Membership

Welcome to SATY!

Finnish Association of Academic Researchers, SATY, is a national association of around 370 members who work in expert positions in the fields of science, research, and higher education. SATY aims to build a virtual community and advocate the interests of academics who have various jobs and roles in different job market positions or face the challenges of precarity.

Anyone working in science, research or education can become a member of SATY. When you join the Finnish Association of Academic Researchers, you become a member of The Union of Research Professionals (Tieteentekijät), and if you are working as a salaried employee, you also join the Teachers’ Unemployment Fund (Opettajien työttömyyskassa). SATY members have access to the association’s services as well as to those offered by Tieteentekijät and the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (AKAVA).

SATY offers its members a multidisciplinary, virtual community. Each autumn, we award small grants to members for professional development and wellbeing. Throughout the year, SATY organizes excursions and other events as well as recreational activities that are open to all of its members. In 2025, our special aim is to organize member events around Finland, not only in Helsinki metropolitan are.

Becoming a member

You can apply for SATY membership using the electronic membership form. With the same application you apply to become a member of Research Professionals, SATY and the Unemployment Fund for Education and Science. Your membership will start at the earliest from the date you apply for membership or from the date of your choice – but not retroactively. New members are approved by the SATY Board, which meets about once a month. Once approved, you will receive a Welcome to SATY -email.

The membership form

Membership fees and membership related matters

The SATY membership fee is 1% of the gross salary of the main job.

If you do not have a salary, e.g. you are on a grant, unemployed, on maternity, paternity or parental leave, on childcare leave, on alternating leave or doing military service, the membership fee is 8 € per month.

If you are gainfully employed and wish to join the unemployment fund, the membership fee is 1% of your gross salary. The membership fee is deductible for tax purposes on earned income.

For pensioners, the membership fee is €60 per year. When becoming a pensioner member, the contribution is €5 per month for the rest of the year.

In case of doubt – for example, if you are employed and on a grant at the same time – you can always ask for help from the Tieteentekijät Member Services: jasenpalvelu (at) tieteentekijat.fi.

The employer can deduct the membership fee directly from your salary. To do this, a proxy form must be completed and submitted to the payroll office. You can find the proxy form from electronic membership service under “My information” and “Employment relationships”. A copy of the form, signed by the payroll office, should be sent by e-mail to the Membership Service of the Union at jasenpalvelu (at) tieteentekijat.fi.

You can update your information and check the status of your membership payments in the electronic membership service. There you can inform us about changes of your employment, e.g. if you become unemployed, start or end a grant-funded research or start parental leave or a sabbatical.

E-service

Keeping your email address up to date ensures that our member communication reaches you!

Please contact FUURT’s membership service jasenpalvelu (at) tieteentekijoidenliitto.fi for example, whenever you:

need new reference numbers for paying your membership fees

have questions regarding your membership fee

want to change union or member association

want to leave the union