Research Council of Finland picks promising projects to promote research utilisation

The Research Council of Finland has selected 20 projects for funding within the Proof of Concept funding scheme. The total funding comes to 6.9 million euros, granted to a total of 27 subprojects. The application success rate was 28 per cent.

The Proof of Concept scheme is a new funding opportunity that aims to promote the utilisation of research results with a view to boosting commercialisation and other societal impact. The funding will also be available next year as part of the additional funding allocated to the Research Council of Finland under the new act on R&D funding.

The funding encourages researchers to, for example, test their research results in practical settings or develop new approaches to address the needs of industry, public administration or the third sector. The first call under the scheme was a pilot project and targeted at PIs working with Centre of Excellence funding and researchers authorised by Finnish Flagships.

The funding is granted to a Finnish university or research organisation that manages the use of funding. For example, the funding may be used for salaries, purchase of services, national and international cooperation, mobility and direct costs to promote the utilisation of research. The projects start on 1 January 2024 and run for two years.

All applications submitted to the call are based on scientific research of the highest international quality. Professor Klaus Elenius, Chair of the Subcommittee for Proof of Concept Funding, said: “In our view, the funded projects will effectively promote the multifaceted utilisation of the research and societal impact that is generated. The utilisation potential and user groups of the research are clearly described in the interaction and impact plans of the funded projects. The projects have also carefully planned the implementation and the path towards commercialisation or other impact.”