Of course there were times when I didn’t know
what to do. But in the end, I got a boost and felt like I had a chance to build my own scientific vision. Now it feels like I’m ready and I have done the groundwork.
The research support services of the University of Oulu were a great help in refining the proposal. Academy Camp was absolutely amazing. Research funding experts do a crazy amount of
work for the proposals. They offer a lot of guidance for applying and funding experts can help even with small details, such as text settings of the proposal.
Were there other forms of research support services that you used besides Academy Camp?
Message exchange and guidance on a personal level. And there could be more of that. It would be great if there were a hand-holder from whom you could always check if you have done everything
right. Of course, I don’t want to be too much of a bother.
I have previously used another support service while writing another proposal and we had this writing retreat. And if one needed a personal meeting, it was possible to have it and it
was very useful. That helped me to get rid of overcaution and uncertainty. And while writing, I was able to share concerns as soon as they came up.
How do you feel about the proposal writing as text genre? In the proposal you have to kind of sell your own idea and there is no room to write as scientifically and accurately
as you would perhaps like. Have you found it difficult?
I have had to practice that kind of marketing. Academy Camp brought out that in the proposal we are not writing a scientific review. That is apparently something that many people get
mixed up. Letting others read the proposal was hugely beneficial.
As a researcher it is of course difficult because research results always involve a level of uncertainty but then you have to make some kind of punchline or advertising slogan out of
them.
For me an aha moment was when I realized that even though my research might not save the whole world right now, it is still part of a larger context. So, when writing marketing text in
a proposal, you can say that in general such research helps in solving certain kind of problems. I always am scared about promising too much. But that’s research. You can’t have the knowledge in advance.
What do you hope from the university now that you have received funding and also during the project?
Of course, I hope that practical matters will go smoothly. It’s scary too, when you suddenly have to manage an amount of money, which is a completely different sum than ever before. And
I hope that recruitments and other practical matters don’t consume too much energy so that I can focus on research, guidance and teaching.
I also hope that, for example, mobility issues and researcher visits will go smoothly. And usually, that has been the case. Help is often available if you just know where to ask for it.
Do you feel that the university should communicate more clearly about where to get certain kinds of help?
I think that could be beneficial. I’ve been thinking of making myself a guide about which matters to contact which person. Maybe there could be a jack of all trades from whom you could
always ask where to get information about this or that. Maybe artificial intelligence could be useful here.
What would you like to say to an applicant who received a negative funding decision?
I am a good example that it is worth trying again. Especially if you have received good feedback in the reviews. And you should dare to change the research plan, although of course there
may be different views on this matter. But at least if you get the feeling that the criticism is relevant, you should be bold and start changing the proposal.
What advice would you give to a researcher applying for Academy funding for the first time?
Preparing a good application requires a lot more than a research plan. You should really set aside time for writing, searching for information and asking for comments, especially if there
are a lot of partners. I would say that one month isn’t enough time, but it is of course individual.
You should have as many people as possible reading your proposal. You don’t have to give the whole proposal to every person, you can just give one section. You benefit a lot from an outsider’s
view.
Also, work hard and ask for help sooner rather than later. You have to be humble and ask for help from many people. But you don’t have to know everything yourself.
And lastly, remember to dream scientifically. During the application phase, it’s wonderful when you can still build castles in the air. But it is also important to ground those dreams.
|
