The Finnish Research Impact Foundation

The Finnish Research Impact Foundation (Finnish: Vaikuttavuussäätiö, formally Tutkimuksen vaikuttavuuden tukisäätiö) is a foundation established by the State of Finland in 2019 to support flagship research activities at universities and research institutes and to strengthen public–private connections around top-level research. The state endowed the foundation with a base capital of 60 million euros. The foundation grants non-reciprocal (grant-based) funding for research activities and for strengthening their impact. Funding is directed to universities and research organizations rather than to companies directly. Its flagship instrument, Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Postdoc funding, supports joint research between research organizations and companies, aimed at ambitious, pre-competitive collaborative research projects that advance both top-level research and the goals of the business sector. The foundation distributes roughly two million euros annually through this instrument. The design of the funding is research-driven: the grant is paid to the university or research organization, while the partner company contributes unique expertise and/or resources to the project and benefits from first-hand accumulation of knowledge. Research results are published openly so that both the academic community and the business sector can benefit, not only the partner company. Teamwork between researchers and companies is central to the model. The foundation's governance reflects its public–private mission. Its board includes representatives of member companies of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto), member companies of Suomen Yrittäjät (the Federation of Finnish Enterprises), the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia), the Council of Finnish University Rectors UNIFI, and TULANET, the cooperation body of state research institutes. Petro Poutanen serves as the foundation's CEO. In its recent funding rounds the foundation has awarded record amounts: nine joint projects between research organizations and companies shared nearly two million euros in one round, reflecting strong demand for the Tandem Industry Academia funding. The foundation also collaborates with other organizations; for example, expert Aino Alasentie divides her working time between the foundation and STEK ry, a shared role that brings financial expertise to two small organizations and supports long-term planning.

The Finnish Research Impact Foundation was established by the State of Finland in 2019 as a foundation (säätiö) with the formal name Tutkimuksen vaikuttavuuden tukisäätiö. Its purpose was defined as supporting flagship research activities at universities and research institutes and strengthening public–private connections around top-level research. To endow the new foundation, the state donated a base capital of 60 million euros. From its inception the foundation has operated as a grant-making body rather than a research performer. It awards non-reciprocal funding for research activities and for strengthening their impact, and it channels that funding to universities and research institutes. Its central instrument, Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Postdoc funding, was designed to support joint research between research organizations and companies, targeting ambitious, pre-competitive collaborative projects that advance both top-level research and the goals of the business sector. The foundation distributes roughly two million euros annually through this instrument. The funding model is deliberately research-driven. The grant is paid to the university or research organization; the partner company contributes unique expertise and/or resources and benefits from first-hand accumulation of knowledge; and research results are published openly so that the academic community and the business sector at large can benefit, not only the partner company. Teamwork between researchers and companies is a defining feature of the approach. Governance was structured to embed both public and private stakeholders. The foundation's board includes representatives of member companies of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto), member companies of Suomen Yrittäjät (the Federation of Finnish Enterprises), the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia), the Council of Finnish University Rectors UNIFI, and TULANET, the cooperation body of state research institutes. Petro Poutanen serves as the foundation's CEO. In its recent activity the foundation has reported record demand for its Tandem Industry Academia funding. In one round, nine joint projects between research organizations and companies shared nearly two million euros. The foundation has also entered shared-expertise arrangements with other organizations; for example, expert Aino Alasentie divides her working time between the foundation and STEK ry, a shared role that brings financial expertise to two small organizations and offers an opportunity to share working practices and strengthen long-term planning.

• 2019

  Foundation established by the State of Finland with a 60 million euro base capital.

• Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Postdoc funding instrument supports joint research organization–company projects with roughly two million euros distributed annually.

• Nine joint research organization–company projects share nearly two million euros in a record funding round.

• Expert Aino Alasentie begins a shared role between the foundation and STEK ry.

A state-endowed foundation bridging academia and industry by funding pre-competitive joint research with open publication of results.

• Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Postdoc funding

  Funding for joint research between research organizations and companies, aimed at ambitious, pre-competitive collaborative projects advancing both top-level research and business goals.

• Research impact grants

  Non-reciprocal funding for research activities and for strengthening their impact, directed to universities and research institutes.

1. 1Vaikuttavuussäätiövaikuttavuussaatio.fi
2. 2The Finnish Research Impact Foundationwikidata.org
3. 3Vaikuttavuussäätiöfi.wikipedia.org