Europe
The Research Council of Finland promotes European research cooperation and the building of the European Research Area (ERA) in two main ways. Firstly, our experts act as Finland’s representatives on committees of the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and advise and support applicants seeking funding from the programme. These tasks are closely coordinated with Finnish ministries and Business Finland. Secondly, we sponsor partnerships with the EU and European funding agencies and market them to researchers through thematic ERA-NET and JPI calls. However, the new Horizon Europe framework programme will transform European research partnerships.
We also coordinate the Finnish Liaison Office for EU R&D (FiLi) with Business Finland in Brussels. FiLi works in close cooperation with the European Commission as well as European and Finnish researchers in Brussels.
Horizon Europe – EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2021–2027
A significant increase in the European Union’s next RDI budget is necessary to strengthen both the EU’s and Finland’s knowledge base, competitiveness and self-sufficiency in knowledge and research. Excellence as the cornerstone of the framework programme must be maintained. The EU framework programmes for research and innovation have for decades provided funding for high-quality RDI projects and helped create new knowledge and new skills and shored up Europe’s competitiveness. The funding to be distributed under the next framework programme (FP10) must be earmarked and allocated to excellent research and innovation.
Reaching ambitious targets requires investments in research (PDF)
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s research and innovation framework programme for 2021–2027. The aim of the programme is to create growth and new jobs in Europe by strengthening the scientific expertise in the EU region, supporting the development and introduction of new technologies and innovations in companies and seeking solutions to major societal challenges in Europe.
Horizon Europe has a budget of around 95 billion euros. The programme is open to universities, higher education institutions, research institutes, businesses, individual researchers and other organisations performing or utilising research, such as an association or a city. The programme provides funding for research and innovation projects carried out in international cooperation and research projects carried out by individual researchers. In Horizon Europe calls, experts from different fields are invited by the European Commission to review the project proposals received, and only the best are funded.
Horizon Europe introduces a new, impact-oriented approach to research and innovation. The programme includes mission-driven research that is aimed at bringing research closer to people and tackling major global challenges.
The first mission areas are:
- Adaptation to climate change including societal transformation
- Cancer
- Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
- Climate-neutral and smart cities
- Soil health and food.
The programme has four pillars.
Pillar 1: Excellent Science
Excellent Science focuses on supporting and funding frontier research. The European Research Council (ERC), which funds top-level science, and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which support researcher mobility, are both part of this pillar. Additionally, the pillar includes a development programme for research infrastructures.
Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Pillar 2 consists of themes mainly implemented as consortium projects between participants from at least three member states or associated countries. The themes are divided into six clusters:
- Health
- Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
- Civil Security for Society
- Digital, Industry and Space
- Climate, Energy and Mobility
- Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment.
Pillar 3: Innovative Europe
Innovative Europe aims to support research to produce European innovations. One of the framework programme’s novelties, the European Innovation Council (EIC), is included in the pillar. The objective of the EIC is to support European growth by translating research excellence into breakthrough innovations and by helping pioneering companies to become global market leaders. The EIC will therefore fund both multidisciplinary research consortia focusing on early-stage technology research and new initiatives and the commercial development of research results, in particular global-level scale-up. Additionally, the pillar supports the development of European innovation ecosystems.
Collaboration projects for future and emerging technologies (FET) will be dispersed under Horizon Europe. The FET flagships will be transferred to the clusters under the second pillar of the programme. FET Open and FET Proactive actions will be transferred to the EIC under the third pillar.
Pillar 4: Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
Horizon Europe includes a part that contains so-called widening actions that contribute to building research and innovation capacity for countries lagging behind and that reform and enhance the European Research Area.
More information:
- European cooperation at the Research Council: eu(at)aka.fi
- EUTI – Horizon Europe (in Finnish)
- Research Council of Finland’s liaison office in Brussels
- European Commission: Horizon Europe
- European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Horizon Europe establishes a new form of funding cooperation, European Partnerships. There are three types: Co-programmed European Partnerships, Co-funded European Partnerships and Institutionalised European Partnerships. Tha partnerships aim at a greater scale and a more multidisciplinary approach than the earlier ERA-NETs, Joint Programming Initiatives and European Joint Programmes. Some of these networks that started during the Horizon 2020 programme will continue almost throughout Horizon Europe.
The European Partnerships aim at building more impactful wholes, the results of which can be better utilised at policy level. The aim is also to create more synergies between EU policy and various EU programmes. The funding for the partnerships comes partly from national sources, partly through EU programmes. The new partnerships start in three waves (2021–2022 and 2023–2024 and 2025–2027) as part of the Horizon Europe work programmes.
The Research Council of Finland will participate in co-funded partnerships and their calls at the strategic discretion of the Research Council’s scientific councils and other decision-making bodies.
Ongoing European partnerships funded by the Research Council of Finland:
More information
- European cooperation at the Research Council: eu@aka.fi
- ERA-LEARN 2020 website
- Partnerships under the Horizon Europe framework programme
The Research Council of Finland acts as Finland’s national contact organisation for Horizon Europe together with Business Finland. The National Contact Point (NCP) responsibilities are divided between the Research Council and Business Finland. The Research Council has the main responsibility for Horizon Europe Pillar 1, Excellent Science, which includes the European Research Council (ERC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and research infrastructures. In addition, the Research Council has the main responsibility for clusters 1 (Health) and 2 (Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society) under pillar 2, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness Research Council science advisers are also active in NCP and expert roles in other parts of the programme.
EU Research and Innovation Programmes (EUTI) is the official information office for EU R&D in Finland. Committee delegates and experts and NCPs are listed on the EUTI website.
More information:
- European cooperation at the Research Council: eu(at)aka.fi
Horizon 2020 – EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2014–2020
Horizon 2020 is the EU’s research and innovation funding programme for 2014–2020, which preceded Horizon Europe. The aim of the programme has been to create growth and new jobs in Europe by strengthening the scientific expertise in the EU region, supporting the development and introduction of new technologies and innovations in companies and seeking solutions to major societal challenges in Europe. Horizon 2020 had a budget of around 80 billion euros (2014–2020).
More information
ERA-NETs (European Research Area Networks) bring together national research programmes and funding agencies to provide a mechanism for promoting European cooperation in the implementation of framework programmes for research and technology. ERA-NETs help to connect national or regional programmes, support cooperation and coordination between national and regional research programmes, increase the systematic exchange of information among programmes and chart obstacles to cooperation.
ERA-NETs organise multinational calls for joint research projects in fields chosen by the members of each network. During the Sixth and Seventh Framework Programmes, the European Commission reimbursed national research funding agencies for the costs incurred from coordinating and managing ERA-NETs. The Commission’s ERA-NET Plus funding during the Seventh Framework Programme was pooled with funding from the members of ERA-NETs to finance research projects. Horizon 2020 comes with a scheme called ERA-NET Cofund for co-financing both research projects and the networks’ own activities.
ERA-NET partners can choose whether or not to participate in individual joint calls. Once the Commission’s funding comes to an end, ERA-NETs can function as independent (funding) networks or contribute to Joint Programming.
Thethe Research Council of Finland has been actively involved in various ERA-NET initiatives and coordinated actions that tie in with the Research Council’s work in Finland. During the 2014–2019 Horizon 2020 programming period, the Research Council contributed a total of approximately EUR 32 million towards Finnish research teams’ work in ERA-NETs, Joint Programming and European Joint Programme project consortia.
Other EU partnership networks
The EU’s framework programmes for research also contribute to funding agencies’ other partnership networks established to promote European cooperation in certain fields or, for example, to identify best co-financing practices (e.g. ERA-LEARN). During the Horizon 2020 programming period, these networks are being financed through so-called Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs). This form of funding can also be used to support Joint Programming initiatives or to help funding agencies to establish new partnership networks.
The Research Council of Finland currently funds the following ERA-NETs and other EU partnership networks:
- AquaticPollutants
- Biodiversa
- CHIST-ERA
- EJP RD
- ELSA
- ERA-LEARN
- ERA PerMed
- EU-CELAC-Platform
- ERA-NET NEURON
- ERA-NET RUS
- HERA
- IC4Water
- NORFACE
- QuantERA
- Trans-Atlantic Platform
- WaterWorks2017
More information
- Contact details for network coordinators can be found on each network’s website.
- See open calls
Our email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi.
Joint Programming is an European approach to planning and implementing complex research projects in a few key areas. The objective is to tackle common European or global challenges that cannot be overcome by individual nations alone. Joint Programming enables a more coordinated approach by pooling together national resources such as operators, research organisation’s investments and/or funding agencies’ research grants.
Ultimately, the approach is hoped to help countries to use their scientific capital, financial resources, research infrastructure, data and results more effectively. Added value comes from the potential for large-scale and long-term interdisciplinary initiatives and better coordination and cooperation between the participating countries.
A total of ten Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) have been launched to date. Finland participates in eight of these. The Research Council of Finland is one of the coordinators of the Water JPI. The Research Council’s representatives also contribute to the administration or national support groups of other initiatives.
- Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND)
- Agriculture, food security and climate change (FACCE JPI)
- More years, better lives (JPI MYBL)
- Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe (JPI Climate)
- Urban Europe: global changes – local solutions (JPI UE)
- Water challenges (Water JPI)
- Antimicrobials resistance (JPI AMR)
- See open calls
Finland participated in the Joint Baltic Sea Research and Development Programme BONUS between 2010 and 2020. The programme provided funding opportunities for research collaboration between the Baltic Sea countries and opened five joint calls. In all, the programme provided around 90 million euros in funding for 48 research consortia.
According to a study conducted by the Research Council of Finland, Finnish participants did well in the programme, cooperated extensively at international level and participated in a wide range of research topics. A total of 60 Finnish applicants in 35 consortia were funded. Finnish participants took home 14 million euros. Finnish researchers coordinated consortia more often than other Bonus member states. Of Finnish research organisations, the Finnish Environment Institute did very well and secured funding for many of its researchers.
The Research Council of Finland had permanent observer status in the BANOS CSA (Baltic and North Sea Coordination and Support Action) between 2018 and 2021. BANOS formulated a research and innovation strategy for the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
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The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a partnership programme between countries in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union. EDCTP primarily aims to support collaborative research that accelerates the clinical development of new or improved drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to prevent or treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected infectious diseases. Research will be supported over a period of ten years (2014–2024) with a total of nearly 1.4 billion euros. Half of the funding comes from Horizon 2020 and half from the participating countries. As full member, the Research Council of Finland contributes to the programme through the funding scheme for development research. Finnish researchers can also apply for funding directly from EDCTP funding calls.
More information
- Link to EDCTP website
- EDCTP programme and contributions of Research Council of Finland (pdf)
- Sirpa Nuotio, Senior Science Adviser, tel. +358 295 335 082
Our email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi.
Other forms of European cooperation
The European University Institute (EUI) runs annual calls for doctoral programmes. The institute is based in Florence, and it provides researcher training in the fields of History and Civilization, Economics, Law, and Political and Social Sciences.
The EUI’s Doctoral Programme is four years long. The course is primarily taught in English. The postgraduate students chosen for the programme are expected to write their doctoral dissertation during the course. The EUI is particularly driven to promote international and comparative research, but dissertations do not need to focus exclusively on European history or society. The EUI gives postgraduate students an opportunity to work in an international, multidisciplinary scientific community. Approximately 130 new postgraduate students are admitted to the EUI each year. Finnish universities aim to secure places for between two and three postgraduate students. The Research Council of Finland supports Finnish postgraduate students at the EUI by means of scholarships worth EUR 2,200 per month (EUR 2,600 if the student has underage children).
The EUI can also accept a few Academy Research Fellows funded by the Research Council of Finland to do research work at the EUI for one or two years at a time. Places at the EUI can be applied for in connection with Research Fellow funding. Applicants are advised to familiarise themselves with the EUI’s research in advance and to contact the Research Council of Finland’s EUI coordinator.
More information
COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is an organisation dedicated to connecting different scientific disciplines across Europe.
COST Actions are initiated on subjects proposed by researchers. They are especially designed to promote network-based cooperation between young researchers and new research teams in new fields of science and technology. For example, research communities have been able to use COST Actions to set up European consortia for Horizon 2020 projects. Although the actions are Europe-centric, the networks are open to research teams from anywhere in the world.
COST Actions are coordinated by representatives of the countries that have joined the organisation. The COST Office also helps with project management. Cooperation in connection with COST Actions is funded through the EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (Horizon Europe).
The Research Council of Finland has a funding partnership agreement with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
DAAD collaboration extends to all scientific disciplines. The partnership facilitates mobility in the context of joint projects between Finnish and German researchers. The mobility funding is designed to cover Finnish research teams’ travel and living expenses in Germany. To qualify for funding, projects must have both a Finnish and a German coordinator, each of whom needs to file an application with their local funding agency. The Research Council’s calls are published in September, but the application period for DAAD may be different. Funding can be sought for two years at a time.
More information
- DAAD’s website
- DAAD Evaluation Form
- Questions: helpdesk
Science Europe is an association of European research and funding organisations that play key roles in their respective national research systems. Science Europe was founded in 2011, and it is headquartered in Brussels.
Science Europe helps its members to pursue shared goals in order to strengthen the European Research Area by, for example, conducting studies and surveys relating to European science and research partnerships together with its members. Science Europe does not provide research funding. The Academy of Finland is a member of Science Europe.
Science Europe and the American National Science Foundation (NSF) have established a global partnership forum called the Global Research Council, which convenes annually to discuss the latest developments.
More information
- Science Europe website
- Questions: helpdesk
