For the Referee

A reference provides valuable information for the evaluator of the grant application about the importance of the project and the applicant’s ability to follow through the plan. Especially when applying for a grant for doctoral thesis work the applicant may benefit greatly of references given by the instructor or someone else who is familiar with the work. In the fields of art, references may be important for applicants who are only in the beginning of their career. The grant applicant should ask the referee to submit a reference through the online reference service.

To give a reference, please log in to our online reference service. Note that you are not expected to send a copy of the reference separately by post.

You can submit a reference even if the applicant has not yet submitted a grant application. The reference and the application will be reconciled by Wihuri Foundation after May based on the name of the applicant. If you are giving a reference to a working group, it is important to know whose name the grant application has been submitted with.

In the online reference service, you can find a template for the reference. You are expected to evaluate the applicant’s previous achievements in comparison with peers, the applicant’s potential to carry out the proposed project plan and the significance of the project in the field of science or art. In addition, it is advisable to reason why this specific project should be awarded a grant. For instance, you can state something about the novelty or the societal impact of the project. The referee should also comment on the financial situation and need for funding of the grant applicant.

If you are giving a reference to more than one applicant, you should put the applicants in order of superiority. This is possible in the online reference service.

When a reference is given through the online reference service, it will be seen only by the Foundation staff and the evaluators of the grant applications. The Foundation does not hand over references to any third parties – even the grant applicant.

An alternative way to give a reference is by sending a reference-letter straight to the applicant who can then attach it to the application within the application period. Please note that we prefer that you use the online reference service for submitting a reference.

Online reference service

Use personal banking id or mobile certificate to log in to the Online reference service.

Alternatively log in to the online reference service by giving your username and password. If it is your first time using the service, register and create a new username and a password.

When the reference has been successfully sent to the Foundation, the following text will appear on the screen: “Reference submitted. You have now successfully submitted the reference and it has been received by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.”

You can still edit the reference until the end of May. The reference will then be processed and cannot be edited anymore. You can see the references on the main page where you can print and edit them. The references can be done and edited until the end of application period.

Even though you are supposed to submit a reference within the application period in May, we keep accept references given through the online reference service during the first week of June. After the service is closed, it is not possible to submit references through it anymore.

The office of the Foundation answers questions from Monday to Friday during office hours (9-16): tel +358 9 4542 400 or toimisto(at)wihurinrahasto.fi. For technical support please send an email to hakemustuki(at)datalink.fi.