RCF to open funding calls to strengthen clinical research and R&D in wellbeing services counties

In April 2025, the Research Council of Finland is opening two funding calls with a view to strengthening clinical research and R&D activity and cooperation in wellbeing services counties in Finland.

The funding for clinical research is aimed at strengthening clinical research and generating new research knowledge to support social welfare and healthcare, disease treatment, diagnostics or prevention or business activity. The funding can be applied for by consortia composed of two or several research teams. The site of research of the consortium’s principal investigator must be a wellbeing services county (incl. City of Helsinki and HUS Group). A wellbeing services county comprises, for example, hospitals (incl. university hospitals) run by the county.

The other subprojects of the consortium may be carried out at any research organisation, and consortia are encouraged to include researchers from different research organisations. A maximum of 1 million euros can be awarded to a single consortium over four years, with a total of 10 million euros available for the whole call. The funding period starts on 1 January 2016.

The funding to strengthen R&D activity and cooperation in wellbeing services counties is aimed at strengthening cooperation between collaborative areas for healthcare and social welfare and other research actors in the areas. The funding promotes R&D in wellbeing services counties and strengthens cooperation within the reformed structures of the social welfare and healthcare service system.

The funding can be applied for by a wellbeing services county or the HUS Group that runs a university hospital. The applications are submitted as consortium applications between several organisations. The applications must include at least three parties. In addition to the wellbeing services county operating the university hospital, the consortium must include at least one other county and at least one of the following: a university, a university of applied sciences or a government research institute.

What’s more, the consortium can be bolstered through cooperation with other actors in the county, such as organisations, municipalities and businesses. A maximum of 800,000 euros can be granted to a single consortium over three years, with a total of 8 million euros available for the whole call. Applicants should note that 100 per cent of the funding must be used for R&D activity. The funding period starts on 1 January 2016.

More detailed information about the calls will be available in the call texts to be published in March 2025 and at a webinar in February 2025.