Business Finland offers partnership funding for research, development, and innovation projects in leading companies' ecosystem themes. Funding is intended in particular for joint projects between companies and joint projects between companies and research organizations. Funding may also be granted to individual companies or research organizations or to joint projects of research organizations.
Leading companies can participate in the joint projects, but they are not eligible for funding. Therefore, the participating leading companies do not have to apply for funding for their own share. Several calls are opened annually. Next cut-off date for the 2023 calls: April 13. Other cut-off dates for 2023: September 13th.
In 2020 and 2021, Business Finland challenged leading companies to solve significant future challenges and to increase their research, development and innovation (RDI) investments in Finland. The leading companies are ABB, Borealis Polymers, Fortum, Kone, Metsä Group, Meyer Turku, Neste, Nokia, Sandvik, TietoEVRY, Valmet and Wärtsilä.
The objective of Business Finland is to increase innovation activities and the competitive advantage of Finnish companies in international markets with partnership funding.
What themes are eligible for funding?
Applications for funding may be submitted for projects relating to the subjects described in leading companies' roadmaps. Roadmaps set out leading companies’ views on the solutions, technologies and competences needed to achieve the defined missions.
See roadmaps (pdf):
- ABB: Green Electrification 2035
- Borealis Polymers: SPIRIT – Sustainable Plastics Industry Transformation
- Metsä Group & Fortum: ExpandFibre – Accelerating the Development of Sustainable Bioproducts
- Kone: The Flow of Urban Life
- Meyer Turku: NEcOLEAP – Climate-neutral Cruise Ship
- Mirka: SHAPE, Shaping the Green Transition – with net carbon negative surfaces
- Neste: Tackling Climate Crisis: Novel Sustainable & Scalable Solutions for Transportation and Chemicals
- Nokia: Unlocking Industrial 5G Beyond Connectivity
- Nokia: Competitive Edge
- Sandvik: Sandvik Shift '25
- TietoEVRY: Building Trusted Digital Societies
- Valmet: Beyond Circularity
- Wärtsilä: Zero Emission Marine
What projects are eligible for funding?
Companies can apply funding for:
- A Co-Innovation joint project between companies or between companies and research organizations.
- Their own research and development project.
Research organizations can apply funding for:
- A Co-Innovation joint project between the research organization and companies.
- An individual research project or a joint research project. Research projects require international cooperation and at least three companies must participate in the project steering group. These companies may also include leading companies.
Read more about Business Finland’s R&D funding:
How to apply for funding?
Before submitting the funding application, please discuss the content and implementation of the project with Business Finland and the contact persons of the leading companies (see contact information). However, this is not a prerequisite for funding. Business Finland makes funding decisions according to the normal funding criteria.
Partnership model funding call instructions (pdf)
Read more on the funding for leading companies and ecosystems
If you need a version of the material based on the Accessible Directive, please contact us.
