How decisions are made
The Research Council of Finland's funding decisions are made by various decision-making bodies:
- scientific councils
- Finnish Research Infrastructure Committee
- Strategic Research Council (SRC)
- subcommittees.
The bodies attend to their tasks within their respective domains, as is laid down in the Act on the Academy of Finland. The new English name, the Research Council of Finland, was adopted in June 2023.
The funding decisions are made based on a proposal. The proposal process is a decision-making method used in public administration where the presenting official collects the material used in decision-making, assesses the facts and forms their own opinion as the basis for their proposal, prepares the decision documents and presents the decision proposals to the competent decision-makers. The presenting official also sees to that the decision is implemented. The presenting official is usually a science adviser or programme manager.
The funding decisions are prepared based on the review reports and the panel rankings. Additionally, the decisions are prepared considering the Research Council of Finland’s criteria for funding decisions and other guiding policies.
The winter call follows a single-stage process, with decisions on applications for Academy Project, Academy Research Fellow and Clinical Researcher funding and funding under the Academy Programme for Sport Science and Physical Activity taken in May–June. A decision notice will be sent to the applicant’s email immediately after the decision has been taken.
Applications that receive rating 1–4 in the review will be rejected at the discretion of the scientific council concerned. Applications with a rating of 5–6 may be approved or rejected.
Thematic programmes, such as Academy Programmes and strategic research programmes, usually have two-stage calls. In the first stage, applicants submit a letter of intent including a short plan of intent. As a rule, the decision-making body concerned decides which applicants are invited to the second stage based on the peer review of the application and the Research Council’s science policy objectives. The other applications are rejected.
The applicants selected to the second stage are requested to submit full applications, which are then reviewed. The decision-making body makes the funding decisions (approves or rejects) based on the full applications.
Below is a more detailed description of the basis for the funding decisions.
The Research Council of Finland is committed through its strategy to promoting excellent, responsible and high-impact research across all scientific disciplines. Our aim is to ensure that society can make the best possible use of the results of the research we fund.
The Strategic Research Council (SRC) is an independent body established within the Research Council of Finland that funds solution-oriented and phenomenon-driven research. The projects to be funded by the SRC must have societal relevance and impact and be of a high scientific standard. Interaction with society is of key importance throughout the projects’ funding periods.
The preparation of funding decisions follows the criteria for research funding decisions approved annually by the Research Council of Finland Board. The SRC has decided to apply the same decision criteria as those applied by the Research Council of Finland, except to the extent that they differ from SRC funding principles.
Our decision-making bodies also have their own criteria and policies for funding decisions (e.g. different emphases between funding instruments). These criteria and policies are published on our website before each call opens.
The decision-making bodies make the funding decisions based on international peer-review reports, application rankings (excl. SRC decision-making), the Research Council’s science policy objectives and the decision-making bodies’ own policies. The bodies have the power to decide whether or not to fund applications, regardless of the ranking of applications made by the panels. The justifications for the funding decision are included in the decision notice.
In principle, the projects we fund must benefit Finnish research, Finnish society and international collaboration. Ambitious research projects that aim at achieving new breakthroughs always carry a risk of failure. Such a risk is not however an obstacle to being granted funding. While being aware of the risks involved, our aim is to open up opportunities for scientific breakthroughs and to advance the regeneration of science and research.
Our science policy objectives
Our science policy objectives that are taken into account in decision-making include the following:
- promoting the internationality of research
- advancing scientific renewal
- promoting multi- and interdisciplinary research
- supporting special objectives of Academy Programmes (applies to funding decisions on Academy Programmes)
- advancing the research careers of early-career researchers and women
- promoting responsible conduct of science
- supporting good scientific practice (e.g. treating research ethics appropriately)
- considering principles related to IPRs
- promoting gender equality and nondiscrimination
- implementing and advancing open science
- considering objectives of sustainable development
- considering the principles of responsible researcher evaluation
- broader impact of research
- promoting the utilisation of scientific research
- promoting research that is connected to innovation activities
- implementing more comprehensive research programmes
- supporting Centres of Excellence.
Other factors that are considered include the following:
- principal investigator’s ability and experience in terms of project management
- demonstrated ability of the PI and research team to manage research funds
- how the project’s researchers are connected to the Finnish scientific community
- potential for undermining trust in the impartiality and independence of the Research Council’s operations.
Our decision-making bodies also have their own criteria and policies for funding decisions (e.g. different emphases between funding instruments). These criteria and policies are published on our website before each call opens.
- Funding criteria and policies of Scientific Council for Biosciences, Health and the Environment
- Funding criteria and policies of Scientific Council for Social Sciences and Humanities
- Funding criteria and policies of Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering
- Funding principles of Strategic Research Council
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After you have been granted funding, follow the instructions found on this page: How to use funding
- Criteria for funding decisions 2018–2019, 11 Apr 2019 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2018–2019, 20 Sep 2018 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2018–2019, 18 Apr 2018 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2017–2018, 9 Nov 2017 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2017–2018, 24 Aug 2017 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2017–2018, 20 Apr 2017 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2016–2017, 23 Feb 2017 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Criteria for funding decisions 2016–2017, 14 Dec 2015 (PDF, in Finnish)
You can find the previous funding criteria for the Strategic Research Council on the Strategic Research Council’s website.
