1 © academy of finland academy of finland 2015: research funding for basic science tiina jokela...

1 © ACADEMY OF FINLAND

Academy of Finland 2015: Research funding for basic science

Tiina Jokela PhD, Senior Science Adviser, Strategic Research


Public research funding in Finland


R&D in Finland

• 80,800 people in R&D • proportionally more than in any other country

• R&D funding €7.1 billion • business sector accounts for nearly 70%

• Government R&D funding €2.0 billion

• R&D input 3.6% of GDP

• Public R&D spending 0.99% of GDP

• 14 universities and 25 polytechnics

• More than 1,600 doctoral graduates each year


Government research funding 2014

Source:

Statistics Finland 2014


Academy of Finland research funding 2000–2013


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


Academy of Finland

• Four research councils, covering all scientific disciplines• Strategic research council• Committee for infrastructure

• Funding for scientific research, researcher training and the development of research capacities (€310 million in 2014)

• Each year, some 8,000 people benefit from Academy funding

• A staff of around 130


Organisation

The Board of the Academy Finland

Government

Research Council for Biosciences

and Environmen

t

Research Council for Culture and

Society

Research Council for

Natural Sciences

and Engineerin

g

Research Council for

Health

Research Infrastruc

ture Committe

e

Strategic

Research

Council

Academy’s Administration Office

Themes


Academy funding opportunities


Academy of Finland funding in 2013


Our funding opportunities

75%

7,5%

7%

2013


Open for application in September 2014


13

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


Finland Distinguished Professor (FiDiPro) Programme

• Joint Academy-Tekes funding programme for recruiting foreign or expatriate Finnish top researchers to Finland

• Recruited to scientifically, technologically and industrially relevant fields

• Applicant is a Finnish university or research institute

• Competition-based and fixed-term funding, highly flexible

• The Academy has funded 35 FiDiPro Professors, Tekes 52 FiDiPro Professors and 14 FiDiPro Fellows


FiDiPro funding

• Funding is awarded to research projects for a fixed term with a funding period of 2 to 5 years.

• Funding may cover expenses such as:• salary and travel of the visiting top researcher• costs of a possible research team to be set up• expenses of accompanying family members • FiDiPro researchers may bring along a key member or key members

of their own research team, whose expenses may also be partially covered.


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) • 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)

Programmable Materials, OMA (2012-2016)•Sustainable Governance of Aquatic Resources, AKVA (2012-2016)• The Human Mind, MIND• Synthetic Biology (FinSynBio) • The Future of Learning, Knowledge and Skills, TULOS• Arctic Research• Energy Research• Personalized health


Research programmes

• Respond to topical issues in science and the grand challenges faced by society

• Are clusters of research projects focused on a defined subject area or a set of problems, funded for a fixed period, and operated under a coordinated management

→ Greater added value than through normal project funding

• Provide cooperation platforms for researchers in different disciplines, end-users of research knowledge and research funding bodies

• Promote international collaboration:

• international networking of programmes• co-funded international research projects

Added value• multidisciplinarity• internationality• cooperation• impact


Evaluation activities


Application processing – Who does what?

Processes the application

Prepare a scientific review (report) on the application; an international panel

Makes the funding decision on the application; panel report of key importance


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


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


Collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF):

• Graduate Research Opportunity Worldwide (GROW) for NSF Graduate 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.

• Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE)

• Virtual Center SAVI (Science Across Virtual Institutes):

• Projects funded together with The Academy of Finland, Tekes and NSF

• WiFiUS (Wireless Innovation between Finland and US established 2011,

• WiFiUS 1-3

• Innovations in learning and education, 2012

Cooperation with USA


Academy of Finland: Advancing science and research

More information:

•Academy of Finland: www.aka.fi/eng

•Finnish science policy: www.research.fi/en

•Finnish science and research Academy newsletter

•For mobile researchers: www.euraxess.fi

•Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln, YouTube, SlideShare

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