Research Council of Finland grants continued funding to high-performing, top-rated Finnish Flagships

The Research Council of Finland has granted continued funding to four competence clusters that are part of the Finnish Flagship Programme. The Research Council’s funding for the Flagships comes to 42 million euros in 2025–2028. The continued funding was decided in connection with the mid-term review, which assessed the progress of the Flagships selected in the third call of the Finnish Flagship Programme and their plans for the coming years.

The mid-term review found the activities of the Flagships excellent. The Flagships have been very successful in their first two years and their future plans are promising. The review was carried out by an international panel, which also interviewed representatives of the Flagships. The review material included the original application, a report on the past two years, a stakeholder survey and the new application focusing on the plans for the coming years.

The following Flagships were granted continued funding:

• Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC)
• GeneCellNano – Gene, Cell and Nano Therapy Competence Cluster for the Treatment of Chronic Diseases
• InFLAMES – Innovation Ecosystem Based on the Immune System
• UNITE – Forest-Human-Machine Interplay – Building Resilience, Redefining Value Networks and Enabling Meaningful Experiences.

The Finnish Flagship Programme includes 14 competence clusters. The Research Council of Finland’s total funding budget for the programme is close to 300 million euros. The Flagships represent an effective mix of close cooperation with business and society, adaptability and a strong commitment from host organisations. They create future know-how and sustainable solutions to society’s challenges, promoting economic growth by, for example, developing new business opportunities.