Academy of Finland grants funding to reinforce university research profiles

The Academy of Finland has taken decisions on the latest round of PROFI funding, a funding scheme aimed at bolstering the research profiles of Finnish universities. The decisions were made in two stages: on 13 December 2022 and 12 January 2023. The total amount applied for by the universities was 175 million euros, and the Academy’s funding totals 100 million euros. The granted sums range from 2.2 million euros to 30.1 million euros (see table for more details). Funding was granted to nine universities.

The aim of the funding is to accelerate the strategic profiling of Finnish universities and support the improvement of the quality of research across the university landscape based on international peer review.

One of the typical profiling measures for which funding was applied for was the recruitment of researchers. For universities, recruitment is a way to strengthen the research environment by, for example, bringing in new expertise and increasing and diversifying domestic and international networks. According to the panel that reviewed the PROFI applications, successful recruitment often plays a crucial role in advancing the university’s action plan.

Johanna Myllyharju, Chair of the Academy Board, and Riitta Maijala, Vice President for Research, said: “Like other funding granted by the Academy of Finland, PROFI funding is applied for in open competition. Regardless of the size of the university, applications that presented a credible, insightful and well-structured plan did very well in the peer review carried out by the international panel.”

Sustainable development and resilience in focus

In the PROFI applications, universities applied for funding in accordance with the policy lines set out in their strategies. The priorities of the policies are often thematic and multidisciplinary research areas that combine several disciplines.

Sustainable development and resilience were highlighted in the themes of the applications. The topics concerned, for example, security, health, nature and materials.

The funding decisions were made by the Academy’s General Subcommittee. The applications were reviewed by an international panel of experts, whose members consisted of heads of European universities.