Grant writer, Business and Society research platform

Do you want to be part of building LUT Universitys next research success story? We are seeking a grant writer who excels at research funding acquisition, collaboration, and helping researchers succeed. As a grant writer, you will support our research platform and researchers in securing competitive research funding and turning ambitious ideas into high-impact projects, both in Finland and internationally.

We have recently launched four new strategic research platforms that combine cutting-edge research from multiple disciplines. You will work as a grant writer for the Business and Society platform, which focuses on systemic societal change, governance, business transformation, and the societal impacts of sustainable transitions.

These platforms are strategic flagship initiatives: they generate new projects, strengthen international networks, and make our research more visible and engaging. They are more than project groups — they are collaborative environments where experts from different disciplines come together to build new research themes, partnerships, and impactful initiatives.

Although the platforms have already been launched, they are still in an early development phase. The research platform team plays a central role in shaping new ways of working and creating structures that enable ambitious, interdisciplinary collaboration. As a grant writer, you will have a unique opportunity to help build these new practices and support the formation of academically strong and thematically focused research communities capable of addressing complex societal challenges.

What your work be like

You will be a key partner to researchers, research groups, and platform directors. Your task is to identify funding opportunities, prepare and write competitive research proposals, and ensure that applications meet funders requirements and expectations.

Your work will be varied: you will participate in project planning, help researchers shape proposal content and impact sections, support budget planning, coordinate with partners and funders, and ensure that submissions are completed on schedule.

You will work as part of a five-person research platform team under the day-to-day guidance of the platforms Research Director, while formally belonging to LUTs Research Services and the EU Funding Team. The role therefore combines close operational collaboration with the research platform and broader support from LUTs research funding professionals.

The research platforms are still evolving, and the work involves building new structures, practices, and collaboration models. This means the role requires the ability to work in an environment where priorities, processes, and ways of working continue to develop over time.

You will play a vital role in building LUTs future research portfolio and enabling successful funding applications to prestigious national and international funding instruments that advance scientific excellence and societal relevance.

What we expect from you

To succeed in this role, you should have experience in preparing and writing research funding applications. You may have a background in working with the Research Council of Finland, Business Finland, EU programmes such as Horizon Europe or the European Research Council, or other national or international funding agencies.

Your future tasks may also involve supporting or preparing applications to international foundations and private funding organisations, so familiarity with or interest in these is considered an asset. The role requires the ability to manage multiple funding instruments, parallel application processes, and varying funding timelines simultaneously.

Experience in research funding support, proposal preparation, funding coordination, or other research-development-related activities is considered valuable, even if your background does not match all funding instruments mentioned above.

We value an understanding of the academic environment and the ability to successfully handle complex, interdisciplinary projects. You have proven experience in managing multiple tasks, funding instruments, and deadlines, and you have excellent writing and time management skills that allow you to translate complex research ideas into clear, compelling proposals.

You are proactive and service-minded, and you enjoy working with people. You are motivated by helping others succeed and by supporting high-quality research. You have a proven track record of combining collaborative teamwork with independent working methods.

As the research platform team is building new structures and ways of working, you are comfortable operating in an evolving environment where uncertainty and change are part of everyday work. You are motivated by the opportunity to help shape new practices rather than work within fully established structures.

You will work mainly in English, but Finnish skills are considered an advantage, particularly in national funding environments and industry collaboration, where some interaction and information sources are available primarily in Finnish.

A relevant masters degree is required, and a doctoral degree or experience in doctoral research is considered an advantage. Your educational background may relate to business, social sciences, governance, sustainability transitions, innovation studies, or another field relevant to the Business and Society platforms themes.

What we offer you

We offer an exciting opportunity to work alongside top-level researchers and make a real difference in how new research projects, collaborations, and interdisciplinary communities are created at LUT.

You will formally work as part of LUTs EU Funding Team within Research Services, while your daily work is closely integrated with the research platform team and guided operationally by the platforms Research Director. The role combines the support structures of Research Services with close involvement in strategic research platform development.

You can be based in either Lahti or Lappeenranta, and LUT offers a modern hybrid work model that combines flexibility with regular on-site collaboration across both campuses. The position follows the universitys 36.25-hour work week for expert and support staff. The hours are flexible, supporting work–life balance.

The position is full-time and permanent. The sala