Research and development (R&D) (2-8) Academy of Finland (9-18) Research funding (19-43) Application procedure and processing of applications (44-47) Funding decisions (48-54) Academy of Finland 2008

Public research funding actors in Finland

R&D in Finland in 2007 Employed some 80,000 people R&D funding amounted to €6 billion, of which business companies accounted for 71% R&D input 3.4% of GDP Finland among the leading R&D investors and clearly ahead of the EU average 20 universities and 30 polytechnics More than 1,500 doctoral graduates from universities

R&D expenditure in Finland 1991–2007, by sector Total €6.1 billion

R&D investment in selected OECD countries, and in China and Russia (% of GPD) Source: OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators (2008) and Statistics Finland, R&D activities 2007 (2008)

Development of Finland's citation impact 1985–2005 Source: Thomson Scientific, NSI 1981–2005

Number and share of Finnish scientific publications 1985–2005 Source: Thomson Scientific, NSI 1981–2005

Government research expenditure 2008 Total €1.8 billion

The Academy's operating environment in Finland Government decision in principle on the structural development of the public research system Government decision in principle on the Development Plan for Education and Research 2007–2012 Government Programme, decision on spending limits 2009–2012 and budget for 2008 provide the basis for research funding development National Innovation Strategy underway Academy of Finland Strategy (2006–2015) and International Strategy (2007–2015) Universities are the key sites of cutting-edge research Number of high-level researchers is increasing and competition for research funding is still fierce

The Academy's operating environment In Europe EU 7th Framework Programme for Research, European Research Council (ERC), European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and European research infrastructures (ESFRI) Funding cooperation, e.g. within ERA-NETs Nordic cooperation, e.g. through NordForsk Globally Strategic partnerships and priorities: India, Japan, China, Russia, Brazil, Canada and the US

Academy of Finland in brief Tasks: to provide funding for cutting-edge scientific research and other promotion of science to promote scientific research and its application to develop international scientific cooperation to act as a science policy expert Each year, the Academy provides around 280 million euros in funding for high-level scientific research The Academy's operations cover all scientific disciplines Each year, some 5,000 people benefit from Academy research funding

Academy of Finland Strategy 2007–2015 Scientific research and the practical application of its results are vital to the development and welfare of society The Academy is committed to strengthening its role as the prime funding agency for scientific research and as a major force in the Finnish research system Success requires the ability to identify the most promising and highest-level researchers and research projects raise the quality of research and improve the application of innovation potential and research results support and facilitate the internationalisation of research and researchers

The strategic means of the Academy

The Academy as an expert in science and science policy Science policy lines and statements Review of applications Evaluation of research evaluation of research programmes evaluation of science and research the state and quality of science and research in Finland (SIGHT 2009) Science and research foresighting and impact analysis Cooperation with national and international science and research funding agencies Science policy publication series

Organisation

Organisation

Milestones

Evaluation activities at the Academy

Academy research funding Several funding instruments for different purposes Aim is to reduce overlaps Funding for research projects mainly through a single decision - makes it possible to view the project as a whole Funding granted in larger sums In making funding decisions, the Academy applies the principles outlined in the document "Criteria for research funding decisions" Impartial and competent evaluation forms the basis for funding decisions

Academy research funding Open and transparent decision-making equal treatment of applicants (the same criteria apply to all applicants) criteria, procedure and decisions available on the Academy's website Integral part of all research funding internationality equality breakthrough research (high-risk research) Application dates two annual application rounds: January and October international calls may also be open at other times

Funding opportunities Research projects Research programmes Centre of Excellence programmes Research posts: Academy Professors and Academy Research Fellows Finland Distinguished Professor Programme (FiDiPro) Postdoctoral Researcher's projects Graduate schools Researcher mobility in working life and doctoral studies of employed persons Other funding

Funding opportunities, by intended use Research project funding general research grants development studies Antarctic studies international joint research project calls with foreign funding agencies Research programmes and Centre of Excellence programmes Research career and researcher training 1.Funding applied for by researcher: Academy Professorships and Academy Research Fellowships promotion of clinical research careers Postdoctoral Researcher's projects researcher training and research abroad Senior Scientists Researcher mobility in working life and doctoral studies of employed persons 2.Funding applied for by university or graduate school: Finland Distinguished Professor Programme (FiDiPro) graduate school call support to graduate schools and national researcher training courses

Funding opportunities to support internationalisation and researcher mobility Finland Distinguished Professor Programme (FiDiPro) General research grants Academy Research Fellowships Postdoctoral Researcher's projects Grants for researcher training at the EUI and Postdoctoral Researcher at the EUI ERA-NET calls Researcher mobility and other contractual bilateral cooperation International joint project calls with foreign funding agencies Researcher training and research abroad Preparation of international joint projects Other opportunities

The Academy's general research grants Single largest funding opportunity of the Academy Aim is to promote the diversity of research and its capacity for renewal by providing an opportunity to take on scientifically ambitious research The funding is granted to top-level researchers and research teams for hiring scientific, in particular doctoral-level, and other staff for acquisition of material and equipment for travel and seminar costs The Academy may grant funding for the salary expenses of the responsible leader of a research project for a maximum of one year and only for special reasons

Research programmes A research programme is a cluster of research projects focused on a defined subject area or a set of problems, funded for a fixed period, and with a coordinated management Research programmes generate added value in comparison to project-based separate funding Research programmes have special science policy objectives, such as to raise the scientific level of a research field important in terms of science or society to develop a field of research or science to piece together scattered research capacities to promote multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity to increase national and international cooperation between researchers, funding agencies and end-users of research results Research programmes promote international cooperation through the international networking of programmes by means of co-funded international programmes by opening up programmes or programme elements to the international research community by fostering collaboration not only between funding agencies, but also between other national and international actors

Research programmes ongoing in 2008 Environment and Law, ENVLAW (2005–2008) Information Technology in Mechanical and Automation Engineering, KITARA (2005–2009) Business Know-how, LIIKE2 (2006–2009) Neuroscience, NEURO (2006–2009) Sustainable Production and Products, KETJU (2006–2010) Nanoscience, FinNano (2006–2010) Substance Use and Addictions, ADDIKTIO (2007–2010) Nutrition, Food and Health, ELVIRA (2007–2010) Power and Society in Finland, VALTA (2007–2010) The Future of Work and Well-being, WORK (2008–2011) Sustainable Energy, SusEn (2008–2011)

New research programmes Call launched in 2008 Responding to Public Health Challenges, SALVE Ubiquitous Computing and Diversity of Communication, MOTIVE In preparation Child Welfare and Health Computational Science Joint Baltic Sea Research Programme of the Baltic Sea Countries and the EU (BONUS-169) Photonics and Modern Imaging Techniques

National Strategy for Centres of Excellence in Research Objectives to raise the quality standards of research to improve the international competitiveness of research and increase its visibility and esteem to integrate cutting-edge research as part of research, education and technology policy to develop high-level, innovative and efficient research and research training environments Preconditions consists of one or more top-level research teams is at or close to the international cutting edge of research in its field has distinct, common research objectives and a common management Four programmes for Centres of Excellence as from –2005, 2002–2007, 2007–2011 and 2008–2013

Present-form Centres of Excellence in research (CoEs)

Finnish Programme for Centres of Excellence 2006–2011

Finnish Programme for Centres of Excellence 2008–2013

Nordic Centres of Excellence in Molecular Medicine 2004–2009 The Joint Committee of the Nordic Medical Research Councils (NOS-M) and NordForsk provide funding worth €6 million to three Nordic Centres of Excellence within NCoE Molecular Medicine: NCoE "Research in Water Imbalance Related Disorders" Coordination: University of Oslo NCoE "Disease Genetics" Coordination: University of Helsinki NCoE "Neurodegeneration" Coordination: Lund University

NCoE Programme for the Humanities and Social Sciences 2005–2010 The Joint Committee for Nordic Research Councils for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NOS-HS) and NordForsk provide funding worth €8.5 million to four Nordic Centres of Excellence within NCoE HumSam: NCoE "Cognitive Control" Coordination: Umeå University NCoE "Empirical Labour Economics" Coordination: Uppsala University NCoE "Microcomparative Syntax" Coordination: University of Tromsø NCoE "The Nordic Countries and the Medieval Expansion of Europe" Coordination: University of Bergen

NCoE Programme on Food, Nutrition and Health 2007–2011 NordForsk and Nordic research funding agencies provide funding worth about €11.5 million to three Nordic Centres of Excellence within the programme: NCoE "HELGA: Nordic Health – Wholegrain Food" Coordination: Danish Cancer Society NCoE "MitoHealth: Centre for Bioactive Food Components and Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases" Coordination: University of Bergen NCoE "SYSDIET: Systems Biology in Controlled Dietary Interventions and Cohort Studies" Coordination: University of Kuopio

NCoE Programme on Welfare Research 2007–2011 NordForsk and several Nordic research funding agencies provide funding worth about €9.3 million to two Nordic Centres of Excellence within the programme: NCoE "Reassessing the Nordic Welfare Model" Coordination: NOVA – Norwegian Social Research NCoE "The Nordic Welfare State – Historical Foundations and Future Challenges" Coordination: University of Helsinki

ERA-NETs EU instruments contributing to the European Research Area (ERA) Objectives to enhance cooperation between research funding agencies to carry out joint research programmes by networking and opening up national programmes for international cooperation Research fields cover all fields of science and technology no preference given to specific research themes or disciplines Research programme activities strategically planned funded and managed by national and regional public bodies The Academy of Finland coordinates two ERA-NETs: BONUS and NORFACE contributes as a partner to 14 further ERA-NETs The Academy is also involved in four NordForsk NORIA-Nets. The Academy coordinates the Asia NORIA-Net, which aims at developing Nordic-Asian research funding cooperation.

Academy participation in ERA-NET projects

Research posts Academy Professors (40 posts*) top researchers who contribute to the progress of research within their field of research carry out their own research plan and lead their own research team provide supervision to junior researchers and teaching in context with the research appointed for a maximum term of five years at a time or for an indefinite period Academy Research Fellows (260 posts*) posts provide a fixed-term opportunity to qualify for advanced research tasks or other expert tasks have been successfully engaged in scientific research and publication after earning their doctorate posts intended for independent scientific work as laid down in the research plan duties include teaching and supervision in context with the research appointed for a maximum term of five years at a time Appointment for a second term is only available on the basis of exceptionally successful activity and a competitive research plan. (*situation 1 Jan 2008)

Researcher training The Academy of Finland provides funding for research projects including doctoral students working on their theses and postdoctoral researchers who have recently earned their doctorate provides funding to advance the professional competence of young postdoctoral researchers (Postdoctoral Researcher's projects) supports graduate schools and national researcher training courses provides funding for researcher training abroad supports doctoral studies of employed persons

Scientific research and working life Doctoral studies of employed persons supports doctoral training of persons employed in the business sector, research institutes and public administration to complete their doctoral thesis, persons employed in the business sector may also be granted support at an earlier stage of their training employers are granted a monthly sum of €2,000 for salary costs, for a maximum period of 1.5 years Researcher mobility in working life supports researchers with a doctorate to transfer from e.g. business and industry to a Finnish university or research institute for a maximum of one year salary based on the salary of the applicant's primary task

Other funding opportunities Promotion and preparation of national and international research collaboration International joint activities and researcher mobility based on bilateral agreements Researcher training and research abroad Grants to Senior Scientists Doctoral studies of employed persons Researcher mobility in working life Support to graduate schools and national researcher training courses

Finland Distinguished Professor Programme (FiDiPro) Joint funding programme of the Academy and Tekes for recruiting foreign or expatriate Finnish top researchers to Finland Objective: to strengthen Finnish scientific and technological know-how to bring a more international element to the Finnish research system to generate added value for the national innovation system to support research-driven profiling of universities and research institutes In scientifically, technologically and industrially significant fields The applicant is a Finnish university or research institute Funding is competition-based and fixed-term The Academy funds 16 and Tekes eight visiting professors as a result of the first FiDiPro call. The Academy's second FiDiPro call is underway.

Postdoctoral Researcher's project For researchers who have recently earned their doctorate and are gaining qualifications as a professional researcher Postdoctoral Researchers carry out their own research plan and provide supervision and teaching Three-year funding, includes funds for direct research costs Funding available also for setting up a research team In 2007, the Academy granted funding for 169 Postdoctoral Researcher's projects

Application for Academy research funding Applications invited mainly in January and October Open competition Targeted at the best researchers and the most promising young researchers Funding decisions based on a scientific review of the research plan and the applicant as well as on research and science policy lines Fixed-term funding In 2007, the Academy received applications worth a total of €1.1 billion In 2007, the Academy made funding decisions worth a total of €264 million The Research Councils processed 4,824 applications in 2007

Processing of applications

Evaluation criteria applied by the Academy Scientific quality and innovativeness of the research plan Competence of the applicant/research team Feasibility of the research plan Research contacts Significance of the research project for the promotion of professional careers in research and for researcher training Other research policy objectives adopted by the Academy

Factors affecting funding decisions The Academy's research policy objectives To advance the research careers of women and young people To promote gender equality in research To promote multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity in research To develop innovative research environments To work for the internationalisation of research To implement larger research entities Funding instrument-specific objectives Special objectives for research programmes To provide support to Centres of Excellence in research To promote research that serves the Strategic Centres for Science, Technology and Innovation Other factors Quality of the research environment Funding received from the Academy or from other sources Applicants' ability to manage research funds Good scientific practice (incl. ethical issues) and IPR issues

Academy funding decisions 1995–2007

Academy research funding in 2007 Total €264 million

Funding decisions among Research Councils in 2007

Funding decisions among Research Councils 1995–2007

Academy funding decisions in 2007, by site of research Total €264 million

Academy funding decisions 2001–2007*, by university * University-specific research funding of universities that received most funding (in 2007)

Share (%) of positive decisions of the number of applications and of the funding applied for in calls for general research grants 2000–2007