Academy of Finland 2012: Research
knows no boundaries
Tiina Kotti PhD, Programme Manager, Programme Unit
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Public research funding in Finland
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Government R&D expenditure 2012
Total €2.065 billion
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Source: Statistics Finland 2012
Academy of Finland: Vision
Our vision:
• the country᾽s leading source of funding for
scientific research
• active and major force in the Finnish research and
innovation system
• strong voice in influencing international science
policy.
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Academy of Finland
The Academy promotes scientific research
and its application by:
• awarding funding for scientific research
and researcher training
• advancing and engaging in international
scientific collaboration
• providing expertise in science policy
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Academy of Finland strategy
Enhancing the quality and impact of research
The Academy promotes:
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high international quality and ethically sound research
• new scientific breakthroughs
Strengthening the position of scientific research
The Academy is committed to:
• new innovations
• strengthening welfare, education, culture and economic competitiveness
Strengthening the international position and impact of Finnish science
The Academy:
• emphasizes the role of scientific research in resolving the grand challenges faced by society
• contributes actively to the building of the European Research Area
• provides opportunities for international collaboration
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Organisation
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Organisation
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Academy funding opportunities
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Academy research funding decisions 2011
Total €341 million
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Academy funding for research career
Academy Professors (40):
• are top researchers who contribute to the progress of research
within their field of research
• are granted funding for a maximum of five years at a time
Academy Research Fellows (296):
• are granted funding for independent scientific work as laid down
in the research plan
• are granted funding for a maximum of five years
Postdoctoral Researchers (600)
• A maximum of four years after gaining the doctorate
• Are granted for three years
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Centres of Excellence (CoE) in Research
Objectives:
• to raise the quality standards of research and improve international competitiveness
• to increase visibility and esteem
• to embed leading-edge research in research, education and technology policy
• to develop top-level, innovative and efficient research and researcher training environments
Finnish CoE programmes since 2000:
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2000–2005 (26 CoEs)
2002–2007 (16 CoEs)
2006–2011 (23 CoEs)
2008–2013 (18 CoEs)
2012–2017 (15 CoEs)
2014–2019 (open for application)
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Research programmes in 2012
• Climate Change, FICCA (2011–2014)
• Computational Science, LASTU (2010–2015)
• Nutrition, Food and Health, ELVIRA (2006–2014)
• Photonics and Modern Imaging Techniques (2010–2013)
• Responding to Public Health Challenges, SALVE (2009–2012)
• Sustainable Energy, SusEn (2008–2012)
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Sustainable Production and Products, KETJU (2006–2013)
The Future of Living and Housing, ASU-LIVE (2011–2015)
The Health and Welfare of Children and Young People, SKIDI-KIDS (2010–2014)
Ubiquitous Computing and Diversity of Communication, MOTIVE (2009–2012)
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Programmable Materials, OMA (2012-2016)
Sustainable Governance of Aquatic Resources, AKVA (2012-2016)
Open for application:
• Synthetic biology, FinSynbio
• The Human Mind, MIND
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Research programmes
• Clusters of research projects focused on a defined subject area or a set of
problems
• funded for a fixed period
• operated under a coordinated management
• Have a number of science-policy objectives, such as:
• to raise the scientific standard of a research field relevant to science or society
• to develop a field of research or a scientific discipline
• to piece together scattered research capacities
• to promote multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity
• to increase cooperation between researchers, funding agencies and
end-users of research results.
• Promote international collaboration through:
• international networking of programmes
• co-funded international programmes.
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Evaluation activities
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Review of applications: criteria
• Scientific quality and innovativeness of the
research plan
• Competence of the applicant/research team
• Feasibility of the research plan
• Quality of the research environment and its
strengthening
• International and national research collaboration
and researcher mobility
• Significance of the project for the promotion of professional careers in
research and for researcher training
• Other research-policy objectives adopted by the Academy
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Application success rate
(case: general research grants 2000–2011, %)
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Internationalisation and researcher mobility
Supported in all funding opportunities, such as:
• Academy Projects
• Research programmes and Centre of Excellence Programmes:
joint calls and networking
• Academy Research Fellows and Postdoctoral Researchers
• Finland Distinguished Professor Programme, FiDiPro
• ERA-NET calls
• International joint calls with foreign funding agencies
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Cooperation with USA
Collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF):
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Nordic Research Opportunity for NSF Graduate Research Fellows:
Since 2008, the Academy has offered cooperation opportunities for the Fellows
within projects run by the Academy’s Centers of Excellence and Academy
Professors. The aim is to enable researchers to build international contacts at an
early stage of their careers.
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Virtual Center SAVI (Science Across Virtual Institutes):
• WiFiUS (Wireless Innovation between Finland and US established 2011,
projects funded together with Tekes and NSF
• WiFiUS 2, 2012
• Innovations on learning and education, 2012
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More information
• Academy of Finland: www.aka.fi/eng
• Finnish science policy: www.research.fi/en
• For mobile researchers: www.euraxess.fi
Thank you!
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