Academy of Finland grants €10m for partnership networks in research, development and innovation

The Academy of Finland has granted 10 million euros to higher education institutions and government research institutes under the call ‘Special funding for RDI partnership networks’, which was open in early autumn 2020. The funding supports research-based partnership networks where higher education institutions and government research institutes network with business and industry to enhance the societal impact of high-quality research. The actions funded serve to strengthen and deepen existing collaborative networks or build and experiment with new forms of cooperation.

The call attracted 71 applications including a total of 213 subprojects. Funding was awarded to 10 projects (41 subprojects). Of the projects funded, eight are consortia involving universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutes. Nine universities, seven universities of applied sciences and five government research institutes received funding.

The funding is based on an increase in the Academy of Finland’s budget authority allocated through the Finnish Government’s fourth supplementary budget. The call was part of the Academy’s efforts to implement the new partnership model outlined in the National Roadmap for Research, Development and Innovation. The Academy also supports the roadmap’s objectives through the Finnish Flagship Programme and the funding of research infrastructures, for example.

Professor Johanna Myllyharju, who chaired the subcommittee that made the funding decisions, said: “Despite the tight schedule, the applications were of a high standard. In many applications, a solid and high-quality research base had been combined with a committed network of partners. The subcommittee attached great importance to the quality of the network’s action plan. With this funding, the Academy will further strengthen ecosystems that utilise the latest scientific data. The commitment of all actors in the value chain is central to the partnership networks.”

Funding was granted for, among other things, design-oriented solutions for the circular economy, the development of ICT and the development of new medicinal products. Funding was also awarded to support network activities related to river and river basin measurements. Many of the funded partnership networks are closely affiliated with competence clusters of the Academy of Finland’s Flagship Programme.