Academy of Finland grants EUR 8 million for research into molecular regulatory networks of life

Academy of Finland has selected seven research consortia (21 subprojects) to be funded as part of the Molecular Regulatory Networks of Life (R’Life) Programme. The selected consortia were awarded a total of EUR 6 million to fund four-year projects.

In addition, further funding to cover a period of three years was granted under the additional call of the R’Life Programme to expand eight ongoing projects already funded by the Academy of Finland. The additional call is designed to provide funding for top researchers and research groups to promote the adoption of the latest scientific methods. A total of EUR 2 million was awarded through the additional call.

The projects which received funding this round will start in January 2020.

Topics of the consortium projects include the regulation of cell specialisation, diagnostics of leukaemia, evolution of forest trees, human immune response, evolutionary adaptation of yeast and the regulatory mechanisms of species boundary in hares. Topics of the three-year projects funded through the additional call include mechanisms of fertilisation and sexual selection at molecular level, variations in the colouring of Glanville fritillary, aetiology and diagnostics of cancer, foetal development of the immune system and climate change adaptation of strawberry.

The goal of the R’Life Programme is to produce comprehensive information about the networks that regulate the actions of cells, tissues and individuals by combining the latest tools of molecular biology and bioinformatics. The programme will increase our understanding of how molecular regulatory networks work and how the connections between them regulate life.

The Academy of Finland funds a total of 14 academy programmes in 2019. Academy programmes are science-driven, thematic and target-oriented bodies of research projects that are aimed at supporting scientific regeneration and increasing scientific and other impact. Academy Programmes support top-level multi- and interdisciplinary research, build networks among researchers and provide a platform for international research collaboration.