Personal Research Funding (PRG / PSG / PUTJD)
Supports research teams and institutions for Personal Research Funding in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and materials science.
The Personal Research Funding suite is the Estonian Research Council's (ETAG) primary national mechanism for funding individual research careers and teams. It comprises three parallel grant categories operating on the same annual call cycle. The PUTJD postdoctoral grant supports Estonian PhD holders seeking to gain international research experience abroad and build independent careers. The PSG starting grant funds researchers at the early stage of establishing independent research lines, enabling them to develop small teams and mentor junior researchers. The PRG team grant supports established researchers running larger collaborative projects and is designed for high-level, internationally competitive research programmes. All three tracks require the principal investigator to be affiliated with a positively evaluated R&D institution registered in Estonia. The programme has operated continuously for multiple annual cycles, with Call 2026 referenced as an active edition.
Specific award amounts and formal deadlines for the 2026 cycle are not published on the programme's index page and are announced separately through individual call notices on etag.ee. Historically, Estonian national research grants have funded multi-year projects, with PRG projects typically running three to five years. Applications are evaluated by international peer review panels and scored against scientific excellence criteria. Eligibility is limited to Estonian research institutions and universities; for-profit organisations are not eligible for this academic instrument.
To apply, researchers and their institutions must submit proposals through the ETAG submission portal, with documentation of institutional affiliation, research plan, and track record. Applicants should consult each annual call announcement for precise award ceilings, deadlines, and documentation requirements.
All scientific disciplines at Estonian research institutions, covering postdoctoral international mobility (PUTJD), starting independent research careers (PSG), and established team research projects (PRG).
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