Finland's R&D expenditure will be raised to 4% of GDP by 2030. According to the Government Program, the economic impact of R&D funding will be increased by emphasizing funding for research-enterprise cooperation.
The Government Program also aims to strengthen the cornerstone of the economy and exports through measures to double the number of growth-oriented medium-sized entrepreneur-led enterprises (so-called mittelstand) by 2030.
Objectives of the call
The aim of this call is to bring within the scope of research-enterprise cooperation SMEs and mittelstand companies that have not yet systematically utilized the expertise of research organizations. The term SMEs used in this application notice also includes mittelstand companies.
Projects to be funded
In this call, funding is granted for a Co-Research project carried out jointly by a single research organization or several research organizations. There must be an identified need for the topic of research among SMEs, but these companies do not yet have the capacity or vision to directly utilize the know-how in their product development or business.
The participants of a Co-Research project or joint project will work together to create new knowledge and know-how, which are expected to have a long-term impact on the development of the competitiveness of Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises.
The funding will be allocated to projects that promote the ability of SMEs to grow their business either independently or in the ecosystems of large, globally operating companies. The results of the research projects serve as a basis for the companies' own development projects and possible Co-Innovation entities.
The funding will accelerate the utilization of research knowledge in the R&D activities of SMEs and the creation of new export companies. In this call, funding can also be granted for projects that improve the ability of domestic market companies to compete with international forerunners in their industries.
A Co-Research project or joint project strengthens research organizations' expertise in the field of research relevant to business life, domestic and international research networks, and transfers information to SMEs about the new business opportunities created by research.
Business participation
At least three SMEs shall be involved in supervising the study. In a competitive situation, the application is clearly advantageous if there are more companies and/or companies committed to research have not previously worked closely with research organizations. It is also an advantage if the companies describe in the Notification of the project participation form how they would utilise the results in their own development activities in the future.
The degree of company commitment is measured by the number of committed companies and their funding for a research project or joint project. Priority is given to projects in which the combined financial contribution of companies is at least 10% of the costs. In addition to or instead of funding paid to research organizations, companies' share of funding may include so-called in-kind investments in the form of data or software, materials or devices donated to a research project.
The project must include a work package that plans the path to exploit the results of the project. The aim is to make extensive use of the results of public research among project funding and other SMEs.
Applying for funding, funding levels and timetable
Business Finland's share of the project's eligible costs is 80 %.
The basic information of the applicant and the application is filled in Business Finland's online service. In joint projects, each research organization submits its own application.
Select Co-Research as the funding service. Attach to the application the Notification of participation in the project form filled in by the companies participating in the project steering group.
- Read more about Business Finland's Co-Research funding
- Notification of participation in project (docx)
Application period ends 12.12.2025.
