Year of Research-Based Knowledge offered 438 chances to delve into research knowledge

The Year of Research-Based Knowledge 2021 made research-based knowledge more visible and accessible and intensified collaboration between the actors involved. The official programme of the year included 438 events and actions promoting awareness of research-based knowledge, carried out by 382 domestic actors independently or in cooperation with other actors. The organisers included universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes, scientific associations, cultural operators and media.

The programme was built around established measures to promote awareness of research-based knowledge and around new initiatives and partnerships created during the year. The goal was to make research-based knowledge accessible and understandable to everyone in Finland.

Riitta Maijala, Chair of the Steering Group of the Year of Research-Based Knowledge and Vice President for Research at the Academy of Finland, said: “The interest the scientific community has shown in the year has exceeded all expectations, and the actions that were designed with this enthusiasm have provided inspiring experiences for all ages. The year has been a common platform and pooled together a large part of the work carried out in Finland to promote awareness of research-based knowledge. We’re particularly pleased with the new ways of communicating the significance of research knowledge that emerged.”

New initiatives created included the “Knowledge is a superpower” campaign (Tieto on supervoima), in which actors in the education and research sector together with A-lehdet Group encouraged children to explore research-based knowledge. A joint campaign between several research organisations shed light on the various stages of the research process and explained the significance of research-based knowledge. Another campaign highlighted figures and topical statistics related to the impact and effectiveness of research knowledge. During the year, economic research institutes launched a project focusing especially on young people’s knowledge of economics.

Visit tutkittutieto.fi for the entire programme of the Year of Research-Based Knowledge 2021.

Spotlight on multidisciplinarity, the environment and health

The programme of Year of Research-Based Knowledge particularly highlighted issues related to the environment, health and society. A quarter of the events and actions were multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.

The year was one of the measures set out in Finland’s National Roadmap for Research, Development and Innovation and responded to its objectives by making research-based knowledge more accessible and understandable and by increasing everyone’s possibilities to influence and participate in the knowledge base needed to solve transformations in society.

Erja Heikkinen, vice chair for the year’s steering group and Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, said: “The events and actions of the year breathed new life into the measures recorded in a document prepared by public officials. The year was an experience that inspired the inclusion of previously untravelled paths also into the updated version of the RDI roadmap.”

Due to the Covid pandemic, most of the events of the year were organised online, which contributed to increasing the accessibility of research-based knowledge across Finland. The event planned to be held at the Finnish Science Centre Heureka as the culmination of the year was moved for health security reasons to be held in connection with the annual Science Forum on 1 June 2022.

Lea Ryynänen-Karjalainen, vice chair of the steering group and Executive Director at the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, said: “Work to increase the exposure of research-based knowledge will continue. Through the year, we have brought together actors in the sector to form a network whose partnerships we hope will also continue beyond 2021.”

The Year of Research-Based Knowledge was a joint effort between the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Academy of Finland and the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies.