Funding for leading companies and ecosystems

Leverage for leading companies

Business Finland challenges willing and capable globally operating companies to become the drivers of ecosystems formed by companies of different sizes and other actors.

To accelerate ecosystems, Business Finland offers companies and research organisations partnership funding for R&D projects in accordance with the roadmaps of leading companies.

Challenge competitions for leading companies

The Challenge Competition for leading companies 2026

The aim of the challenge competitions for leading companies is to get companies to significantly increase their research, development and innovation activities in Finland and to create new jobs and billion-euro ecosystems aimed at new business. The competition proposals have been required to solve significant future challenges and have a significant impact on the Government Programme's 4% RDI (research, development and innovation) and 75% employment targets.

The winning companies have committed to increasing their RDI investments in Finland cumulatively by almost EUR 1.5 billion. If successful, the projects will lead to additional industrial investments of several billion euros in Finland.

Leading companies are divided into two groups in terms of Business Finland funding. For globally operating companies that are able to make very significant R&D increases in Finland, Business Finland's funding is a maximum of EUR 20 million for the locomotive and a maximum of EUR 50 million for its ecosystem. Business Finland's funding is a maximum of €10 million for companies seeking global operations and solving a more focused challenge, and €20 million for its ecosystem.

Check out the companies that have won the challenge competitions, the list is below.

Leading companies offer cooperation opportunities for partners. Funding for joint projects can be applied for from Business Finland. Learn more about the partnership funding opportunities below.

Partnership funding

Business Finland provides funding for research, development and innovation projects in accordance with the roadmaps of leading companies.

Partnership funding is intended especially for joint projects between companies and joint projects between companies and research organisations (Co-Innovation funding). Funding can also be granted to individual companies (research, development and piloting funding) or to research organisations or joint projects of research organisations (Co-Research funding).

Co-Innovation and Research, Development and Piloting funding can be applied for continuously.

The Co-Research Partnership Funding for research organisations.

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