Apply for Research to Business funding when:

A need for research based solution has been identified 

• The team has identified a need for the product or service solution developed in the research and has a hypothesis on how it could be commercialized.
• There is already at least preliminary evidence of the solution's functionality.
• The researcher or research group has appointed a competent project team to advance the idea towards commercial utilization.

The project is supported by the research organization

• The research organization's innovation services unit has assessed the idea´s novelty value and commercial potential as high, and the organization supports the project's funding.
• If your organization does not have an innovation service unit, contact the head of research or your Business Finland contact person.

The targeted business has potential to succeed

• The new business targeted by the project has been assessed to be significant.
• The project aims to explore the feasibility of commercializing the solution and to create the foundation for new business.

Commercialization rights have been identified

• The research organization has sufficient rights to use the background material and the research results to commercialize knowledge and competence.
• The research organization seeks and has the ability to transfer the rights to the research results to the party that will commercialize the idea after the project.

Project examines alternative commercialization options

• The company that will commercialize the research-driven product or service solution has not been identified.
• The project examines several alternative commercialization options. 
• The actual product and business development phases will take place after the project in a new company to be established or as a new business activity within an existing company.

The funding is intended for preparing the commercialization of a research-based product or service idea and for conducting applied research that supports commercialization preparation.

Preparation of commercialization is done throughout the project, and it must account for at least 40% of total approved project costs.

Examples of commercialization preparation include:

• Prior art searhes and other studies related to industrial property rights and the freedom to operate
• Examination of the solution from a commercialization perspective 
• Defining customer value, market studies, customer research/mapping
• Mapping and analysis of competing solutions
• Exploration of financing models and potential funders/investors
• Exploration of business models
• Protection of the solutions´s intellectual property rights (excluding maintenance costs. Trademark costs are not eligible.)
• Commercialization and entrepreneurship skills training that supports the project
• Communication related to identifying potential customers and funders/investors.

The form of funding is public research funding. Funding may not be used, for example, for:

• Preparing a business plan 
• Acquiring marketing material or creating a brand
• Product development
• Measures tha are not directly related to commercialization preparation or the associated applied researh
• Contract research
• Basic research

If the project does not progress according to the approved plan and the objectives set for the project, the funding will be terminated.

Contact your research organization's innovation or commercialization unit

The team preparing the application must contact their research organization’s research, innovation, and/or commercialization services unit well in advance of submitting the application and follow their guidelines and timeline during the application process. The unit helps assess the suitability of Research to Business funding for the project and supports the team during the application process. The team must also be prepared to pitch the project idea to Business Finland after the application submission.

If the organization does not have such units, contact the organizations Business Finland contact person or Research to Business call contact person.

Earlier projects

Examples of projects implemented with Research to Business funding can be found, for instance, on the websites of the organizations that have received funding:

• Aalto University
• Helsinki University
• Turku University
• Oulu University
• LUT University
• Tampere University
• VTT

Funding terms 

The funding terms outline which costs that Business Finland can fund, how project costs are monitored, and how the project´s progress is reported.

Funding terms and conditions

Applications and attachments are submitted via Business Finland’s funding e-service. In the e-service it is also possible to track the processing of the application.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. It is important that the application and project plan are complete by the end of the application deadline. Only include the attachments that are requested.

In joint projects, in addition to the common project plan, each participating organization submits its own application and attachments via the online service. Applications should be titled using the project name/abbreviation and the applicant organization’s name. 

See the application questions (pdf)

Go to the online service

Determine goals for the project

Determine 2-5 milestones (around the midpoint of the project) and 2-5 deliverables (at the end of the project) for both applied research and preparation for commercialization. The goals must be linked to the project's concrete results. Business Finland will monitor the achievement of the goals.

Attachment 1. Project plan

Maximum length for the plan is 20 pages. Any content exceeding the maximum page count will not be considered. The list of references (max two pages) is not counted towards the length of the project plan. 

The project plan must clearly describe:

• The research background and current state of the solution

• The measures, key contributors, schedule, and costs related to preparing for commercialization, by work package, as well as the share of these costs in the total project costs 

•  

  The measures, key contributors, schedule, and costs, by work package, for applied research supporting the preparation for commercialization

•  

  2-5 milestones (around the midpoint of the project) and 2-5 deliverables (at the end of the project) for both applied research and preparation for commercialization

•  

  Communication activities, schedule, and costs 

   

Organizations planning a joint project must have a shared project plan that outlines the synergies and common goals of the parties, as well as their respective tasks and resources.

In joint projects, at least 40% of the combined costs of the organizations must be allocated to activities related to the preparation for commercialization. If the project does not progress according to the plan and objectives, the funding for all parties involved in the joint project will be terminated.

Attachment 2. Innovation Services' statement on intellectual property rights related to the project

1. Clarify the ownership and transferability of intellectual property rights relevant to the project to the research organization. Has the research organization approved the invention disclosure? If rights need to be transferred, can this be completed before the project begins?
2. Describe what kind of preliminary freedom-to-operate assessment (e.g. patent landscape mapping) has been conducted and its results.
3. Describe what measures have been taken to protect the rights and their current status.
4. Clarify any other related rights held by the research organization that it is willing to transfer to a potential company to be established after the project.

Evaluation of applications

Business Finland assesses the research project aimed at preparing for commercialization in its entirety. The evaluation also takes into account other applications competing for funding. 

The following aspects are especially examined in the evaluation:

• The project team's experience and expertise, especially in commercialization, but also in research related to the field of the solution to be commercialized 
  • The team has strong research background in the field.
  • The person responsible for commercialization is employed by the applicant organization during the project and is genuinely a member of the team. The person has strong prior experience in commercialization and/or business.
  • The entire team is committed to preparing for commercialization and some team members are willing to continue promoting the commercialization of the results after the project. 
• The solution’s utilization potential
• The scale of the intended business
• The project’s impacts on the development of significant international business and on society
• The novelty and maturity level of the solution
• The actions, resourcing, interim and final objectives depicted in the project plan, and their credibility
• The possible commercialization pathways described in the project plan and their credibility
• The composition and expertise of the steering group, especially in supporting the preparation for commercialization
• The project’s impact on sustainable developmentThe scalability of business and business potential.

Utilization of results

The aim of Research to Business is to promote the utilization of research results as new business.

In public research projects, an achieved result is owned by the research organization that is beneficiary in the project to which the research work relates. If a result is achieved jointly by research organizations, the beneficiaries must mutually agree on the ownership, right of use and utilization of the result in accordance with Business Finland funding terms and conditions. Upon transferring the ownership and right of use of results and result materials and data to companies, the beneficiary must receive compensation that corresponds to current market prices.

The results of the project are public after the completion of the project. Before disclosing the results, it is important to ensure that the creation of business is not hindered, for example, due to obstacles to patenting or the disclosure of trade secrets. The confidentiality of the results may be continued after the project has ended, or, if the results are transferred during the project, for a reasonable amount of time after the transfer to allow the preparation of their utilization and protection.

If a startup company is established to commercialize the solution that is developed in the project, the project’s objectives are considered achieved, and the project funding will be terminated.

Eligible costs

All costs must be necessary and reasonable for the implementation of the project. Eligible costs include costs such as: 

• wages of persons working for the project
• indirect costs (general costs and indirect personnel costs)
• reasonable travel expenses
• costs of materials and supplies
• purchased services that are necessary for the implementation of the project and in accordance with the rules of public procurement and the administration of the funding recipient

See detailed instructions on eligible costs in the Funding terms and conditions for research organizations  Funding terms and conditions (pdf).